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MSDN Academic Alliance (MSDNAA) is a Microsoft program which provides some Microsoft developer tools for free to students and faculty in computer science, computer engineering, information technology, and related fields. The participating schools pay an annual fee to avail this alliance.

One of the benefits of MSDNAA is that the participating department can acquire free copies of Microsoft Windows Server, Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Visual Studio .NET, Microsoft Windows Vista, and other Microsoft products for lab computers. The program also allows students and faculty to obtain free copies of select Microsoft products, including Windows XP Professional and Visual Studio .NET, for use in coursework and personal non-commercial projects. Despite its name, an MSDNAA account is not a true MSDN account and cannot be used to access the subscriber's section of the MSDN website or its downloads. Access to MSDNAA software is done through a separate website run either by E-Academy or by the university/high school itself.

Colleges and universities are mainly served by this program, but a high school version of the MSDNAA is also available.

The list of software each college and university gets is dependent on the agreements made by that particular school. Access is usually given to students who meet certain requirements (must be currently enrolled in or teaching course(s) in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics).

Microsoft Portal

• Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN)

• MSDN Academic Alliance Homepage
• MSDN AA End-User Agreement
• MSDNAA Program Brief
• Search for schools participating in the MSDNAA
• e-academy Inc.

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