Adobe Creative Cloud Student License

If you're looking for SU's main Adobe page, go here.

The School of Architecture provides Adobe Creative Cloud licenses for all students in the Architecture program, with the cost covered by the existing program fee.

NEW! May 2025

Adobe has required ITS to change the school’s Adobe Creative Cloud license for your personal computer.
It’s important to do the following steps as soon as possible or your license will stop working.

Steps to acquire the license

Go to https://myaccess.microsoft.com and login with your SU credentials.
Click ‘Access packages’ on the left.
- Search for the package named ‘Adobe Creative Cloud Student Named License’ and click the Request link off to the right.
  - If you don't see a package with that name, type 'adobe' into the search box and it should appear.
- Click the Continue button, then click the Submit Request button. (Don’t fill out a business justification.)
- You will receive an email confirming your license request.
Wait at least 1-2 hours (possibly overnight) before doing the next step, as it takes time for the license change to take effect.
Start the Adobe CC desktop app.
Sign out of the app, then sign back in using your @syr.edu account (not g.syr.edu or Google account).
- If the license still says ended/expired, wait a few more hours and then try again.
Your license should now be working.
At this time, renewal must be done every four months, and you will receive an email to renew when the license expires. We are hoping to increase this to 12 months in the future.

Troubleshooting the license

Can't find the package? Enter 'adobe' in the search box.
License still says expired? Wait a couple hours and try to signout/signin again.

How do I install Adobe CC?

Download and install the Adobe CC desktop app by following the Adobe Creative Cloud download instructions.
Sign into the Adobe CC desktop app using your SU email address.
After entering your @syr.edu address, you may see a choice between ‘Personal’ and ‘Company or School Account’ account.
Pick Company/School Account and go through the authentication process.
More info on the sign-in process is available on the ITS Adobe page.

How do I switch to the school license from a personal license?

If you already have Adobe Creative Cloud installed, sign out of the Adobe CC desktop app.
Now sign in again using your SU email address.
After entering your @syr.edu address, you may see a choice between ‘Personal’ and ‘Company or School Account'.
Pick Company/School Account and go through the authentication process.
When you switch to the school-provided license, content stored in your personal Adobe account (if you have one) will not migrate over. For example: files stored in Adobe's Cloud, web pages set up in Portfolio, prototypes created in XD, etc. Be sure to download any content before canceling your personal Adobe subscription. In most cases, you can reupload your content after switching to the school license.

What if I already purchased my own Adobe license?

You may wish to disable auto-renewal or cancel your personal subscription.
There may be opportunity for a refund.
Adobe's Customer Service number is (800) 833-6687.
A student reported that Adobe said a personal subscription can be canceled at any time once the initial 1-year contract has been satisfied. The student had to call back twice to get an Adobe representative that knew about this, but was then able to get a refund.

I'm having trouble canceling my personal license since I used my @syr.edu email address with my personal Adobe ID.

In a web browser, open a Private/Incognito browser window.
Sign into your personal Adobe account at https://account.adobe.com/.
Use your @syr.edu email address but make sure to pick Personal and *not* school/work when asked.
Now that you are logged in as your personal account, you should see your paid plan and be able to click it to cancel.
While you are logged in, also change the email address on your personal account to something different than your @syr.edu. This will help reduce confusion in the future and you won’t have to constantly pick between personal and company/school.
Make sure to logout of your personal account when done.

Will I have access to the software over the summer, and between the fall and spring semesters? What about when I'm abroad in Florence, London or elsewhere?

Yes, as long as you are still enrolled in the degree program, you will have access to the software.

What happens when I graduate or am no longer enrolled?

Your license will revert back to a personal free Adobe license (without access to the paid apps). You will have 90 days to remove any content stored in the Adobe Cloud.
Transfer all your saved Adobe assets to your Adobe personal license using their migration tool. You can transfer many assets automatically, including Portfolio websites. Assets that must be transferred manually include Lightroom photos and fonts.

Are there alternatives to Adobe once I leave the program?

Here are a few alternatives that may be worth looking into:

Affinity Publisher, Designer, Photo ($)
CorelDraw ($)
PDFgear (PDF editor) (free)
Inkscape (vector illustration) (free)
Gimp (photo) (free)
Scribus (page layout) (free)
Davinci Resolve (video editing) (free)