A new chapter for the Microsoft Student Ambassadors program, built for you
Join the reimagined Student Ambassadors program to learn and lead. Experiment with AI, drive projects that solve real problems, and earn recognition for the impact you make. For more than two decades, the Microsoft Student Ambassadors program has helped student-developers from around the world build practical technical and leadership skills—skills that have helped open doors for hundreds of thousands of students, sparked their confidence, and turned curiosity into careers. Today, we’re announcing an exciting new chapter for the program, shaped by the evolving needs of students everywhere who are preparing for careers that demand not only technical fluency but also adaptable, broad-based skills. We’re reimagining Microsoft Student Ambassadors to welcome students from all disciplines, across higher-education campuses worldwide (restrictions apply). The future of work—and the future of AI—won’t be shaped by one type of learner, one major, or one path. It will be shaped by people who are curious about AI, motivated to learn by doing, and ready to help others with their learning. That’s why we’re expanding the program beyond its developer roots, making it a place and opportunity for all students. By joining the Student Ambassadors program, you can learn to lead with AI in creative and responsible ways, so you can think bigger, build faster, and bring bold ideas to life. You will have the opportunity to grow your skills faster by learning alongside a community that challenges and supports you at every step, where friendships spark creativity and mentorship builds confidence. Along the way, you can turn potential into proof, building a résumé that reflects your strengths and contributions and shows that you’re not just ready for what’s next—you’re already doing it. There’s no application required to join. No gatekeeping. Just a shared commitment to building your skills and helping others to build theirs. How to join the Student Ambassadors program Go to Student Ambassadors, and select Get Started. Take a few minutes to complete the sign-up steps (no application or interview.) Participate in activities aligned to your interests and skills—from creating and sharing social content that helps to upskill others, to hosting events and contributing to the community. Hit milestones to unlock benefits and build experience, whether you’re focused on your career path or a startup idea. What it means to be a Student Ambassador As a Student Ambassador, you have an array of benefits to support your development while you upskill and support others across your campus and online community. After your onboarding to the program, you gain access to cutting-edge Microsoft technologies, including Microsoft 365 Copilot, Visual Studio Enterprise, and $150 in monthly Azure credits. As you progress through the program and unlock milestones, you earn opportunities for leadership positions and deeper engagement with Microsoft. Through our new immersive, rotational work with Microsoft teams, you can contribute to real initiatives while gaining experience that builds practical skills, industry awareness, and results to showcase on your résumé and LinkedIn profile. These short, focused engagements give Student Ambassadors direct exposure to the teams shaping Microsoft technologies. Through product updates, open discussions, and feedback opportunities, you can learn how we build, prioritize, and evolve products, and you can develop the professional skills required in today’s workplace. As a result, Student Ambassadors learn to navigate professional environments, engage in meaningful conversations, and develop a clear point of view on emerging technologies and industry trends. With this foundation, you can be prepared to show up as a credible voice in both technical and nontechnical communities, while building confidence for future career opportunities. What’s next In the coming months, we’ll continue to write new chapters for the program, including the launch of Microsoft Campus Clubs and the Microsoft Student Ambassadors Alumni Network. These initiatives will open doors for even more people to participate in the Microsoft Student Ambassadors program and to connect with Microsoft communities. The future needs people who are ready to get involved. Get started with Microsoft Student Ambassadors.
Introduction to the Data Science Process
We are excited to collaborate with Club for the Future and introduce your students to the data science process. In this free and interactive Excel based curriculum, students use data and a step-by-step data science process to simulate the decision-making process that data scientists in a command center use to give a Go/No-Go signal for a rocket launch.
Microsoft Mesh Education Licensing
Microsoft Education and Product Teams, I am writing to advocate for the inclusion of Microsoft Mesh (Immersive Spaces and Events) within the Microsoft 365 Education SKU family (A1, A3, and A5). Currently, Mesh is available across nearly every commercial license family, from Teams Essentials to E5 Enterprise, but is explicitly excluded from Education tenants. As documented in several Learn Q&A threads and service plan manifests, the MESH_IMMERSIVE_FOR_TEAMS service plan is simply not provisioned for EDU customers. The current state is one of silent exclusion, creating several critical hurdles: Pedagogical: Immersive technology is one of the most requested features for remote and hybrid learning to combat "Zoom fatigue" and increase student engagement. Education is a high-value use case for 3D immersion. Parity: Universities and K-12 institutions on A5 licenses pay for "top-tier" features but are denied the innovative tools available to a "Business Basic" user. If you are a small business on a basic plan, you have Mesh. If you are a world-class University on A5, you are blocked. This isn't a "procurable" add-on; it is a licensing eligibility wall. Implementation: Current Microsoft guidance suggests schools move to Business or Enterprise licensing to access Mesh. This is not a viable solution for institutions with thousands of users, complex compliance requirements, and student-data privacy frameworks built specifically around EDU SKUs. We aren’t asking for a discount; we are asking for eligibility. We urge the product team to: Add the Mesh Immersive service plan to the A3 and A5 EDU license entitlements. Provide a clear roadmap for when Education tenants can expect feature parity with Commercial tenants. Education should be the vanguard of immersive collaboration, not an afterthought. We would appreciate a formal update on when this licensing barrier will be removed.Getting started with low code software development whilst still in education
Are you still a student, perhaps at college or high school, maybe studying a degree at University? Are you considering a tech career, or even just a side hustle? I'm going to let you in on a bit of knowledge... in this post you'll find out how you can get started with low code software development whilst still being a student... and should you want it to, even let it lead into a career in Business Applications.
Bringing you the Day of Data, in partnership with NASA
We are excited to partner with NASA to launch the Day of Data, where you can explore how data powers our astronauts, our space missions, and our world. Attend live events with astronauts and rocket scientists, introduce your children to data using scaffolded lesson plans, try your hand at space-themed data challenges, and more! For more information about Day of Data, check out these Education and Excel blog posts.Join Microsoft Stream at BETT 2020!
BETT 2020 is kicking off this week and we look forward to seeing you there! The Stream team will join educators, students, partners and others on January 22 -25 in London. We hope you visit us in the Microsoft Hub and in sessions to learn more about inclusive and collaborative digital experiences that are fueling learning and growth for students and teachers from K-12 to higher education and beyond. SESSIONS Join Stream in the Learn Live Theater where we will share new innovations and best practices for using video in classrooms and with your fellow educators. Wednesday - Friday @ 14:00-14:30 Learn Live Theater: Develop a Teaching and Learning Video Culture with Teams and Stream - Connect with meetings and live events, teach with web-based screen recordings and create on mobile using the Flipgrid Camera. MICROSOFT TRAINING ACADEMY Attend these sessions to learn how to enrich your classrooms with Teams, Stream and other collaboration applications in Office 365. Wednesday- Saturday @ 10:30-11:00 Getting teachers to learn and students to teach This session will inspire teachers to leverage Class Notebook, Teams, SharePoint and Stream to experiment with new student tasks and innovative practice for their own context and set up opportunities for O365 staff training to improve learning outcomes in the long run. Wednesday - Saturday @ 15:30- 16:00 Teams University - Maximizing Teams at your higher education institution This session will cover the basics of Teams for a newcomer in Higher Education that don't have much experience with the tool. Faculty will benefit from getting hands on training and immersing themselves in the tool. MICROSOFT HUB Come by the Microsoft Hub to connect with Stream experts throughout the conference. The Hub is located in booth Booth #NF40 . We look forward to seeing you at BETT 2020!
