Apple Music student pricing is $5.99 per month if you are a full-time student at an accredited school
Apple Music offers a student plan at roughly half the regular price. The standard individual plan costs $10.99 per month, but the student plan is $5.99 per month. You keep the same features — access to 100 million songs, offline listening, spatial audio, and lossless audio — you just pay less.
The catch is that Apple needs to verify you are actually a student. You cannot simply claim student status; you have to prove it through a third-party verification service called SheerID. This takes a few minutes and happens right inside the Apple Music sign-up flow.
The discount lasts for four years from the date you first activate it, or until you are no longer a full-time student, whichever comes first. After that, your plan reverts to the standard price unless you cancel.
Key Takeaways
- The student plan costs $5.99 per month instead of $10.99, and you need to verify your student status through SheerID during sign-up.
- You must be a full-time student at an accredited college, university, or secondary school — part-time students and those at unaccredited institutions do not may have access to.
- Verification happens once at sign-up and takes a few minutes; you will need your school email, a student ID, or a class schedule.
- The discount runs for four years from activation, then your plan automatically switches to full price unless you cancel.
- If you already have a regular Apple Music subscription, you can switch to the student plan without losing your library or playlists.
What documents you need to verify your student status
SheerID will ask you to prove you are a student. The easiest route is to use your school email address — if your email ends in .edu or your school's domain, SheerID can often verify you instantly without asking for anything else.
If your school email does not work, you will need to upload one of these: a current student ID, a class schedule with your name and school on it, a tuition bill or enrollment letter, or a screenshot from your school's student portal showing your enrollment status. A photo of your physical student ID works fine; you do not need a scan.
SheerID accepts JPG, PNG, and PDF files. The document needs to be current — a student ID from three years ago will not work, but one from the current academic year will. If you are between semesters, a class schedule from the upcoming term is acceptable.
How to sign up for the student plan on your device
On iPhone or iPad, open the Apple Music app and tap the "Listen Now" tab at the bottom. Tap your profile picture in the top right corner, then tap "View Apple ID" and select "Subscriptions." Tap "Apple Music" and then "Change Subscription." Choose the student plan and tap "Next."
SheerID will open in a browser window. Enter your email address and date of birth, then select your school from the dropdown list. If your school email works, you will be verified immediately. If not, upload your student ID or other proof and wait for SheerID to confirm — this usually takes a few minutes, but can take up to 24 hours.
Once verified, you will return to Apple Music and your subscription will switch to the student rate. You will see the new price on your next billing date.
On a Mac, the process is the same: open the Music app, click "Account" in the top menu, select "View My Account," go to "Settings," find "Subscriptions," and choose "Change Subscription." On Android, open Apple Music, tap your profile picture, go to "Account," then "Subscriptions," and follow the same steps.
Switching from a regular plan to the student plan
If you already pay for Apple Music at the full price, you can switch to the student plan without losing anything. Your library, playlists, and listening history stay exactly as they are.
The switch takes effect on your next billing date. If you have already paid for the current month, Apple will not refund the difference — you will just start paying the lower rate next month. If you want to switch immediately and get a refund for the unused portion of your current billing cycle, you can contact Apple Support, but they do not always grant these requests.
If you downgrade from a family plan to a student plan, only your account switches. The other family members stay on the family plan and keep paying the family rate unless they each switch their own accounts.
What happens when your student discount expires
Apple Music tracks the four-year clock from the date you first activate the student plan. You will receive an email notification about 30 days before your discount ends. At that point, you have two choices: let your plan convert to the standard $10.99 monthly rate, or cancel.
If you are still a student after four years — for example, if you are in a graduate program — you cannot simply renew the student discount. You will need to cancel your subscription, wait a few days, and sign up again as a new student subscriber. This is a limitation of Apple's system, not a mistake.
If you graduate or leave school before the four years are up, your plan will not automatically switch. You can keep paying the student rate until the four-year period ends, or you can contact Apple Support to request an early conversion to the standard plan.
Student plans from other music services
Spotify offers a student plan for $5.99 per month (the same price as Apple Music) if you are a full-time student. Verification works similarly — you prove your status through SheerID. The Spotify student plan also includes Hulu and Spotify Premium, so you get three services for the same price.
YouTube Music has a student plan at $5.99 per month as well, also verified through SheerID. Amazon Music does not have a dedicated student plan, but students can get Amazon Prime Student for $69 per year (or $7.49 per month), which includes Prime shipping and access to Amazon Music Unlimited.
If you are comparing, the main difference is what else comes bundled in. Apple Music is music only. Spotify student adds Hulu. YouTube Music student is music only. Amazon Prime Student adds shipping and other Prime benefits. The music libraries are roughly the same size across all four services.
Troubleshooting verification problems
If SheerID cannot find your school in the dropdown list, it might be listed under a different name. Try searching for the city name or a shortened version. If that does not work, contact SheerID support directly through the verification window — they can usually add your school manually.
If your student ID or class schedule is rejected, make sure the document is current and clearly shows your name and school. Blurry photos, expired IDs, or documents from previous years will not work. If you have uploaded a valid document and it was still rejected, wait 24 hours and try again — sometimes the system needs time to process.
If you were verified but your plan did not switch to the student rate, check your Apple ID settings to confirm the change went through. Sometimes the app needs to be closed and reopened to show the new price. If it still shows the full price after a few hours, contact Apple Support with your SheerID confirmation number.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a student discount if I am taking classes part-time?
No. Apple requires full-time enrollment, which typically means at least 12 credit hours per semester at a college or university. Part-time students do not may have access to. Some schools define full-time differently, so check your school's specific policy if you are unsure.
What if I graduate in the middle of my billing cycle?
Your plan will not automatically switch when you graduate. You can keep the student rate until your four-year period ends, or contact Apple Support to request an early switch to the standard plan. There is no automatic refund or prorated adjustment.
Can I share my student plan with family members?
No. The student plan is for individual use only. If you want to share music with family, you would need to switch to the family plan at $16.99 per month, which loses the student discount. Family members cannot each get their own student discount.
Do I need to re-verify my student status every year?
No. You verify once at sign-up, and Apple tracks your four-year may be able to access period from that date. You do not need to prove your status again unless you cancel and re-sign up later.
What if my school is not accredited?
SheerID only verifies students at accredited institutions. If your school is not regionally or nationally accredited, you will not be able to get the student discount through Apple Music.