Open License for Academic_March 2021
Open License for Academic features and benefits
Created for smaller education institutions, Microsoft Open License for Academic has a flexible licensing agreement
and offers savings over retail Microsoft software, while giving you the benefits of a volume-based licensing agreement. The Open License for Academic agreement is an easy way for you to acquire and administer multiple copies of software and receive license confirmations quickly and conveniently. You can obtain the most current Microsoft software products for your institution while helping to manage overall costs and staying compliant.
Open License for Academic value
• Simplicity – Open License for Academic is easy to understand and administer with simple, clear terms for
acquiring software licenses.
• Flexibility – Open License for Academic is flexible enough to meet the needs of a broad range of
institutions. Customers can choose from a wide selection of products and Online Services. After an initial
order of five or more licenses, you may place orders for as few as one license, so you order only what you
need.
• Availability – You can acquire Microsoft products through Open License for Academic from any Authorized
Education Reseller (AER).
• Compliancy – You receive license confirmation information electronically and you can quickly and easily
view your license purchase history—so there’s never any question about what licenses you own.
Acquiring licenses through Open License for Academic
Minimum initial order
To initiate an Open License for Academic agreement, there is a minimum acquisition requirement of five licenses.
This may include licenses in any combination of products. When you acquire a license with Software Assurance, it
counts as two licenses toward your five-license minimum order.
Additional orders
There is no minimum requirement for additional orders, so you can submit orders for as few as one license and
receive the volume discounted price established by your Open License for Academic agreement.

Licensing Windows Education Upgrade
When you license a desktop operating system through Microsoft Volume Licensing programs, it’s important to
know that only UPGRADE licenses for Windows Education* are available—FULL operating system licenses are not
offered. Prior to licensing a Windows Education Upgrade through your Open License for Academic agreement, you
need to have a full underlying license for a qualifying operating system for each PC. (Qualifying operating systems
are listed in the Microsoft Volume Licensing Product Terms, which you can find at www.microsoft.com/en-
us/licensing/product-licensing/products.aspx#PT.) There are two ways for you to get the necessary full operating
system license:
• For newly manufactured PCs, the best way to acquire that license is to have the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) pre-install Windows on the PC.
• If the OEM has not pre-installed Windows on the PC, then you can purchase a full Windows license through retail full packaged product (FPP).
*Windows 10 Education Upgrade is only available with Software Assurance. For details about Windows 10 licensing, visit http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/Licensing/product-licensing/windows10.aspx.
If you discover that you have existing PCs that lack the necessary full license for a qualifying operating system, talk
to your Microsoft reseller about the Get Genuine Windows Agreement for Academic (GGWA-A). GGWA-A provides
a simple, cost-effective way for you to acquire full licenses for Windows to fulfill your requirement for a full qualifying operating system. Once you have acquired the full operating system license, you are then eligible to license those PCs for a Windows Education Upgrade through your Open License for Academic agreement. Learn more.
Licensing Office 365
Microsoft Office 365 Education and Office 365 ProPlus subscriptions are available for purchase through Open
Licensing for Academic. Upon placement of order, the customer and reseller will receive email information of how
to access their product keys for activating Office 365.
Subscription term and renewal
The Office 365 subscription term is 12 months and is independent from the Open License for Academic term. The
Office 365 subscription term starts upon redemption of the product key at Office 365.com/setup.
At the end of the subscription term, you can renew your Office 365 subscriptions either by submitting a new order
through Open License for Academic or by using the administration tools on Office365.com.
Adding users mid-term
You can add Office 365 users at any time. When you add users mid-term, the subscription term is divided and
dispersed among all users so that all subscriptions become co-terminus. For example, if you have two existing users
with three months remaining in their term and you add a third user, the 12 months for the new user is divided
among the three users so that their subscriptions co-terminate. This would be accomplished by truncating the new
user’s term to six months and adding three additional months to each of the two existing users’ subscription terms.
This will ensure the simplest renewal management for the administrator of the Office 365 subscription.
Software Assurance
When you include Software Assurance with the on-premises licenses you acquire through Open License for
Academic, you get the right to install any new release of covered products during the term of the Open License for
Academic authorization number under which Software Assurance was purchased. You also qualify for additional
benefits. Learn more about the benefits of Software Assurance at www.microsoft.com/ Licensing/licensing-
programs/software-assurance-default.
How Software Assurance works
Software Assurance is a great value for institutions who value the ability to deploy and update solutions based on
the most recent technology releases.
Once purchased, Software Assurance enables you to get technology advancements available through future version
software products released during the term of your Open License for Academic authorization number. This
advantage also applies to older version software, which offers you additional flexibility in deployment of solutions
that meet your needs.
Purchasing Software Assurance
You can purchase Software Assurance with a license by ordering a License and Software Assurance package.
Software Assurance coverage runs for two years or the remaining balance of the term of the Open License for Academic authorization number. Software Assurance must always be paid for in two-year increments, regardless of
when it was purchased. In cases where time has passed after the initiation of an Open License for Academic, it may
be advantageous for you to open a new Open License for Academic agreement to receive the most value from your
Software Assurance purchase.

You may also acquire Software Assurance for the following license within 90 days of the license purchase:
• System or server software product licenses acquired through retail full-packaged product (FPP) or from an
original equipment manufacturer (OEM)
• Microsoft Office licenses are acquired through an OEM
Licensing Microsoft Imagine Academy
he Microsoft Imagine Academy is subscription-based program designed for accredited academic institutions
worldwide. It empowers academic institutions to help students realize their skills and career potential through
relevant and high-quality technology training resources. Academic institutions and their educators, students and
staff get digital curriculum and certifications for fundamental technology skills—as well as courses critical for
students to be successful in today’s technologically evolving world. With these resources, educators can prepare
their students to enter the workforce with skills that are in demand by employers. The Microsoft Imagine Academy
Program resources are flexible, and easy to integrate into new or existing curricula. And, with today’s tighter
budgets, they help schools keep pace with technology and save money.
The Imagine Academy membership is available through the Open License for Academic as a Subscription License
and can be acquired to license the entire institution or department.
License term
The Imagine Academy membership has the same expiration date as the term of the Open Authorization License
number under which it is licensed. The new order for Imagine Academy subscription under Open Academic will
automatically start Open License authorization number and set the term of the Imagine Academy subscription for
two years.
Managing Licenses with Volume Licensing Service Center
The Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC) is the portal for managing your licenses. You can:
• Access your licensing information in one location
• View all agreements or purchases in your organization
• Easily access a licensing summary that illustrates all entitlements by product and version
• View all assigned product keys and download products
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