On December 1, 2013, Microsoft officially launched their Student Advantage program. The program is described in the official release:
[A]ny institution worldwide that licenses Office 365 ProPlus or Office Professional Plus for staff and faculty can provide access to Office 365 ProPlus for students at no additional cost. Today, more than 35,000 institutions are automatically eligible to deliver the Student Advantage benefit to their students. 1
This is a calculated move by Microsoft. Hook in users while they are young and impressionable. As justification for the program, Microsoft pointed to the results of an International Data Corporation (IDC) research into employment. The research found that proficiency with Microsoft Office ranks at number three of the top 20 in-demand skills highly valued by employers.2 Overall, this move seems like a win-win. Microsoft gets to give back and at the same time capture the emerging user-base; students get free access to Office.
