You are not eligible to renew Azure for Students

Question

I got an email from Azure that my renewal for the Azure Students is due in the next 30 days and that I can renew to get an additional $100 in credits. However, when I go to the page it links, it says that I am not eligible. I am still a student with 2 years left in my graduation.

My previous $100 got consumed and I switched my account to the Azure for Students Starter, which I have just cancelled as I thought that might be the reason but I am still not able to renew.

Any help is appreciated.

Answer 1

Hello Divyansh, it looks like what’s happening is a mix-up between two different student offers:

1. Azure for Students – gives you $100 of credit that lasts 12 months, and you can renew up to 30 days before your 12 month anniversary by re-validating your student status to get another $100.
2. Azure for Students Starter – gives you free-tier access to certain services for one year (no credit), and must be renewed separately after that year if you’re still in K-12.

Because you switched your account over to the Starter offer and then cancelled it, your original Azure for Students subscription is no longer in a state where it can be renewed immediately—even though you’re still a student. Also, if you’ve already used up your $100 before hitting that 12 month mark, the subscription is disabled and can’t be “renewed” for a fresh $100 until your anniversary comes up.

Here’s what you can try:

1. Confirm which subscription you actually have active – In the Azure portal browse to Subscriptions and verify you have a subscription whose name or offer ID contains “MS-AZR-0036P” (that’s Azure for Students). – If you only see “Students Starter” (MS-AZR-0144P), that’s the free-tier offer and it doesn’t get the $100 renewal.
2. If you do have an Azure for Students subscription: a. Make sure you’re within 30 days of its 12 month anniversary. Renewals only open in that 30 day window. b. Click the “Renew” button under the Education Hub in the portal or go to https://azure.microsoft.com/free/students/ and hit Renew. c. Re-validate with your school email when prompted.
3. If your Azure for Students subscription is disabled because you used up the $100 credit before 12 months: – You have two paths: • Upgrade to a Pay-As-You-Go subscription today (remove the spending limit) so your existing resources come back online. • Wait until you hit 12 months from your original signup date, then come back (within that 30 day renewal window) to renew for another $100.
4. Use a clean browser session – Open an InPrivate/Incognito window, clear cache/cookies and try the portal link again to avoid stale sign-in bits.
5. If things still say “not eligible”: a. Double-check you’re signed into the same Microsoft account you originally used for Azure for Students. b. Verify that your academic status is still valid (if your school email changed or they’ve turned off student validation, you may need to re-verify).

Reference docs

• Azure for Students credits & renewal

• Renew Azure for Students

• Upgrade disabled student subscription

• Azure for Students Starter offer

Hope this helps. If the information was useful, please consider accepting the answer and upvoting. Feel free to reach out if you need any further assistance. Thank you.

Answer 2

Even though you received an email saying you can renew Azure for Students and get additional credits, the “not eligible” message usually appears because Azure for Students credits are typically a one-time offer per account and are not automatically renewable just because you are still a student. In many cases, once the initial $100 credit has been used, the subscription either cannot be renewed for credits or is restricted depending on the current subscription type, such as switching to Azure for Students Starter, which does not include credits. It can also happen if the system cannot re-verify your student status or if the eligibility check is being done on a different Microsoft account than the one originally used. In this situation, you should make sure you are signed in with the correct student account and try accessing the Azure for Students page directly instead of using the email link. If it still shows not eligible, then it likely means your account is no longer eligible for the credit renewal and you would need to contact Azure support for clarification.