How to Get a Hulu Student Discount

You can net a bit of a discount on Hulu if you're a qualifying student. While Hulu itself doesn't offer a student discount, you can get free access to it through Spotify's student discount program.

This provides you with a premium Spotify account, access to Hulu, and access to Showtime, all for less than the regular price of a Hulu subscription.

How to Sign Up for the Hulu Student Discount

Since there is no Hulu discount, but you can get free access to Hulu with a Spotify student plan, you need to sign up for a Spotify premium account and then verify that you are currently a student.

1. Navigate to the Spotify Student Discount site, and click Get Started.

   

   Don't click got hulu or showtime. This just links to another section of the same page to provide some background information on the service.

2. Log into your Spotify account, or click SIGN UP FOR SPOTIFY to create a new account.

   

3. Enter your information, and click VERIFY.

   

   If you aren't currently enrolled in the school that you select on this page, you won't be able to verify your enrollment, and you won't get a student discount.

4. If SheerID is able to confirm that you are a student, the verification process will complete automatically. Complete the sign-up process by entering your billing information, and you'll be ready to activate your free Hulu subscription.

What to Do When Automatic Verification Fails

If you see a message that Hulu and SheerID weren't able to verify your enrollment, you will have to manually upload documentation to prove that you are actually enrolled. This requires you to go through the signup process as normal, and then select the option to manually verify.

1. Navigate to Spotify.com/us/student/, and click GET STARTED.

   

2. Log into your Spotify account.

   

3. Click Manually verify.

   

   Make sure to click manually verify, not verify. If you click verify, you will just be directed to the automatic process that already failed.

4. Enter your information and click Next Step.

   

5. Click Choose File.

   

6. Select your proof of enrollment, and click Open.

   

7. Click Choose File to provide additional proof, or click Upload Document to continue.

   

8. If your documents are successfully verified, you will be able to complete the signup process with the Spotify student discount in place. If it still doesn't work, contact Spotify customer service for further assistance in verifying your enrollment.

How to Apply Your Spotify Student Discount to Your Hulu Account

Once you have successfully signed up for your Spotify student plan, you can use it to access Hulu as well. If you don't have a Hulu account yet, you'll need to sign up for a new Hulu account and use Spotify as the billing method. Look for an email from Spotify with specific instructions.

If you already have a Hulu account, you can switch the billing method to Spotify. The next time your subscription renews, you won't have to pay anything.

Here's how to get your free Hulu access through the Spotify student discount:

1. Navigate to the Spotify account services page, and log in.

2. Click Activate Hulu.

   

3. Log into Hulu if prompted, and allow Hulu to access your Spotify account.

4. Navigate to Hulu account page, and verify that the payment method is Spotify. If it isn't, contact Spotify customer service for assistance.

Who is Eligible For the Hulu Student Discount?

Since there is no actual Hulu student discount, you need to look at the requirements for the Spotify student discount to see if you qualify. If you are currently enrolled at a US Title IV accredited college or university, and you're at least 18 years old, then you qualify.

Four year universities, community colleges, and other accredited institutions all count, as long as they are US Title IV accredited. If you aren't sure if your school qualifies, you can use the Federal Student Aid site to check whether or not it is Title IV accredited.

If you already subscribed to Hulu before you enrolled at a qualifying school, you can still take advantage of this deal. Just sign up for the Spotify student discount, then switch your Hulu billing to rely on your Spotify subscription.

What Does the Spotify + Hulu Student Discount Get You?

The Spotify + Hulu student discount provides you with a premium Spotify account, full access to Hulu's massive streaming library, including exclusive shows like Handmaid's Tale and Future Man, and access to Showtime's streaming library.

The total cost to you is slightly less than the price of a regular Hulu subscription, so you save a little money and get a whole lot of extra stuff.

How Does Hulu Verify Student Enrollment?

Hulu and Spotify use an identity verification service called SheerID to verify that you're actually enrolled where you say that you're enrolled. This same verification service is employed by a lot of other big companies you may do business with, including Amazon, the New York Times, Nike, and other.

If you've already taken advantage of any of their student discounts, you're ready to go for the Spotify + Hulu student discount.

The verification process is automated, but there are some circumstances where automatic verification fails. When that happens, you can verify manually by uploading supporting documentation.

What Happens to Your Student Discount When You Graduate?

The Spotify + Hulu Student discount is only available if you're actually enrolled at an accredited school. When you graduate, or if you leave school for any other reason, you no longer qualify for the discount.

The way that SheerID enforces this policy for Spotify and Hulu is that they force you to re-verify your eligibility once every 12 months. This process is the exact same as the initial verification process, so if automatic verification doesn't work for you, you'll need to provide your current student ID, current class schedule, registration receipt, or other supporting documentation.

If you aren't able to re-verify because you are no longer enrolled at a qualifying institution, you will have to pay full price to maintain your subscription. The regular Spotify premium account still comes with free access to Hulu, but it does cost about twice as much as a student account.