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IT-User's avatar
IT-User
Copper Contributor
Nov 20, 2025

Lab Credits and First course

Hello everyone,

I’m reaching out to learn how other colleges handle student access to Azure when offering introductory AI or cloud-based courses my goal is to teach Microsoft Azure AI fundamentals.  My understanding is that each student is asked to pay individually for Azure access. This model won’t work well for our institution or our student population.  I would also like more than 30 day trial of Azure to test out the materials.

For those of you who teach AI, cloud computing, or Microsoft Learn for Educators courses, I’d really appreciate your insight:

  • How does your college provide Azure access for students?
  • Do you use institution-wide Azure credits or centrally fund Azure usage?
  • Are there specific Microsoft AI courses (e.g., Microsoft Azure AI fundamentals) that your institution uses as their first one?

Any details about processes would be extremely helpful. My goal is to offer hands-on AI learning without placing a financial burden on students, and I’m hoping to learn from your approaches.

Thank you in advance for your guidance and experiences!

Best regards,
Joe

azure credits for educators
Azure credits for students

2 Replies

  • Carlos_Chaves's avatar
    Carlos_Chaves
    Icon for Microsoft rankMicrosoft
    Nov 21, 2025

    Hi Joe,
    I’m a Microsoft Learn for Educators (MSLE) Community Manager, and I’d be happy to share how you can achieve your goal. If you’d like to take advantage of the Labs benefit, please let me know which institution you represent. 

    1. Use MSLE Labs for Core Curriculum

    • Deliver the official Microsoft course content (e.g., AI-900) using Skillable labs provided through MSLE.
    • These labs are structured, mapped to certification objectives, and cost-free for students.
    • Benefit: Students get guided, hands-on practice without needing to set up their own Azure environment.

    2. Assign Projects Using Azure for Students

    • After completing structured labs, encourage students to sign up for Azure for Students (free $100 credit, renewable annually).
    • Use this for:
      • Capstone projects (e.g., build a chatbot using Azure Cognitive Services).
      • Exploration beyond labs (e.g., experiment with AI services not covered in MSLE labs).
    • Benefit: Students gain autonomy and experience managing real Azure resources.

    3. Blend Labs and Personal Accounts in the Same Course

    • Start with MSLE labs for foundational skills.
    • Transition to Azure for Students for open-ended assignments or group projects.
    • Example: Week 1–4: MSLE labs → Week 5–8: Students deploy their own AI solution in Azure.

    4. Teach Cost Management Skills

    • Use Azure for Students accounts to introduce budgeting and resource hygiene:
      • Show students how to monitor credit usage.
      • Teach best practices like shutting down VMs and deleting unused resources.
    • Benefit: Adds real-world cloud cost awareness to the curriculum.

    5. Certification Prep + Real-World Practice

    • MSLE labs prepare students for certification exams (AI-900).
    • Azure for Students projects give them portfolio-ready experience.
    • Combine both for maximum employability impact.
  • CarlK's avatar
    CarlK
    Copper Contributor
    Nov 21, 2025

    Hi Joe,

    When we deliver these trainings, we typically use Azure for Students to provide access to resources. For courses that require more advanced lab environments, we purchase ALH labs.

    We usually start with AI-900 (Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals) as an introduction. After that, many of our students move on to AI-102 (Designing and Implementing an Azure AI Solution), especially those who focus on development.

    I hope this information helps you.

    Br,
    Carl

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