The Cursor student discount is closed to new applicants. Cursor ended sign-ups for its legacy program on June 25, 2026. Students can still use the free Hobby plan, look for credits at campus or online events, or request academic credits where eligible. Existing discount holders keep their rate until their current plan expires.
Applies to: Cursor’s student-discount help page, Students page and pricing page, checked October 13, 2026.
On this page
Which option fits your situation?
| Your situation | Current route | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| You want to start without paying | Free Hobby plan | It includes limited Agent requests; it is not a free Pro subscription |
| You are an undergraduate seeking more access | On-campus or online promotions | Read the particular event’s offer before assuming a credit amount or duration |
| You are a master’s student, PhD candidate, academic researcher or educator | Academic credit request | Follow the form linked from Cursor’s official student guidance; approval is not automatic |
| You already redeemed the legacy discount | Keep the existing rate until the plan expires | Check the renewal date and the price that follows |
These routes come from Cursor’s student-discount help page and current pricing page. The distinction matters when an older tutorial tells you to verify a university email to activate a free year: that is no longer a current application route.
Start with the free plan if you need access now
Cursor lists Hobby as free, with no credit card required, limited Agent requests and access to Composer. It does not publish a fixed request count on the pricing page, so do not budget a project around an assumed number of free prompts.
The Students page also says anyone can start for free. Student status is not a requirement for this basic route. If you later need paid capacity, compare the current subscription and usage terms rather than treating an event promotion as a permanent plan.
Our coding-agent plans tracker provides the wider comparison. For the editor itself, Cursor or VS Code explains the different products and workflows.
Undergraduates: check the offer attached to an event
Cursor now directs undergraduates to on-campus and online events for credits and discounts. Its June 25 campus community announcement describes a partnership with Major League Hacking for workshops, credits and other student activities. The current help page points students to the campus newsletter for upcoming opportunities.
Neither the help page nor the Students page promises a universal credit amount, a guaranteed discount percentage or a new one-year Pro entitlement. Before relying on an offer, check its redemption deadline, eligible participants, duration and the account to which it applies. An event invitation and a redeemed credit are different stages.
Graduate students, researchers and educators: request credits
The official help page gives master’s students, PhD candidates, academic researchers and educators a separate request route. Use the form linked from that page or the campus announcement, so you arrive at Cursor’s current destination.
This is a request for support, not a published blanket entitlement. The pages reviewed do not state a guaranteed award, response time or universal country list for this route. Describe your actual academic work in the application and rely on the terms Cursor provides if it approves the request.
The practical limit is straightforward: a pending application does not establish what paid capacity your account has. Check the account’s actual entitlement before planning work that depends on additional usage.
Existing discount holders: watch the renewal
Cursor says people who already redeemed the legacy discount retain their current rate until their plan expires. Its student help page says Pro then continues at the regular $20 per month unless canceled. The public pricing page also lists Pro at $20 per month and says applicable taxes are additional.
Check your account’s expiry and renewal information before that date. The closure of new student applications does not, by itself, cancel an existing subscription. Conversely, a university email does not establish that the old discount will renew.
Avoid third-party sellers offering replacement student accounts. Cursor’s pricing FAQ says subscriptions are sold only directly through cursor.com and that unauthorized accounts may be suspended or terminated.
