Be it sweet deals or products on discount, nothing beats getting something completely for free! As long as you are an NUS student, you can sign up for various software and courses, and save money on applications that you might have already been planning to use. So save those dollar bills and treat yourself to a nice cup of coffee, because here are six things you can get for free as an NUS Student.
1. Zoom
Have you ever found yourself passionately discussing your group project when you got cut off by the “end of meeting” notification? We’ve all been there.
Well, say no more to your “40-minutes basic plan” and hello to Zoom Premium! If you’re a Teaching Assistant, a CCA leader, or are involved with any event that requires the licensed Zoom account, you can sign up here to gain access to Zoom’s premium functions.
Do note: It might take up to three working days for the administrators to approve of your application.
With a Zoom Premium license, you can now hold Zoom meetings for an unlimited time, record your meetings onto the Cloud, and stream services to Social Media (Facebook, YouTube).
2. Design Software (Canva Pro/Adobe)
Regardless of whichever faculty you’re in, you would still need to use some design software to create slides for presentations or posters — and that’s where Canva Pro comes in. Easy to use, Canva is a fool-proof design application that allows you to select ready-to-go templates and create aesthetically-pleasing designs in seconds.
Under Canva’s education package, you can gain access to premium features such as millions of images, fonts, graphics, videos, and animations and thousands of educational templates and learning resources.
If you’re interested in upping your design game, NUSSU also offers monthly licensing for Adobe software such as Photoshop, Lightroom or Premiere Pro. Applications will be accepted between the 15th to the second last day of every month, to be in use for the following month.
Check out the NUSSU NUSync Page, for more details.
3. Student Insurance
If you’ve ever gotten a nasty injury during CCA practice or suffered a long-term infection, you would know that the costs of regular visits to the doctor do add up. Luckily, all full time NUS matriculated undergraduates, graduates and non-graduating students are included in the university’s medical insurance scheme, with varying levels of coverage.
Sample of a student bill for a Singapore Undergraduate. If you take a look at your student bill in EduRec, this would be something that is covered under your student expenses.
This scheme provides all full time students with basic medical and personal accident insurance coverage, so you can claim up to $1000 per year. However, do note that not all health-related services are included, so do check the University Health Center’s Website beforehand — eg. oral care is not covered.
Take all the time that you need to rest, but also note that you have to submit claims within 30 days from the date of treatment.
4. edX Courses (DYOM)
Thinking of taking courses outside NUS to improve your skills in more niche areas? Since the Design Your Own Module (DYOM) scheme was introduced, students are allowed to pursue self-directed learning, with up to 8 MCs within the UE space. There are a range of modules under different faculties that you can pursue, including modules on more hand-on topics like music or cooking!
Want to know the science behind cooking? Take this module where you can eat your own experiments, in the kitchen!
Best of all, the modules will be graded on a ‘CS/CU’ (Completed Satisfactorily/Completed Unsatisfactorily) basis — so you can feel free to explore whatever you’d like, without affecting your Cumulative Average Point (CAP). You can read about the full details here or explore the modules offered as shown below!
Under Luminus, click on “My Modules” then go to “edX modules”.
5. Microsoft Software
We are all no stranger to using Microsoft Software; but did you know that you can save up to over $100 just by signing in with NUS?
All NUS students are eligible to use Office 365 ProPlus — which includes all core Office productivity applications including Access, Excel, OneDrive for Business, OneNote, Outlook, PowerPoint, Publisher, Skype for Business and Word. Once you are no longer an NUS student, your installed Office 365 ProPlus will enter into reduced-functionality (or view-only) mode.
Likewise, there are also other Software Installations (NUS IT Licensed Software) — like Mathematica for mathematical analysis or OriginPro for data analysis — that you can explore, so check out the details at this link.
6. Notion
If you haven’t checked out this life-changing application, wait no further! Notion is one of the most popular productivity pages that boasts a myriad of components like databases, kanban boards, wikis, calendars and reminders — perfect for students to get an overview of their semester.
Simply put, Notion is an all-in-one platform for you to custom organise your life, in any way you’d like to. While it costs $4 a month for the premium pro plan, NUS Students can get it for free under Notion’s Education Package. Just sign up with your NUS Email and you’ll be on your way to unbeatable productivity!
Source: Notion
Keep yourself updated by following this space, or @nusresidentiallife on Instagram. What other content would you like to see? Let us know by dropping us a comment down below!
