Apply for an educational license (and fix whitelist rejection)¶
Understand offers a free educational license to students and teachers for non-commercial,
educational use. It renews yearly and unlocks all of Understand's features. Once granted, Understand
reports its type as Educational in Help → Licensing (and und license).
Educational use only
This license is for teaching and coursework. It does not cover research at national labs, research hospitals, or similar institutions, and it does not cover commercial work. If that's your situation, start a trial or contact [email protected] instead.
Apply¶
- Create a free account at licensing.scitools.com using your educational (institution) email address — not a personal address.
- Fill in and submit the educational-license application form linked from the licensing portal.
- You'll receive an automated email with the next steps to claim your license. Follow it, then redeem the claim code and enter your license.
If your institution isn't recognized¶
The portal approves applications automatically by matching your email address against SciTools' database of known educational institutions. If your institution isn't in that database yet, the application can't be approved instantly — it's held for manual review instead of being granted right away.
- Held for review: allow 1–2 business days while SciTools verifies the institution and adds it. No action is needed unless you don't hear back.
- Still not approved, or rejected: email [email protected] (subject Product Licensing) from your institutional address. Include the institution name and any proof of educational affiliation so the domain can be added and your application re-processed. For eligibility questions, contact [email protected].
Use the right email
A personal email (gmail, outlook, etc.) will never match the institution database and will be rejected. Always apply with the email your school or university issued you.
Renewing¶
The educational license is time-limited and can be renewed each year. Re-apply from licensing.scitools.com with the same institutional account when it nears expiry.
See also Which license do I have, and how is it served? — and if your work is on a public open-source project, the free open-source license needs no application at all.