AI Perks curates and provides access to exclusive discounts, credits, and deals on AI tools, cloud services, and APIs to help startups and developers save money.
What is the Onshape Student plan?
Onshape lists its Student plan as free for education users, comparable to a Standard Plan valued at $1,500 a year. The catalogue also carries 5 free Professional seats from Onshape (PTC).
The perk card shows who qualifies and how to claim, so start there rather than guessing. AI Perks tracks more student offers around it, from other CAD tools to simulation software, and this guide places them side by side.
The Student plan is free for students of any age. Onshape describes it as suited to everything from first projects to capstone work, and sign-up needs no credit card.
Top AI Credits for Startups
Apply directly through these verified programs.
ChatGPT $80
Eligible for early-stage startups
Google Gemini $240
Eligible for early-stage startups
GitHub Up to $120
Eligible for early-stage startups
Notion $120
Eligible for early-stage startups
Figma $1,080
Eligible for early-stage startups
Perplexity $84
Eligible for early-stage startups
What does the Onshape education plan include?
The headline feature is unlimited private documents. Most free CAD tiers force your work into public view, so private storage is the real value here.
Beyond storage, Onshape points to these features:
- Live collaboration: students can work on the same model at the same time, like a shared document but for CAD.
- Auto-save with restore: every change is saved, so you can go back to any earlier point of a design.
- Free learning resources: Onshape provides them for students and educators.
- Private by default: documents created under education plans are not public and do not appear in public search results.
FIRST Robotics teams also get Onshape CAD and CAM plus resources specific to FRC and FTC, including curriculum and parts libraries.
How does the Student plan compare with the Free plan?
The two sound similar, but they behave differently. The Free plan is for non-commercial use only, and all its documents are accessible to the public. The Student plan keeps documents private.
| Free plan | Student plan | Standard plan | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free for education users | $1,500 per user per year |
| Storage | Unlimited public | Unlimited private documents | Paid plan |
| Document visibility | Public | Not public | Private data supported |
| Commercial use | No | No, educational purposes only | Yes |
| Watermark | Not stated | All documents watermarked | Not stated |
Read the table as a trade. You get paid-plan-style privacy at no cost, in exchange for educational-only use and a watermark. Check the live Onshape pricing page for current paid-plan details.
Top AI Credits for Startups
Apply directly through these verified programs.
ChatGPT $80
Eligible for early-stage startups
Google Gemini $240
Eligible for early-stage startups
GitHub Up to $120
Eligible for early-stage startups
Notion $120
Eligible for early-stage startups
Figma $1,080
Eligible for early-stage startups
Perplexity $84
Eligible for early-stage startups
What about the Educator and Enterprise plans?
Teachers are covered too. The Educator Plan is free for educators, coaches, mentors and administrators, and Onshape compares it to the Professional Plan, valued at $2,500 a year. Someone who already holds a free or student account can switch to an educator plan.
Institutions have a separate paid route. Education Enterprise is a paid plan for schools, districts and institutions that need advanced administrative controls and integrations, including single sign-on with school credentials. Individual students do not need it.
Education plans need no manual renewal, although eligibility may be re-verified from time to time. The perk card is the place to see what applies to you.
What happens when you graduate?
Education access is tied to being a student. Onshape says that when a student is no longer eligible, such as after graduation or leaving a school, the account may move to a Free plan or be upgraded to a paid plan.
That matters for your portfolio. On the Free plan, all documents are public and use is non-commercial. Only paid plans support commercial use, and the Standard Plan costs $1,500 per user per year.
Plan the handover before your last term. Decide which projects you want to keep, and whether you are comfortable with them being public once your account changes.
Top AI Credits for Startups
Apply directly through these verified programs.
ChatGPT $80
Eligible for early-stage startups
Google Gemini $240
Eligible for early-stage startups
GitHub Up to $120
Eligible for early-stage startups
Notion $120
Eligible for early-stage startups
Figma $1,080
Eligible for early-stage startups
Perplexity $84
Eligible for early-stage startups
Onshape vs Fusion: which student CAD perk fits?
Searching "onshape vs fusion" usually means you are comparing a browser-first tool with a desktop-style one. The catalogue helps because each option has its own card with the amounts and claim details in one place. Here is what AI Perks lists for design and engineering work.
| Company | Free credits | How to get |
|---|---|---|
| Onshape (PTC) | 5 free Professional seats | Get this perk |
| Autodesk Fusion | $10,000 | Get this perk |
| Ansys | $15,000 | Get this perk |
Total: $10,000 (Autodesk Fusion) + $15,000 (Ansys) = $25,000 in credits, plus 5 free Professional seats from Onshape (PTC).
The seats are a different kind of value from the dollar credits, so do not add them together. Open each card to see who qualifies, how to claim, and which one fits your coursework.
How do you get started step by step?
Step 1: Get credits via AI Perks. Open getaiperks.com and find the Onshape card, or go straight to the Onshape (PTC) perk. The card opens in place and shows who qualifies and how to claim.
Step 2: Read the card before you sign up. It spells out the requirements, so you do not have to hunt through vendor pages. Confirm the offer matches your situation, whether you are a student or an educator.
Step 3: Keep your work educational. Education plans are for educational purposes only, and every document is watermarked. Do not plan client or paid work on this plan.
Step 4: Use the collaboration and version history. Invite classmates to the same model and rely on auto-save to restore earlier versions when an experiment goes wrong.
Step 5: Compare a second tool. Open the Autodesk Fusion card or the Ansys card to see what else fits your course.
For more on student offers beyond CAD, see Free AI Credits for Students 2026: Every Program Compared and AI Student Discount 2026: Every Verified Offer Listed.
Top AI Credits for Startups
Apply directly through these verified programs.
ChatGPT $80
Eligible for early-stage startups
Google Gemini $240
Eligible for early-stage startups
GitHub Up to $120
Eligible for early-stage startups
Notion $120
Eligible for early-stage startups
Figma $1,080
Eligible for early-stage startups
Perplexity $84
Eligible for early-stage startups
Frequently asked questions
Is Onshape free for students?
Yes. Onshape lists its Student plan as free for education users, comparable to the Standard Plan valued at $1,500 a year. Sign-up needs no credit card. For who qualifies and how to claim, open the Onshape card on AI Perks.
Can I use Onshape student work commercially?
No. Education plans are for educational purposes only, and all documents are watermarked. Onshape defines commercial use as any business or profit-generating activity and says only paid plans support it. If you plan to sell designs or take client work, you need a paid plan.
Are my student documents public?
No. Documents created under Onshape Education plans are not public and do not appear in public search results. That is the main difference from the Free plan, where all documents are accessible to the public. Browse more student offers at getaiperks.com.
What happens to my account after I graduate?
When you are no longer eligible, such as after graduation or leaving a school, your account may move to a Free plan or be upgraded to a paid plan. The Free plan is non-commercial and public. See other perks at getaiperks.com.
Is Onshape or Fusion the better choice?
It depends on your coursework, and the plan terms differ. The catalogue lists $10,000 for Autodesk Fusion and 5 free Professional seats for Onshape (PTC). Compare the cards side by side at getaiperks.com before you commit to a tool.
Is there a free plan for teachers?
Yes. The Educator Plan is free for educators, coaches, mentors and administrators. Onshape compares it to the Professional Plan, valued at $2,500 a year. Someone with an existing free or student account can switch to an educator plan.
Get your student CAD perks
Onshape's education plan turns a $1,500-a-year product into a free one for students, and the catalogue puts it next to other design and engineering perks. Open the cards, check who qualifies, and claim what fits.
Get free AI credits at getaiperks.com →
Browse every student and education perk, with amounts and claim details, at getaiperks.com.
