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Office365 Licensing

The Microsoft licensing changed in fall of 2020. Most faculty and staff have an A3 license with full access to desktop office apps and noticed no change. Emeritus, retirees, students, extra help and some other classifications have an A1 license which restricts their access to desktop apps, but still allows access to the online version of the app.

Microsoft 365 Licenses (Knowledge Base Article)

Overview

Microsoft 365 licenses provide users access to Microsoft Office applications (such as Outlook, Word, Excel) and services (such as SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, and Planner). These tools enable productivity and real-time collaboration.

Microsoft 365 licenses are provided to faculty, staff, and students in different tiers:

  • A5 for Students
  • A1 for Faculty and Staff
  • A5 for Faculty and Staff

Licenses are assigned based on a user's affiliation with the University, as recorded in Banner/HR.


How Licenses Are Assigned

Students

  • All students are assigned the A5 for Student license.

Faculty and Staff

  • Employee Types A, B, P: Assigned A5 for Faculty license.
  • Employee Types C, D: Most receive A5, but those with Skill Code 6 or 7 receive A1 for Faculty.
  • Other Employee Types (e.g., H - hourly), resource accounts, allied, or retired: Assigned A1 license.

More details on employee types can be found on the University HR website.


How to Check Your License Type

  1. Open a browser and go to: https://portal.office.com/account/
  2. Log in with your University credentials.
  3. Click "Subscriptions" on the left sidebar or "View subscriptions" in the main window.
  4. Your assigned Microsoft 365 license will be listed there.

License Feature Comparison

Feature

A1 for Faculty

A5 for Faculty

A5 for Students

 

 

 

 

Office Apps

Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote

All A1 apps + Publisher (PC), Access (PC)

Same as A5 for Faculty

 

 

 

 

Services

Exchange, OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams, Planner, Sway, Forms, Stream, Flow, Power Apps, Copilot

All A1 services + Power BI Pro, Bookings, Intune Plan 1, Copilot with Data Protection

Same as A5 for Faculty

 

 

 

 

Cloud Storage

100 GB

5 TB

5 TB

 

 

 

 

Office Installation

No personal installs

Install on 5 PCs/Macs + 5 tablets/phones

Same as A5 for Faculty

 

 

 

 

Additional Features

Teams meetings up to 250 people

Teams meetings up to 10,000, Teams Phone System, Audio Conferencing, MyAnalytics, Bookings

Teams meetings up to 250, Bookings

Note: All users have access to the web-based Office 365 apps. A5 license holders can also download and install desktop apps.


Device-Based Licensing

Device-based licensing allows Office apps to be activated based on the device rather than the user account. This is useful for A1 license holders who need access to desktop versions of Office apps (including Publisher and Access).

More information is available in the related Office 365 KB article.


Add-on Licenses

Three add-on licenses are available through the UIUC Webstore:

  • Teams Premium: Enhanced Teams meeting features. For A1/A5 faculty license holders. Learn more
  • Teams Calling License: For A1 staff needing a university phone number.
  • A5 Faculty Upgrade: Includes desktop apps and Teams phone number. Requires annual renewal.

Changing Licenses

  • Accounts may be reassigned from A5 to A1. Departments can purchase A5 upgrades from the Webstore.
  • Purchases can be for individual or multiple accounts and require NETIDs and C-FOAPAL information.
  • Grad students needing a phone number must be changed to Staff Type first.

What Happens to Desktop Apps After License Changes

If a license changes from A5 to A1:

  • Office desktop apps will become inactive.
  • You can open existing files, but cannot create or edit them.
  • A banner will show the app is unlicensed.
  • Users can continue using the web apps at https://office.com.

Notes

 



Keywords:
Office, 0365, word, excel, powerpoint, outlook, emeritus, a1, a5, a3, upgrade, 
Doc ID:
105237
Owned by:
Jeff F. in UI College of Veterinary Medicine
Created:
2020-08-24
Updated:
2025-04-11
Sites:
University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine