Summary
This article provides answers to frequently asked questions regarding the Microsoft 365 Education licenses issued out to student, staff, and faculty by USNH.
Content
The University System of New Hampshire uses Microsoft solutions for mail, productivity, scheduling, business analysis, security, and more. Microsoft 365 Education licenses are divided into two types: A1 and A5. There are nuances between each license, this article explains some of the most notable differences.
Questions
What are the different license types?
Who is eligible for a license?
How are licenses assigned?
What if I am unable to perform certain tasks due to my Microsoft 365 license?
Answers
What are the different license types?
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The Microsoft 365 Education A1 license grants access to Microsoft 365 Apps for Education (formerly Office 365) through your web browser. It includes Outlook email and access to Teams, SharePoint, OneNote, and OneDrive in the cloud.
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The Microsoft 365 Education A5 license includes vastly improved security and compliance capabilities, most of which are behind-the-scenes for Enterprise Technology & Services system administrators and support staff. Examples include malware contact tracing, applying sensitive data labeling and encryption/sharing policies, and automated threat protection. More user-facing features include Teams dial-in conferencing, MyAnalytics which is used to augment work-life balance and task management (for fac/staff), and Power BI, a powerful data visualization tool (Power BI Pro version for fac/staff, free version for students).
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For a full description of the Microsoft 365 Education A1 and A5 licenses, including the Student Use Benefit for students, refer to Microsoft 365 Education
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Back to Questions
Who is eligible for a license?
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Active faculty, staff, and students have the A5 license so they get the M365 Apps for Enterprise.
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Faculty Emeritus/a, non-active adjunct faculty, and sponsored users/friends have the A1 license with cloud access to the M365 Apps.
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How are licenses assigned?
- Due to the terms of our license agreement, USNH assigns Microsoft 365 Education A5 licenses to active students, faculty, and staff defined as "Education Qualified Users," while all other accounts are given the Microsoft 365 Education A1 license. Licenses are currently provisioned using student and employee roles and carefully watched and the impact analyzed. Faculty emeritus/a, sponsored users, and auxiliary accounts (pool, secondary, service) are assigned a Microsoft 365 Education A1 license. Certain adjunct faculty and staff positions may be assigned this license as well.
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What if I am unable to perform certain tasks due to my Microsoft 365 license?
- There are a few solutions available:
- Consider whether the web-based Microsoft 365 Apps for Education will work for you; most features available in the desktop-installed versions are also available online.
- Depending on your situation, you may be eligible for device licensing Microsoft 365 Apps for Education, allowing you to run Microsoft's popular productivity suite on your workstation; submit a service request to the Desktop Management Group for more information.
- Your department may be able to purchase a higher-tier license with department funds. Refer to the Microsoft Licensing: Requesting Additional M365 Apps article for more information.
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Further Readings
Microsoft 365 Education
Microsoft Licensing: Requesting Additional M365 Apps
Need additional help?
For assistance concerning site creation, content sharing, file synchronization, or other common SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, or Office app activities, we recommend our Microsoft 365 Learning sites:
Learn more about the great tools our Microsoft 365 Learning sites offer!
Visit the Technology Help Desk Support page to locate your local campus contact information or to submit an online technology support request. For password issues you must call or visit the Help Desk in person.