Problem requesting an EDU tag to be added to our 365 account...

Question

In 365 admin we have a volume licence agreement for Office LTSC 2024 Professional Plus which is downloaded and activated with a product key. Our software provider has added Office 365 Education Open Faculty, which we hope to use to licence A1 free desktop teams.

However, to activate the licence, I understand I need to have an EDU tag added, but I’m struggling to see how to submit a request to Microsoft.

Can anybody help please?

Answer 1

Hi @David,

Thank you for the detailed update.

Based on everything you’ve tried so far, the next step will be for your software provider to raise a support ticket directly with Microsoft on your behalf.

Since the Office 365 Education Open Faculty licenses were added by your provider, only they can open a support request with Microsoft’s licensing team to validate your organization for Education eligibility and have the EDU tag applied. This follows the same process as Option B I previously mentioned.

Once your provider submits the case, Microsoft can review your tenancy, confirm eligibility, and apply the EDU tag so you can activate the A1 licenses.

Please reach out to your provider and ask them to raise the support ticket with Microsoft Licensing for EDU verification / EDU tag assignment.

Reference: Create and sell offers to education customers in Partner Center.

If you have any further questions or need additional assistance, please feel free to let me know.

If you found the answer helpful, I would truly appreciate it if you could mark it as accepted. Doing so helps highlight the solution for others who may be searching for similar information in the community. Your contribution not only supports fellow users in finding the right guidance more quickly, but also helps build a more resourceful and collaborative space for everyone. 

Thank you for your patience and collaboration.

Warm regards.

Answer 2

Hi Kristen,

Under your option ‘A’, I logged into my 365 admin and confirmed there are no trial products listed, so I followed this procedure:

·         In a private browser window, I visited Microsoft's 365 Education page https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/education/products/office and clicked Get Started.

·         The next page was entitled You've selected Office 365 Education - Let’s get you started and an email input box.

·         I input my 365 admin work email address and clicked next.

·         The page changed to You've selected Office 365 Education - Let’s get you started – If you’re an IT admin, sign up for your school – I clicked on this link.

·         The page now headed Office 365 Education, Start your free 1-month trial today, changed to Let's get you started - Enter your work or school email address, we'll check if you need to create a new account for Office 365 Education I entered my 365 admin work email address again.

·         Looks like you're already using ******@xxx.co.uk with another Microsoft service. Sign in with this account, or create a new account - clicked Sign In.

·         Now in my 365 admin centre – initially directed to Marketplace page - We recommend you work with your solution provider to purchase additional Microsoft services. Their expertise can help you choose the products and services best matched to your company's needs.

·         Clicked Billing – Your products - the only product listed is Microsoft Entra ID Free.

·         There is no educational wizard or 365 trial products listed.

Many thanks.

Answer 3

Hi @David,

Thank you for your response.

When you clicked “I’m an admin” and signed in, Microsoft recognized that you already have an existing tenant and automatically redirected you to the admin center. That behavior is expected. The important step now is to link the Education trial to your current tenant (Option A), or have your CSP submit the Education verification on your behalf (Option B), so the Academic Eligibility wizard appears.

Below are two clear options you can choose:

A: Complete the process yourself in your existing tenant

(No need to create a new user or a new tenant)

1. Check whether the Education trials are already available in your tenant

Go to Microsoft 365 admin center > Billing > Your products (or Subscriptions in Simplified view). Look for:

• Office 365 A1 for faculty - Trial
• Office 365 A1 for students - Trial

If you see either one, you can restart the Academic Eligibility flow directly from there.

2. If the trials aren’t listed, start the Education sign‑up

Visit the official Microsoft 365 Education page, click Get started, and sign in with your existing global admin account. This attaches the trial to your current tenant and launches the verification wizard.

3. Complete the Academic Eligibility wizard

You’ll be asked to provide your school domain and basic institution details. Some institutions get approved instantly; others may be asked to submit additional documentation and undergo a manual review (up to 10 business days).

4. After approval

• Your tenant becomes fully classified as Education (the “EDU tag”).
• You can assign A1 licenses, including Teams for Education, to staff and students.
• Admins can confirm the Education Tenant Identifier under: Settings > Org settings > Microsoft Education Tenant Identifier.

B: Have your CSP/reseller submit the verification (recommended if you purchased through a provider)

1. Your CSP submits Education qualification in Partner Center

Your software provider can handle this process for you: In Partner Center, they go to: Customers > Add customer > Special qualifications: Education They must provide your organization’s legal name, address, website, segment (K‑12 or Higher Ed), and contact information - these are required for Microsoft’s verification.

2. Microsoft reviews the submission

Each new Education customer request is validated by Microsoft. If needed, your CSP can resubmit documentation up to three times (e.g., accreditation letter, ministry/board confirmation). The Partner Center will display the status as Approved, In Review, or Denied.

3. After approval

Your tenant receives the Education classification. Education offers - including A1/A3/A5 discounted or free SKUs - will activate correctly, and you can enable Teams for Education.

Reference: Create and sell offers to education customers in Partner Center.

 

If you have any further questions or need additional assistance, please feel free to let me know.

Thank you for your patience and collaboration.

Warm regards.

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Answer 4

Hi Kristen,

I have since done the following:

I signed up to the Office 365 Education trail several times creating different work email addresses, but as it only allowed me to log in with my original admin work user account, it always presented me with the same 365 admin pages,.

I understand I can’t submit a support request via the admin page, as I would have needed to purchase at least one Microsoft product direct.

All my products have been purchased through a software provider, so I’m told to go through them for support, which I have already done, but so far, the software provider & myself have been in contact with at least 5 MS support staff and had two Teams meetings, but still no solution that is valid or works.

I can’t begin to complete the Academic Eligibility Verification process, unless something else can be suggested for our establishment please?

Many thanks.

Answer 5

Hi @David,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.   

Thank you for reaching out regarding your Office 365 EDU licensing setup. I understand you're working to enable the Office 365 Education A1 license, specifically to activate the Teams A1 desktop experience and have run into an issue where the EDU tag has not yet been applied to your tenant.

Please note that the EDU tag cannot be added manually. Microsoft will only assign this designation once your tenant completes the Academic Eligibility Verification process. This happens after your organization signs up for an Office 365 Education trial and provides the required information through Microsoft’s verification wizard.

For your convenience, you can refer to the Microsoft documentation on Verify academic eligibility for Microsoft 365 Education subscriptions.

To move forward, please submit a support request via Microsoft 365 Admin Center (with admin require) > Support > Help & Support. You can follow the steps outlined in Get support for Microsoft 365 for business.

Once your ticket is submitted, a Microsoft support agent will contact you directly to review and finalize your EDU eligibility verification.

I hope this information helps. Please try the steps and let me know whether they resolve the issue. If the problem persists, we can work together to find a solution.  

As other users will also search for information in this community, your vote can significantly help those with similar inquiries quickly locate the most relevant resources. 

Thank you for your kindness and for contributing to the forum.   

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