Microsoft is offering budget-minded U.S. college students a chance to try its new Office 365 University subscription for three months for free — and an additional three months if they also share information about the trial with their Facebook friends.
It’s part of a broader effort by Microsoft to fend off Google and create new momentum for its Office business on university campuses. The company rolled out the promotion this morning, along with an ad campaign (above) featuring Aubrey Plaza, of the television series “Parks and Recreation.”
Office 365 University normally sells for $79.99 for a four-year subscription, for running Office programs on up to two PCs or Macs. The subscription includes an extra 20GB of SkyDrive storage in addition to the standard 7GB.
Here’s a Microsoft FAQ on the Office 365 University promotion.
This is part of Microsoft’s expansion of Office subscriptions to the consumer market — offering full-fledged versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and other Office programs for a subscription fee, as an alternative to a one-time license.
