Table of Contents
Introduction
On September 28, 2025, Dartmouth and Adobe's agreement related to their products will be changing. In anticipation of this change, student accounts will be transitioned to a license request process on September 9, 2025. As part of this transition, students will lose their Creative Cloud license and must submit a request to regain access.
What is Changing?
Prior to September 28, all School of the Arts and Sciences undergraduate students and Guarini graduate students were eligible for an Adobe Creative Cloud license. No action was required on their part to acquire a license. However, the licensing structure for the upcoming contractual agreement between Dartmouth and Adobe is changing, and students now have access to either Adobe Express or Creative Cloud starting on September 28. Also starting on September 28, students will no longer be assigned an Adobe license automatically and will instead submit a simple request for the product that works best for them.
Adobe Express and Creative Cloud
Adobe Creative Cloud is widely considered their flagship product. It is is a set of applications and services that gives subscribers access to a collection of software used for graphic design, video editing, web development, photography, along with mobile applications and optional cloud services. This suite of products is aimed at users that work in graphic design and other fields that require powerful creative tools.
Adobe Express is a cloud-based content creation tool. It is a design platform where users can create videos, PDF documents, web pages, graphics and other digital assets. It is aimed at mainstream users, not professional graphic designers.
Express offers a much lower barrier to entry, but Creative Cloud offers a more robust set of tools.
Creative Tools available to Students
Dartmouth students have options when it comes to creativity toolkits. In addition to Adobe Express and Creative Cloud, they can also choose to use Canva (Canva for Campus). Canva has become a popular platform that competes directly with Adobe Express. Canva for Campus is a special version of Canva created for college and university teams. Students can collaborate with classmates, share designs within the Dartmouth community, and have access to premium workflows and design content.
Which is the Right Tool for Me?
This is likely going to be the most common question students will ask themselves when presented with their options. The answer, as boring as it sounds, is that it depends on who is asking.
If you know how to use advanced Adobe solutions such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, etc., then Creative Cloud is right for you. If not, Creative Cloud may be an intimidating starting point for those that haven't used it before.
If you are interested in a fast, intuitive platform to make content, then Adobe Express or Canva is the right fit. Choosing between Express and Canva is another decision point, and that comes down to personal preference. There have been many comparisons between the two, and each may favor one over the other for various reasons.
Impact to Students
The initial impact to students will be the loss of the Creative Cloud license. This should be a short and temporary setback, as the request process will be live immediately and they can request a license right away. We apologize for the inconvenience and want to assure students that we will return them to a Creative Cloud license quickly if they request one.
Ultimately, we think presenting students with their options will lead to a more right-sized approach. Adobe Express and Canva may satisfy the needs of a majority of students, reserving Creative Cloud for those that require the advanced suite of solutions.
What Action can Students Take?
Starting on September 9, students that would like to be licensed for Creative Cloud or Adobe Express can do so via request. As that date approaches, a link to the request form will be updated here.