Texas A&M offers a suite of exclusive deals, perks and discounts for current and former students, with most having only one requirement: be an Aggie.
Starting small, A&M’s technology services offer free software for students, such as Microsoft 365 and Matlab, totaling 19 different pieces of software on the official website.
But having a student email is just as important. With it, students can get a free Canva Pro subscription or enroll in Spotify’s student discount, lowering their cost to $5.99 a month and getting them access to Hulu for $1.99 a month.
Amazon Prime also offers six months free if students sign up with an A&M email, with the subscription half-off for $7.49 per month once the trial is up. Having a student email also guarantees students a one-time discount — up to 40% — on any technology: laptops, printers, accessories and more.
Target offers exclusive discount deals if students verify their status through Target Circle. If students forgot to pick up any last-minute necessities, Target offers a one-time 20% discount off your cart until Aug. 26.
Students and faculty also have access to a personal webpage they can create under the A&M banner. The university also offers access to the Jobs For Aggies site, a hiring service open exclusively to current and former students. The site hosts 2,931 full-time and part-time jobs, internships and co-ops as of August, with positions available for Aggies in most major cities.
A&M also partnered with PerksConnect to reach students with a large number of specials: Instacart deals, Disney World tickets, gym membership deals and more.
It goes without saying, but being a student also gives access to A&M’s large alumni network: over 500,000 former students strong, ready to assist their fellow Aggies.
Multiple centers are also on the campus itself. The Math Learning Center assists students with the major math courses in the university: MATH 151, 140, 142, 151, 152, 251, 304, 308, 409, 412 and 470.
The Science Peer Learning Center does the same for major science courses, and the University Writing Center assists and teaches all students with their oral and written work for free.
The Career Center gives professional career advice and resume guidance alongside mock interviews. It also provides students with VMock: an AI assistant that works to optimize resumes.
One of the largest perks Aggies gets comes from university libraries. With 1,266 databases, the libraries provide students with some of the most extensive resources yet, such as a free login to AncestryLibrary or Anatomy.tv, a full suite of interactive models of the human body.
The libraries also provide access to every major science database, from JSTOR to ScienceDirect, with the option to submit a form requesting the library to purchase access to a new database if a student or faculty member needs research provided by it.
Students can also reserve a Rosetta Stone language learning account for up to six weeks at the library, with wait times of around one week.
The video library in the Annex allows students to rent almost any movie, show or music, and if the library doesn’t have it, a new copy will be ordered. That, alongside the nearly 6 million volumes of books in the multiple libraries across campus, ensures Aggies never run dry of things to do.
But the libraries aren’t done yet. Any student on campus can rent a large assortment of equipment for free, from headphones, microphones, projectors and webcams to laptops, camcorders, action cameras and digital cameras, alongside accessories for everything.
The equipment can be used anywhere, but oftentimes, it isn’t needed, as the library also offers a free studio space students can reserve with professional audio, video and lighting services available in it.
Being on campus also has more than a few perks attached: multiple movies, plays and shows often play at the Rudder Auditorium and Rudder Theater, offering free showings throughout the year. In the spring 2023 semester, the Memorial Student Complex Aggie Cinema played “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” and “Top Gun: Maverick” at the Rudder Theater.
And if students would prefer not to leave their dorms? No worries, MSC Aggie Cinema has them covered with a website allowing free access to hundreds of the latest movies, the only stipulation being a connection to campus Wi-Fi.