For a few years now, Autodesk has been providing its software to individuals and educators for free. Now the company has announced that its software will be made available free to all educational institutions around the world. Now, schools and universities will be able to access the software through Autodesk's Academic Resource Center and will receive the full version used by professional studios and artists around the world. Autodesk's decision will provide an important cost-cutting opportunity to educational institutions that can access programs like AutoCAD, Inventor, Revit, 3ds Max, Maya for free while also leveraging these professional apps to support their own engineering, design, and digital art programs. More department funds can now go towards educational support resources like video-based training that help students succeed. In their official response, Autodesk emphasized the positive effects the move will have on institutions, students, and businesses:

Our hope is that by eliminating the cost of Autodesk software to high schools, colleges and universities worldwide, they’ll be able to incorporate cutting edge design and engineering technology into their curriculum and equip their students with the skills needed to imagine, design and create a better world.  For the professional designers, artists, engineers and production companies who use Autodesk software in their businesses, this move will expand the pool of highly-skilled students who have the right experience to fill open positions.

This is a win-win for everyone involved. Students will benefit from learning on a software version that will have the same functionality as those found in their professional careers. This means institutions can help their students make a smoother transition from the skills they learn through educational practice to those they execute in the corporate world. At the same time, Autodesk can incubate its brand among institutions that produce the next generations of designers and artists. Overall, providing free access to software seems to be a growing trend among many software companies. Institutions who receive free Autodesk software are still subject to approval and must agree to the company's Terms of Use. Anyone interested in registering for an Academic Resource Center (ARC) account can visit the Autodesk website. Below is a tutorial that shows how to set up your ARC account.