Every Student Discount Near BU: Save Hundreds Per Semester

Your BU ID is worth hundreds of dollars in discounts. Free Museum of Fine Arts admission, 50% off MBTA fares, free NYT/WSJ subscriptions, free Microsoft 365, student pricing on Apple products, and dozens of local restaurant deals. This guide covers every discount worth knowing about.

Most BU students go their entire college career without taking advantage of half the discounts available to them. Between your BU ID, your .edu email address, and your student status, you have access to free and discounted stuff that would cost thousands at full price.

We've compiled every student discount worth knowing about - from the obvious ones to the ones that even seniors discover too late. Keep this list bookmarked.

Your BU ID gets you free or discounted admission to Boston's best museums:

Completely Free with BU ID:

• Museum of Fine Arts (MFA): General admission free for BU students. One of the top art museums in the US. Worth hundreds per year.
• Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Free admission. A stunning Venetian-style palazzo with world-class art.
• MIT Museum: Free with any student ID. Great for science and engineering nerds.

• Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA): Free on Thursday evenings
• New England Aquarium: Student discount (~$5 off)
• Boston Children's Museum: $1 admission on Friday nights
• Harvard Art Museums: Free with any college student ID

• Freedom Trail: Self-guided, free
• Boston Common & Public Garden: Free
• Arnold Arboretum: Free
• Charles River Esplanade: Free

These museums alone are worth $200+ per year. Go at least once.

• 50% off subway and bus fares
• Single ride: $1.10 (vs $2.40 regular)
• Get it at the BU ID Office at 25 Buick Street
• This is the most impactful discount you'll use daily

• Discounted unlimited ride passes available through BU
• ~$60/month vs $90/month regular
• Worth it if you use the T more than 2x/day

• Free membership for BU students (normally $7/month)
• Cars available on campus, $8-12/hour including gas and insurance
• Great for grocery runs, IKEA trips, or weekend getaways

• Student annual membership: $40/year (vs $119 regular)
• Includes unlimited 45-minute rides
• Stations all along Comm Ave and throughout Boston

• Free with BU ID
• Track via TransLoc app
• Runs day and late-night routes

• Domino's: Student specials (50% off menu price online, constantly running)
• Chipotle: BOGO deals for college students (check the app)
• Insomnia Cookies: Student discounts and late-night delivery until 3 AM
• Many Allston restaurants: Unofficial 10-15% student discounts - just ask and show your BU ID

• UniDays: Verify your .edu email for hundreds of food and retail discounts
• Student Beans: Similar to UniDays, some different brands
• Too Good To Go: Surprise bags of leftover food from bakeries and restaurants for $3-6
• Flashfood: Discounted groceries nearing sell-by dates

• Star Market (Packard's Corner): Student discount with BU ID on certain items
• Trader Joe's (Brookline): No student discount but cheapest quality groceries near BU
• Costco: Split a membership with friends. Bulk buying saves money long-term.
• Amazon Fresh: Free delivery with Prime Student

Your BU login unlocks a massive amount of free tech:

Free with BU account:

• Microsoft 365: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams + 1TB OneDrive
• Google Workspace: Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets
• MATLAB: Free for all students
• Zoom: Institutional license, unlimited meetings
• LinkedIn Learning: Thousands of professional courses
• Adobe Creative Cloud: Free for certain majors (check your department)
• VPN access: Access library databases off-campus

• Apple Education Store: $100-300 off MacBooks, $50 off iPads, free AirPods during back-to-school promo
• Amazon Prime Student: 50% off ($7.49/mo instead of $14.99). Includes free delivery, Prime Video, and more.
• Spotify Student: $5.99/mo (includes Hulu and Showtime)
• Apple Music Student: $5.99/mo (includes Apple TV+)
• YouTube Premium Student: $7.99/mo
• GitHub Student Developer Pack: Free. Includes domain names, cloud credits, and developer tools worth $200K+
• Notion: Free Pro plan for students
• Figma: Free educational plan
• Canva Pro: Free for students

Your BU email gets you free access to premium media:

• The New York Times: Free digital subscription through BU
• The Wall Street Journal: Free digital access through BU
• The Washington Post: Free with .edu email
• The Economist: Discounted student rate
• Harvard Business Review: Accessible through BU library databases

• Spotify + Hulu + Showtime bundle: $5.99/mo with student verification
• Apple TV+: Free with Apple Music Student plan
• Amazon Prime Video: Included with Prime Student

• BU Library e-books: Thousands of free digital books
• Libby app: Free e-books and audiobooks from the Boston Public Library (get a library card - it's free for Boston residents)

Popular student discounts:

• Apple: Education pricing saves $100-300 on MacBooks
• Samsung: Student store with up to 30% off
• Nike: 10% off with student verification
• Adidas: 30% off through UniDays
• J.Crew: 15% off with student ID
• Madewell: 15% off
• ASOS: 10% off
• North Face: 10% off through student programs (useful for winter gear)
• Levi's: 15% off with UniDays
• Ray-Ban: 25% off student discount

• Newbury Street shops: Many offer student discounts - always ask
• Urban Renewals (Allston): Already cheap thrift, but occasional student sale events
• BU Barnes & Noble: Student textbook price matching available