Onshape Student Plan: Free CAD with Private Documents
The Onshape Student plan is free for education and includes parts, assemblies, drawings and unlimited private documents. You do not need a .edu email. It runs in a browser, while rendering and institution-wide administration have separate restrictions.
Choose your access path
Student plan for coursework
Free educational CAD with basic data management and private documents. The plan runs in a web browser without a desktop installation.
Choose this if: you need to model parts or assemblies for a course and share them with specific teammates.
Educator plan for teaching
The separate free Educator plan lists Simulation and Classes & Assignments alongside modeling tools.
Choose this if: you teach or mentor students and need the educator workflow rather than an individual student account.
Education Enterprise for a school
A paid, custom-priced plan adds institutional administration, SSO and other advanced capabilities.
Choose this if: your institution needs centrally managed users, authentication and access policies.
Private class documents, not a public design gallery
Onshape explicitly says Education documents are not public and do not appear in public search results. They are accessible to the people with whom you share them, such as teammates or an instructor. This is a useful distinction when an assignment should remain within the class.
Private storage still requires deliberate sharing. Before a team starts modeling, agree on who owns the document and who needs editing access. A school that needs centralized ownership and administration should compare Education Enterprise instead of expecting those controls in every free student account.
Browser CAD for a Chromebook or shared computer
Onshape runs in a web browser, and the provider lists Chromebooks, Windows PCs, Macs and tablets among supported device types. There is no desktop CAD installation or manual update to coordinate across a group. Test the intended browser and network on a small assembly before committing a whole course project.
The Student plan lists parts, assemblies, drawings and basic data management. Do not assume every feature shown elsewhere on the website is included: the education FAQ says rendering is unavailable on Education plans, and the comparison assigns some teaching and administration tools to other tiers.
A school email is optional; education eligibility is not
The official FAQ allows students and educators to register with any email address and says eligibility is based on educational use, not the domain. That helps students whose schools do not issue .edu accounts, but it does not turn the education license into a commercial CAD subscription.
After graduation or another loss of eligibility, an account may move to a Free plan or a paid plan. Onshape says student-created documents are not automatically deleted, but access and features may change. Check the destination plan and the school's offboarding policy before relying on continued private editing.
How to get started
- Open the official education plans comparison and choose the Student plan signup.
- Register using an email you can access and provide the requested education details; a .edu domain is not required.
- Confirm that the account is on the Education Student plan before creating important coursework.
- Create a small test part, drawing and assembly, then check sharing permissions with a classmate or instructor.
- Agree with your school on account access and file handoff before graduation or a change in eligibility.
Our recommendation
Choose Onshape for browser-based mechanical CAD and shared coursework when the Student plan's modeling tools meet the assignment. If the deliverable needs photorealistic rendering or institution-wide account controls, settle that workflow with your instructor before starting.
Related tools for design coursework
Frequently asked questions
Are Onshape student documents public?
No. Onshape says Education documents are private, do not appear in public search results and are available only to users with whom they have been explicitly shared.
Do I need a .edu email for an Onshape student account?
No. The official education FAQ permits any email address. You still need to meet the education eligibility and registration requirements.
Is Render Studio included in the free Education plan?
No. Onshape's current education FAQ says rendering is unavailable on Education plans and is offered only on paid commercial plans.
Will Onshape delete my designs when I graduate?
The provider says student-created documents are not automatically deleted. The account may transition to a Free or paid plan, with different access and features; school-managed accounts also follow institutional offboarding policies.
Before you sign up
- Free limit
- Educational use. Render Studio is not available on Education plans; institution-wide administration requires paid Education Enterprise.
- Paid plan / renewal
- Student and Educator plans are free. Education Enterprise uses custom pricing; commercial plans are separate.
- Student verification
- Yes; education eligibility is required, but a .edu email address is not. Follow the student registration requirements.
- Countries
- Provider availability and eligibility rules apply.
Not confirmed: credit card. Check these with the provider before signing up.
Official sources for Onshape
Confirm the current offer, limits and eligibility with the provider before signing up.
Based on the official pages checked on 2026-11-12. This guide is research-based; it does not claim hands-on redemption of student benefits. Terms and availability can change.
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