It's an unfortunate situation. Students are one of the demographics who are most likely to sit around streaming movies and TV shows all day, every day. And yet they are also one of the demographics that are the least likely to afford those services.
Thankfully, the many benevolent streaming companies are aware of their plight and offer generous student discounts on their subscriptions.
Keep reading to discover the best movie streaming services that offer a student discount; some even bundle other services into the same plan!
1. Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime covers far more than access to Amazon Prime Video. You also get free shipping on thousands of items, access to other Amazon services like Prime Music, Amazon Photos, and Prime Gaming, and even special deals throughout the year that are exclusively available to Prime members.
Amazon Prime's student discount is excellent. You will get the first six months of your plan for free, and thereafter will only need to pay $ 6.50/month. That's a whopping 50% discount on the usual price of $ 13/month in the USA.
You will need to re-verify your student status once every 12 months to be able to keep the discounted rate.
2. YouTube Premium
YouTube Premium has become an instant hit among users since rebranding from YouTube Red in mid-2017. You get ad-free viewing, offline viewing, and access to YouTube's library of original TV shows and movies.
Of course, YouTube is also a fantastic resource for regular movies, with hundreds of classic and modern films available.
As a student, you can grab a YouTube Premium plan for $ 7/month, including a one-month free trial to get the ball rolling. The usual price of YouTube Premium for non-students is $ 12/month.
YouTube Premium will also give you access to YouTube Music, meaning you can dump Spotify (even though it also offers a student discount) and get all your entertainment needs through a single plan.
3. Apple TV+
Apple TV+ is Apple's attempt to take on the biggest names in the streaming world.
Unusually for an Apple product, it has not been an outright success; it has struggled to grab market share away from the more established names. But that does not mean that you should ignore it. There are still great reasons to sign up to Apple TV+. Some of the Apple Originals on the platform (both movies and TV shows) are well worth watching. And if you're an iPhone or iPad user, the app integrates wonderfully with the rest of the operating system.
Students can get an Apple TV+ plan for free if they are a member of Apple Music. And yes, Apple Music does offer a discount. You only need to pay $ 5/month, which is down from the regular price of $ 10/month.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to get a student discount on just Apple TV+ without the music subscription. If you are already a Spotify user, the service might not provide significant value for you.
4. Hulu
Hulu was one of the first movie streaming services to offer a student discount. The popularity of the discount can be credited as being the reason that so many other services now offer student plans.
The student plan on Hulu is one of the cheapest you will find, costing just $ 2/month for access to Hulu's complete library of movies, TV shows, and original programs. Sure, you will still have to watch the ads, but that is a small price to pay for what is a 65% discount versus the regular plan.
Sadly, Hulu does not offer student discounts on its live TV package. Presumably, the company thinks that if you can afford the $ 65/month price, you don't need a discount anyway.
5. Discovery+
Discovery might not have the same clout as it once did. For many, the network has descended too far into the world of reality TV and shock programming, losing sight of its educational roots.
However, if there is one group of people who love reality TV more than any others, it is students. If you fall into that bracket, you will be delighted to learn that you can get access to Discovery+ for only $ 3/month. The regular price of the service is $ 5/month, so it is a healthy discount that is definitely worth considering.
6. Paramount+
Paramount+ is another movie streaming service that's started to gain some real traction in the last year. Formerly called CBS All-Access, it rebranded in early 2021 after a merger between CBS and Viacom.
The service is packed with on-demand movies and TV shows. Importantly, it is also one of the few apps on this list that also offers live TV as part of its student discount package. You will get access to channels such as Nickelodeon, CBS News, MTV, and Comedy Central, as well as plenty of live sports channels.
The student discount is 25% off the regular price of $ 6/month, meaning you will only need to pay $ 4.50/month.
What About HBO Max?
HBO Max used to offer a student plan, but for reasons unknown, the offer ended indefinitely in 2020. If you were lucky enough to sign up before the termination, you can keep taking advantage of the plan for as long as you remain a student. The cost is $ 10/month with no ads.
However, if you let the plan lapse, you cannot sign up again on the same terms. Instead, you will be forced to pay the full price of $ 15/month for no ads (though an ad-supported version is still available for $ 10/month.)
But don't worry, just because you missed out on the HBO Max student plan, it doesn't mean you can't bag lots of student discounts with other companies.
Not All Services Offer Student Discounts
While students will no doubt be delighted to learn about the discounts on the movie streaming services we have covered in this article, there are still some notable omissions that do not offer any form of student discount. They include Netflix, Disney+, and Sling TV.
However, that doesn't mean that one-off student deals for those services won’t pop up from time to time. So, make sure you keep your eyes peeled around the campus for any discounts that might be available.
