Adobe Software and Licensing

The University of Alberta has established a centralized Enterprise Term License Agreement (ETLA) to provide the campus community with secure, equitable and cost-effective access to essential digital tools.

This agreement provides essential Adobe apps to all current faculty, staff and students at significantly reduced or zero direct cost, while keeping our campus network secure.

On This Page
Eligibility | Core Adobe Applications | Creative Cloud Pro Plus | License Migration & Transition | Frequently Asked Questions

Eligibility at a Glance

Find out which Adobe applications you are eligible for based on your role at the university:

  • Faculty and staff: Eligible for Adobe Acrobat Studio (centrally funded and provided at no cost to individual department operating budgets).
  • Students: Eligible for Adobe Express (provided at no direct cost).
  • All Faculty, staff and students: Eligible to purchase Adobe Creative Cloud Pro Plus at a heavily discounted educational rate.

Learn more about Adobe eligibility here.

Core Adobe Applications

DATA CENTRE TOURS

Tours of the data centre are available for U of A staff and researchers. Each tour lasts approximately 1 hour and can accommodate up to 15 people.

  • Wednesday, April 8 - 9 a.m.
  • Friday, April 10 - 1:30 p.m.
  • Tuesday, April 14 - 1:30 p.m.
  • Wednesday, April 22 - 9 a.m.
  • Thursday, April 30 - 9:30 a.m.

Register

Acrobat Studio is the core suite provided to employees for daily administrative and basic creative tasks. Includes:

  • Adobe Acrobat Pro
  • Adobe Express Premium

Access

Prerequisites

  • University-managed computers: Installation requires administrative privileges; contact the IT Service Desk if you lack this access. 
    • First, follow the OnTheHub instructions in the next section to purchase a free Acrobat Studio license if you don’t have one. 
    • If Acrobat Reader or Acrobat Pro is already installed, sign in with your CCID@ualberta.ca account to activate the license.
  • Personal computers: Installation is permitted with administrative access.

Installation instructions

  • Go to the University of Alberta OnTheHub website.
  • Select Sign In and sign in using your University of Alberta account.
  • Select “University Computers”
  • Locate and select the Adobe software you want to install or access.
  • Follow the on-screen instructions to add the product to your order and proceed through checkout.
  • Review your order information and complete the order; you are now licensed for Acrobat Studio.

Important: If you currently use Adobe with a firstname.lastname@ualberta.ca email, you will need to use CCID@ualberta.ca. 

For detailed installation instructions, visit the following support articles for your needs:

All currently enrolled U of A students, including graduate students, get access to Adobe Express to easily design graphics, videos, and presentations for coursework. Includes:

  • Adobe Express for Students

Access

Setting up your initial Adobe Express access is a two-part process: 

  1. Go to the University of Alberta OnTheHub website.
    • Select Sign In and sign in using your University of Alberta account.
    • Select "Students," and then Adobe in the dropdown list
    • Locate and select the Adobe software you want to install or access.
    • Follow the on-screen instructions to add the product to your order and proceed through checkout.
    • Review your order information and complete the order; you are now licensed for Adobe Express.
  2. Visit the Adobe Express website via your web browser.
    • Select "Sign In" and enter your University of Alberta email address (CCID@ualberta.ca).
    • Complete the process using your CCID credentials.

Going forward, you can access Adobe Express online with your CCID credentials.

For more instructions on accessing Adobe Express, visit our support article.

Advanced tools: Adobe Creative Cloud Pro Plus

For faculty, staff, and students who need industry-standard tools for advanced design, video production, web development, or 3D modelling, the full Creative Cloud Pro Plus suite is available.

Unlike the core applications, all users are required to pay for Adobe Creative Cloud Pro Plus, as it is not funded for faculty, staff or students. However, it is provided at a steep discount compared to commercial retail pricing. 

Core Capabilities

  • Full creative suite: Unlimited access to over 20 industry-standard desktop and mobile applications, including Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, InDesign and After Effects.
  • Generative AI & stock assets: Includes unlimited standard Firefly generative AI features, 1,000 premium Firefly credits per user/month for advanced asset generation, and full access to the millions of royalty-free assets within the Adobe Stock standard collection.

Pricing and Purchasing

Individual licenses can be purchased via the OnTheHub platform. 

  • Staff licenses: $76.51 per license per year. Paid for by individual faculty & staff through OnTheHub.
  • Student licenses: $90.36 per license per year; paid through OnTheHub.
  • Shared device licenses: For pricing and access information, contact IST.

All credit card purchases are subject to a 20% processing fee. Kivuto, our third-party order processor, sets this fee.

For detailed instructions on purchasing Adobe through OnTheHub, visit our support article.

Go to OnTheHub

License Transition and Migration

If you currently pay for an individual, retail Adobe subscription or expense a standalone Value Incentive Plan (VIP) license, you must transition to the central ETLA.

  • No early cancellation penalties: Adobe allows users with an active university email domain to cancel existing personal or retail subscriptions early without penalty to facilitate enrollment in our institutional agreement.
  • Policy update: Individual expense claims or corporate purchasing card (P-card) transactions for independent retail Adobe licenses will no longer receive administrative approval.
  • How to migrate: Please view this Adobe support article on migrating files from the Adobe Cloud into the new central ETLA.

Frequently Asked Questions

Upon your departure from the institution, you can seamlessly transfer your files, portfolios and cloud assets from your university-managed account over to a free, personal Creative Cloud membership profile. 

Yes, bulk purchases can be made and paid with a speedcode via OnTheHub.

Speedcodes or P-cards work on OnTheHub, but speedcodes are recommended for ease.

Departments can purchase Shared Device Licenses via the “University Computers” section on OnTheHub. After purchase, IST will contact you to discuss and provide the product packages for your unique situation.

If IST manages the lab, students will log in with their CCID@ualberta.ca and password via single sign-on (SSO). Students will no longer need to manually create their own Adobe account as they have been required to previously.