Can I get a student version of SolidWorks for my home computer/laptop?

SolidWorks 2023-24 is currently available for student and department installations. The version of SolidWorks available is tied to the academic calendar and new versions are typically made available to us during summer semester. After testing, we upgrade the labs in preparation for fall semester.

There are two editions of SolidWorks available, each is intended for a specific use:

The Student Premium Edition is the full version that matches the version installed in our labs feature for feature, however its license allows it to be installed on student laptops or home computers and activates directly with SolidWorks over the internet. The activation is valid for 1 year, at which point you will need to install the new version for the new academic year to continue using SolidWorks. Most students will want to install this edition of SolidWorks.

The Education Edition is intended to be installed on College of Engineering department desktops. It requires access to CADE’s network license server in order to run. So, while it can be installed on home computers, doing so requires either an active connection to the Campus VPN, or a monthly license borrowing procedure in order for the licensing to work properly. This is typically NOT the edition you want if you are installing SolidWorks on a laptop or home computer.

*** THIS SOFTWARE IS ONLY PROVIDED TO STUDENTS IN THE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH. ***

Installation instructions for both editions can be obtained by accessing the Solidworks folder in CADE’s UBox repository.
Log in with your CIS credentials (UNID & CIS/UMail password). If you’ve not created your UBox account, do so first.

Note:  Solidworks is a MS Windows-only program and will NOT run on (Mac) OS X or Linux distros.  One could, however, use a Windows virtual machine or emulator to run it (VirtualBox, VMWare Player/Fusion, Parallels, CrossOver, VirtaulPC, etc.)

Posted in: Engman Lab, General Tips, Software, Windows Questions