10 Of The Best Streaming Services That Offer Student Discounts

Thanks to a crackdown on password sharing, many streaming platforms will no longer allow accounts to be shared in 2024. Netflix started cracking down on password sharing in the United States in 2023, meaning only a user at a primary location can access shows like "Stranger Things" and "Wednesday." This transition has been somewhat cumbersome for numerous households, but it's particularly frustrating for families with kids in college. 

College students aren't exactly known for having a ton of disposable income, and it's not just Netflix that has begun to ensure there's only one user to a paid plan. A Disney+ price hike was accompanied by greater restrictions on password sharing, meaning college students may not be able to watch the newest Marvel show when they should be studying for exams. Students shouldn't be limited in what they can watch at school. After all, watching TV can even become a communal event when everyone gets together to watch each new episode of "The Acolyte" when it drops. 

Fortunately, being enrolled in college can come with benefits. Many streaming services provide student discounts to make it a little easier for those in school to sign up for plans and get some of their cheapest prices available. Generally, one simply needs to prove they're enrolled at a Title IV-accredited institution within the United States, which is easy enough to verify with a college-based email address. Given how expensive higher education is these days, students should be looking to save in any way they can,  Unfortunately, Netflix isn't on this list, but with so many other options (including some at prices that rival the best streaming apps for under $5/month), students may not even miss it. 

Disney+ doesn't technically offer a student discount; however, there's a way for students to get their hands on all those Disney movies and TV shows at a significantly reduced price. Seeing as Disney took control of Hulu a while back, Disney+ is made available as an optional add-on for anyone with a Hulu plan. That includes the reduced $1.99/month plan for student Hulu subscribers. 

An ad-supported Disney+ account is offered as an add-on for just $2.99/month. That means someone could get both Hulu and Disney+ monthly for just $4.98. Other streaming services, including ESPN+, Max, Starz, Paramount+ with SHOWTIME, and Cinemax, are available as add-ons with additional charges. Looking at online chatter, it appears some people have had issues getting a Disney+ account through the Hulu student plan. On one Reddit thread discussing the issue, u/Green-Credit-6447 wrote, "That is [technically] correct, since the 2.99 disney is an add-on, but only available under certain conditions, such as not having d+ before or espn+ Only new d+ subscribers would be eligible it looks like."

Granted, this might not be as much of an issue if someone had a Disney+ account through their parents but is now getting one independently. It's worth looking into to see if one qualifies regardless because even college students aren't too old to watch Disney princess movies. 

All the Trekkies attending college to learn how to build a real hyperdrive will be thrilled to hear they can access Paramount+ at a reduced price. The home of all things Star Trek provides a 25% discount off the Paramount Essential plan, which normally costs $5.99/month. That would bring it down to $4.50 monthly. After signing up, subscribers can access all things Star Trek as well as their favorite CBS shows, but it's important to note that Paramount+ with SHOWTIME can't be part of the savings. The discount is only available for the Essential plan, which comes with commercials. 

Students need to verify their identity through SheerID, which has partnered with Paramount+ for the process. This entails providing their name, date of birth, and the name of the Title IV-accredited institution they're attending. Once someone has the deal, it's good for four years with no need to re-verify. That means even if a student graduates before that four-year period, they can still take advantage of a reduced Paramount+ plan. On the flip side, the discount doesn't seem to be available for longer than four years, so consider it an extra incentive to graduate within four years. 

Peacock is one of the more low-key streaming platforms out there. The streamer boasted 31 million subscribers at the end of 2023. Around the same time period, Hulu had close to 50 million. Of course, college students looking to have more shows and movies at their disposal may want to consider it, especially seeing as they can get a plan good for a whole year where they pay $1.99/month. That's for the Peacock Premium plan, which comes with commercials. Peacock offers an ad-free plan, but it currently doesn't have a discount available to anyone enrolled at a university.

The streamer has a similar verification process to several of its competitors. Students need to prove they go to college through SheerID. Once they've successfully signed up, that $1.99 rate is good for a full 12 months, and as long as the person continues to be in school, they can sign up again at the end of the period.

Peacock has plenty of TV shows and movies to pass the time or have in the background while studying. It also happens to be the home of "The Office," which continues to be popular long after it ended. Even college students still seem to appreciate the sitcom's sensibilities. A 2016 article from the Marquette Wire asked students what they liked about the show, with one person saying, "'The Office' is a good show to just put on the TV while having friends over, or cleaning, or just studying."

There's some good news and bad news for college students hoping to save money while still being able to watch all of the programming available on Max. The good news is that Max can be offered completely for free. The bad news is that the deal only applies to students at select universities, but it's still worth checking if one's college is in that special group. 

For example, students at the University of Southern California qualify for such a plan. They simply need to sign into Max using a mobile or television provider and use their USC credentials to access all of the platform's movies and shows. USC students can also get free accounts to read articles from The Los Angeles Times and The New York Times. They can also use Grammarly completely for free, which is a tool to help catch spelling and grammar errors in any of those essays. As for free Max plans, other colleges that can get students free access include Western Connecticut State University and Central Connecticut State University. Other colleges may also have free Max, and it never hurts to check. 

Max doesn't have a student discount otherwise, but it's a good reminder that plenty of universities provide ample perks for anyone presently taking classes. Some services are completely free or significantly discounted. There may even be special offers provided within the community to help make students' lives easier. Many such deals go completely underutilized by the general student population, so it's a good idea to stay ahead of the pack and see all what's out there.

This list may have been all about college students, but this last entry is for everyone. No matter what point in life someone's at, they can sign up for a free account with Kanopy. All it requires is either a college-affiliated email address or library card information. That's right; libraries have more than physical books these days (and your library card can be your Kindle's best friend). There are a ton of digital resources to take advantage of, and with a library card, anyone can sign up for Kanopy and gain access to a ton of movies and documentaries. 

Kanopy tends not to have the latest releases, so subscribers may not find movies that were just in theaters. However, there's a solid mix of classics like "Chinatown" and fairly recent films, like the Oscar-winning "Moonlight." Ultimately, one can't beat that price point, and seeing how it's free to sign up, it pretty much behooves anyone to utilize the service even if they only watch something every so often. 

It's easy enough to get Kanopy by taking college courses, and for everyone else, this is a sign to finally get a library card. All of those public service announcements from the 1990s were right; going to the library can be cool.