Shopify is offering a four-month free trial to students at qualifying educational institutions across North America.
This guide covers which schools qualify, how the trial works, and how to check eligibility and activate the offer.
How the student trial works
Students at qualifying schools get four free months of Shopify—that’s roughly one semester to dream up a business and build a store. Here's how the trial works:
- Sign up with your school email address. Use the .edu (or equivalent) email associated with a qualifying institution to start your free trial. The four-month period applies automatically.
- Explore and build at no cost. Set up your store, add products, customize your theme, and configure settings during the free four-month period.
- Pay $1/month to start selling. To accept orders, activate Shopify's $1/month trial any time within the four months. This triggers three additional months on top of the time already used.
After the trial period ends, standard Shopify pricing applies.
Check your eligibility
The offer is available to students at over 500 colleges and universities in the US and Canada. To check whether your school qualifies:
- Search the qualifying schools list for your institution.
- If your school appears, start your free trial using your school email address.
- Don’t see your school? Send a request at students@shopify.com.
How to activate your trial
Follow these steps to activate the four-month student trial:
- Go to the free trial page and sign up with your .edu (or school-issued) email address.
- The four-month free trial applies automatically when the email matches a qualifying institution.
- When you're ready to start selling, activate the $1/month trial to begin processing orders.
Shopify student discount FAQ
How long is the Shopify student free trial?
The student trial lasts four months. During that time, you can build and customize your store at no cost. To start accepting real orders, activate a $1/month trial, which adds three months on top of the time already used.
Which schools qualify for the Shopify student discount?
500 colleges and universities in the US and Canada qualify. Sign up with the .edu or school-issued email address associated with a qualifying institution to activate the four-month trial automatically.
What if my school isn't on the qualifying list?
Students at non-qualifying schools can still start a standard Shopify free trial. The standard trial gives you time to explore the platform, set up your store, and decide on a plan before committing. Note: To open a Shopify account, you must be 18 years-old (or the age of majority in the jurisdiction where you reside).
