Apple Music to offer 50 percent discount to students

Apple is reportedly rolling out a new Apple Music subscription option for students on Friday. The new plan will let verified students get an Apple Music subscription for 50 percent off, according to TechCrunch.

At this writing the subscription was not available in iTunes or on Apple’s website.

The new student plan will be available in a number of countries around the world including the U.S., U.K., Australia, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, and New Zealand. Exact pricing will vary based on region, but for U.S. students the discount will mean a monthly charge of $5 per month.

Students will have to verify their student status with UniDAYS, a student deals website. Once that’s done they have the right to get the Apple Music deal. Apple will only allow students to get the discounted subscription for up to four years after the initial sign-up, TechCrunch says.

But that time limit isn’t continuous. Anyone who skips a semester or even a school year can come back and claim their discount. Even though four years is the standard amount of time for a Bachelor’s degree, the discount applies to all students regardless of whether they’re getting their first degree or attending graduate school.

Why this matters: Apple has a long history of offering student (and teacher) discounts, of which this offer may be just the latest example. It is also a smart way to try and gain more subscribers and overtake Spotify as the leading subscription music streaming service. At $5 per month, Apple Music will challenge Spotify’s similar student offer available in the United States. 

In January, Apple Music was believed to have more than 10 million paying (not including free trial) customers. Spotify’s paying subscriber count was twice that as of June 2015.

Update: This article was updated at 7:41 AM Pacific time on May 6, 2016 to clarify the status of Spotify’s student discount.