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Universities and colleges teaching architecture, engineering, product design, and urban planning increasingly need to provide students with professional CAD software they can install on their own machines — not just in shared labs. McNeel's Educational License Pack programme lets UK universities purchase 30 individual student licences at a volume discount, distribute them to students, and let students keep them permanently. This guide covers how the programme works, how it compares to lab licensing, and the practical steps for procurement and deployment — for universities, further education colleges, and sixth form colleges alike.
Who Can Purchase: Qualifying Institutions
The Educational License Pack is available to any government-accredited educational institution in the UK. This includes:
- Universities — undergraduate and postgraduate departments across architecture, engineering, design, and creative disciplines.
- Further education (FE) colleges — HND, HNC, Foundation Degree, and BTEC programmes in design, engineering, and construction.
- Sixth form colleges — A-Level and IB design technology programmes.
- Art and design colleges — specialist institutions teaching 3D design, product design, jewellery, and digital fabrication.
- Career and technical schools — accredited vocational programmes using CAD.
Proof of institutional status requires a letter from the institution or faculty/staff pay stub from the current term, per standard educational procurement requirements.
The Educational License Pack: How It Works
McNeel's Educational License Pack provides 30 individual, permanent student licences at a volume price. The institution purchases the pack and receives 30 licence keys, each registered to an individual student. Each student activates their licence via Cloud Zoo using their own Rhino Account and can install Rhino on their personal computer — laptop, desktop, or both.
Key characteristics:
- 30 permanent individual licences — each student keeps their licence permanently, including after graduation.
- Full commercial use rights — students can use Rhino for freelance work, placements, or commercial projects.
- Non-transferable — each licence is registered to the named student and cannot be reassigned.
- Cloud Zoo activation — students log in with their Rhino Account; no server infrastructure needed.
- Buy as many packs as needed — schools can purchase multiple 30-packs or additional single licences at £75 ex VAT per additional seat.
The price for a 30-licence Rhino 8 pack is £2,250 ex VAT (£2,700 inc VAT) — that's £75 per student, compared to £150 for an individual academic licence purchased separately. For courses with 30+ students, the pack provides a 50% saving per seat.
Lab Licences vs 30-Licence Packs: Which Is Right for Your Institution?
McNeel offers two main licensing models for educational institutions. Understanding the difference is critical for procurement decisions:
| Lab Licence | 30-Licence Pack | |
|---|---|---|
| Price (Rhino 8) | £785 ex VAT | £2,250 ex VAT |
| Number of licences | 1 floating licence (up to 30 concurrent users via Zoo) | 30 individual permanent licences |
| Where it runs | On the institution's network (LAN Zoo) or Cloud Zoo Team | On each student's own computer |
| Who keeps it | The institution — the licence returns to the pool when the student finishes | The student — the licence is theirs permanently, including after graduation |
| Internet requirement | LAN Zoo needs local network; Cloud Zoo needs internet | Cloud Zoo works offline after initial login |
| Best for | Shared teaching labs, computer rooms, studios | Courses where students need Rhino on their own machines |
| Per-student cost | ~£26 per student (shared among 30, but institution retains) | £75 per student (student keeps forever) |
Many universities and colleges use both: lab licences for teaching spaces and the 30-pack for courses where students are expected to have Rhino on their personal laptops. The two models complement each other — they're not mutually exclusive.
Why Choose the 30-Licence Pack?
The pack model addresses several challenges that UK universities and colleges face:
- Student-owned computing — increasingly, design courses require students to work on their own laptops rather than in fixed labs. The 30-pack gives each student a personal licence they install at home.
- Permanent access after graduation — students keep their licence, including commercial use rights. This is a tangible asset they take into professional practice — a differentiator for course recruitment.
- No server infrastructure — activation is via Cloud Zoo with individual Rhino Accounts. No LAN Zoo server to install, maintain, or secure.
- Off-campus work — students can use Rhino anywhere: home, studio, library, placement, or commute. No VPN back to the university network required.
- Per-student value — at £75 ex VAT per student, the pack price is less than most course textbooks. Universities can recover this through course fees or include it as part of a software kit.
Plugin Packs for Universities and Colleges
The 30-licence pack model also applies to Rhino plugins. If your course teaches BIM or landscape design alongside Rhino, students can receive plugin licences too:
| Product | 30-Pack Price (ex VAT) | Per Student |
|---|---|---|
| Rhino 3D V8 | £2,250 | £75 |
| VisualARQ V3 (BIM) | £1,200 | £40 |
| LandsDesign V6 (Landscape) | £1,200 | £40 |
| Rhino + VisualARQ combined | £3,450 | £115 |
| Rhino + LandsDesign combined | £3,450 | £115 |
A student receiving Rhino + VisualARQ pays £115 ex VAT for software that would cost £845 at individual academic pricing — an 86% saving passed directly to the student.
Procurement Process for UK Universities and Colleges
Universities and colleges can purchase through standard procurement channels:
- Purchase order — schools and colleges can order directly on a purchase order or procurement card, per McNeel's educational proof requirements.
- Proof of institution status — the school provides a letter from the institution or faculty/staff pay stub from the current term.
- VAT — UK universities that are VAT-exempt should contact us to discuss pricing. Standard pricing shown is ex VAT.
- Invoice and delivery — we issue an invoice and deliver licence keys by email, typically within one business day of order confirmation.
For institutions needing to distribute licences to students, we provide a spreadsheet of individual keys with clear activation instructions for each student. Students create their own Rhino Account, enter the key, and are running Rhino within minutes.
Distributing Licences to Students
Once you receive the 30 licence keys, distribution is straightforward:
- Step 1: Assign each key to a student (we provide a tracking template).
-
Step 2: Each student creates a free Rhino Account at
accounts.rhino3d.comusing their university email. - Step 3: The student adds their assigned licence key to their Rhino Account.
- Step 4: The student downloads Rhino 8 from
rhino3d.com/download, logs in with their Rhino Account, and Rhino activates. - Step 5: The student installs Rhino on their computer (Windows or macOS). Cloud Zoo lets them use it on multiple machines with the same login.
Students do not need to provide individual proof of status when the institution purchases through the Educational License Pack — the institution's proof of educational status covers the entire pack.
Course Integration
If your course or department is incorporating Rhino for the first time, McNeel provides free educational resources:
- Curriculum guides and learning resources via rhino3d.com/learn.
- Teacher training workshops — one, two, and three-day regional sessions. McNeel can schedule training at your school on request.
- The Rhino in Education community for sharing teaching materials and connecting with other educators.
Our team can also advise on course integration — including which plugins are most relevant for your discipline and how to structure the deployment across teaching modules.
Upgrading Existing Institution Licences
If your department or institution already has lab licences or older 30-packs, upgrades are available:
- Lab licence upgrade (Rhino 8) — £345 ex VAT. Upgrades an existing lab licence to the current version.
- Individual academic upgrade — £79 ex VAT per student. For students with older individual academic licences who want to move to Rhino 8.
If your students are on any previous version (Rhino 1-7) academic licence and want to upgrade, they can purchase the academic upgrade at £79 ex VAT while they're still enrolled. After graduation, they'd upgrade at the commercial price (£450 ex VAT).
For a full breakdown of upgrade options, see our upgrade guide.
Planning a University or College Deployment?
Whether you're deploying Rhino across 30 students or 300, contact us for a tailored quote — including plugin bundles, lab licences, and upgrade paths for existing licences.
Contact the CADWAX teamFor bundle savings on Rhino + plugin combinations, see our Rhino 3D bundle savings guide.
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