Affordable Technology and Discounts
Affordable Technology
If you receive federal Pell Grant funds, you can purchase a Chromebook from the Central Piedmont Campus Store with your leftover aid (if eligible).
- Goodwill Industries' the GRID
- Central Piedmont Campus Store
- Refurbished calculators on Math4sale.com
- Refurbished laptops through the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library
- Central Piedmont Single Stop
Software Discounts
- Apple discounts: Apple products are available at discounted education rates for students
- Microsoft discounts: students and faculty can use Microsoft software for free by logging in to the Central Piedmont Cloud.
- HP discounts
- Game design software discounts: discounts on software and more via Studica.com
- Dell: discounts are available to both students and faculty through Dell's Member Purchase and Employee Discount Program. Central Piedmont Dell discount member ID: US122107236
Internet Discounts
The following is a list of vendors who provide various services for affordable broadband:
- Affordable Connectivity Program
- FCC Sponsored Lifeline Program
- Access Program from AT&T
- Verizon Lifeline Discount
- Spectrum Internet Assist
- List of low-cost internet service providers
Mobile Hotspot Discounts
Azure Dev Tools for Teaching (formerly Microsoft Imagine)
Azure Dev Tools for Teaching (formerly Microsoft Imagine) is an online software system where, if authorized, you can download and access a wide range of Microsoft developer tools, servers, and platforms. There is no charge to download the software as long as you are an eligible user in the system.
Software titles available through Azure Dev tools include:
- Windows Server Operating Systems
- Windows Desktop Operating Systems
- Microsoft Server Products (e.g. Exchange and SQL)
- Visual Studio Suites
- Expression Studio (Formerly Frontpage)
- Microsoft Visio
- Microsoft Access
- Microsoft Project
To access the Azure Dev Tools for Teaching, you will need to create a Microsoft account using your Central Piedmont email address:
- Go to azureforeducation.microsoft.com/devtools.
- Click the “Sign-in” button.
- When prompted to enter your email address, click “Create one” link below the email field and enter your Central Piedmont email.
- Create a password (this password is managed separately from your Central Piedmont account password).
- You will receive a verification code via email; enter the code from the email and click the next button.
- You will then be prompted with a security text image, enter the text from the image and click next.
- On the academic verification page, enter your Central Piedmont email address into both fields and click the “Verify academic status and accept terms” button.
- You will then receive another verification email; select the link in this email and sign in with your Microsoft account.
- After signing in you will be taken to the Azure education quick start page.
To download software from Azure Dev Tools for teaching after setting up your account:
- Go to azureforeducation.microsoft.com/devtools.
- Click the “Sign-in” button and you will be taken to the Azure education quick start page.
- From the quick start page click the “View All” option under the “Get Software” section to be taken to a listing of the tools available for download; selecting tools from this list will open a panel with a download link and a product key.
- Click view key and then download.
Central Piedmont is licensed under the MSDN Academic Alliance Program. E-academy Inc., a partner of Microsoft, provides Azure.