"I wish I could vote for this idea a million times. The student license—or something similar—should be available to organizations. As a regular Bentley user, I’m often too afraid to test new applications because every time I install something, my organization receives an invoice.

While I can ask our Bentley account manager to temporarily activate a license for a few months, this puts me under pressure to act quickly before the temporary access expires. In a production environment, testing software is rarely a priority.

I’d suggest giving users access to a second license specifically for testing or learning purposes. This would allow users to log in with their 'testing license' when time permits, and Bentley could still monitor usage. If organizations begin using this license for production, it would be easy to identify and address.

Another challenge is online training—I often have to use my company account to learn new software, which again triggers license usage. A separate, non-production license would really help users upskill without financial implications for their organizations."

More information on the new Bentley Education program available here: https://youtu.be/2amzbPU4r14.

More information on the Bentley academic programs available here: https://www.bentley.com/en/learn/for-students-and-educators/academic-programs.

Ian Lapper over 5 years ago

OPS.. Sorry. I was signed in as Sarina. I cannot see how to remove this and repost it as myself.......

Ian Lapper

Rick Ruth over 5 years ago

Bentley does offer FREE software for academic reasons to schools and Universities. If you are a school or university, please talk to your account manager.