Microsoft 365 for educational use is available with two license types - Online Only (A1) and Online+Desktop Applications (A3).
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Online Only (A1): Access is available to all staff, faculty, and admins at the University of San Diego.
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Online+Desktop Applications (A3): Is available to staff, faculty, and admins at the University of San Diego contingent on the use of a USD owned CRP computer or specific departments.
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For non-active users including alumni, retirees, and emeritus, Online Only (A1) and Online+Desktop Applications (A3) application access is not available.
Please review the requirements below before requesting a license or license change.
Note: If you are an active student, do not request an Office license here. Please visit office.com to download your copy of Microsoft365 using your USD email address. If you are having access, application installation issues, or if you are a PhD student having issues, please contact the Help Desk.
This suite is subscription-based and includes:
- Word
- Excel
- Power Point
- OneNote
- Access (Windows Application only)
USD Microsoft Office License Changes
August 2025
Certain Microsoft Office features are no longer available under some users’ current licenses after the Retirement of the A1+ license which some users were assigned. Here is a brief explanation of why this is happening and what options are available moving forward.
The A1 license is a free, web-based version, while A3 is a subscription-based license that includes both web and desktop versions of Office apps.
For the last 15 years, our Microsoft Office licensing agreement at USD has provided two tiers:
Assigned to full-time faculty, administrators, and users with USD Owned CRP computers. This includes full desktop apps and advanced features.
If you believe you should have an A3 based on the criteria of your position, your supervisor and ITS need to contact ITS
A lighter, no-cost license assigned to part-time employees (including adjuncts, part timers, non benefit based users, self funded units, and those without USD Owned CRP computers or a non-CRP computer. It includes access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive, etc., all in their online versions through Office 365.
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Having an A1 license does not mean you do not have access to MS products. Much like Google, it is on the web and not on desktops This is like Google Docs
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If your division and unit currently does not a member of a unit that currently does not qualify for A3 license, Your department supervisor may work with ITS to obtain A3 licenses for a cost if your division and unit currently do not qualify for A3 licensing at the university
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In August 2024, Microsoft began phasing out certain features from the A1 license, particularly those related to desktop applications and their features as this license no longer provides full functionality. Also, Microsoft Office software provided under the A1 license was free, so ITS and other self-funding units, adjuncts, etc. did not pay for it. This change explains the alerts and Office access issues that some users are now seeing.
Important:
Microsoft updated the A1 license terms: the Office software remains free but is now only available through a web browser—not via desktop applications.
This does not mean that Office access is gone or that your files will no longer work. You can still use Office through the web, similar to how many USD employees work with Google Docs or Google Sheets as there are no desktop applications for Google products.
Instructions on how to use Office Online are available here:
https://usdkb.sandiego.edu/s/article/How-to-Office-365-Online
NOTE:
However, if a department that has been impacted by this change from Microsoft (not by USD ITS) would like to upgrade their users to A3, and you prefer the full desktop versions with offline editing and additional features, there is an opportunity to purchase extra copies of A3 licenses. They can be assigned to users in your departments which comes at a cost of $100 per person per year.
If you have an A1 license and you wish to upgrade it for the department submit with the usernames of all employees - send us a list of those users and a worktag.
Requests should be made by emailing software@sandiego.edu in order to upgrade. Please include the total number of A3 licenses needed, along with the WorkTag to charge to, so we can add them to our agreement and make the change.
Microsoft 365 A1:
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Licensing: Free, perpetual license for educational institutions.
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Access: Primarily web-based access to Office applications like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
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Desktop Apps: No access to install and use desktop versions of Office applications.
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Storage: Typically includes 100GB of OneDrive storage per user.
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Features: Limited in features compared to A3, but sufficient for basic tasks and online collaboration.
Microsoft 365 A3:
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Licensing: Subscription-based, requiring regular payments.
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Access: Provides full access to both web-based and desktop versions of Office applications.
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Desktop Apps: Allows users to install and use Office applications on multiple devices, including personal computers, laptops, and mobile devices.
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Storage: Documents can be saved locally on computers or in Google Drive
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Features: Includes a wider range of features and functionalities compared to A1, including advanced features for desktop applications.
Requirements
Everyone at USD qualifies for a version of Microsoft 365. Read more below to learn which version is available for you!
The Microsoft 365 Online (A1) suite is available to those with a USD email address but is limited to:
- Contractors
- Adjunct faculty
- Part-time employees
Includes:
- Word
- Excel
- PowerPoint
- OneNote
- OneDrive
- A1 - 1TB of storage
Limitations:
- The Microsoft Online (A1) suite does not include local installation of the Office suite
- Users must have an Internet connect to use this suite
- Online suite has some limited features - for a complete list of limited features, please review Microsoft's documentation
The Microsoft 365 Local Install (A3) is available for the following user groups:
- All USD students
- All USD employees with a USD-owned computer enrolled in the Computer Replacement Program (CRP)
Includes:
- Word
- Excel
- PowerPoint
- OneNote
- Publisher (Windows only)
- Access (Windows only)
Limitations:
- Users with the Microsoft 365 Local Install (A3) license are able to use the installed Office suite or the Online Applications - there are no restrictions for this license.
In order to integrate with the USD technology ecosystem, some Microsoft 365 applications have been disabled.
- Microsoft Exchange - USD uses Gmail for Education as our primary mail system
- Microsoft Teams - USD uses Google Chat as our primary messaging and collaboration tool
- Microsoft Bookings - Microsoft Bookings conflicts with other USD tools and systems
ITS does not recommend using Microsoft OneDrive other than the use with a Microsoft Online (A1) license.
Although OneDrive is available through your MS365 suite, all files in OneDrive are permanently deleted after 30 days upon employees leaving or students graduating from USD.
ITS recommends using Google Drive, which remains accessible for alumni and students as data is not deleted.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Microsoft 365 Local Install (A3) suite is available for all students.
Additionally, Microsoft 365 is available for any USD employee that has been issued an USD owned computer enrolled in the CRP program. This includes the following user groups:
- All administrators
- Most full-time, benefits-based staff
- All tenure or tenure-track faculty
If you don't qualify for an A3 license, but you need the Office Suite to work, you can still create and edit Office documents using the Microsoft 365 Online (A1) suite! The online applications have slightly fewer features, and require an Internet connection to use. However, most users will find that they meet usage needs.
The most commonly used features from the Microsoft 365 Local Install applications are also available in the Online Applications. However, there are some key features that are unavailable. See more information.
Some users might not automatically receive a license — this will most often occur with staff. If you are missing a license but you should have one, you can submit a request from the Software Request Form, or you can contact the ITS Help Desk for assistance.