Education Program
Design, verify, and optimize a student or .edu discount program as a long-term acquisition channel—not a one-off coupon.
Overview
Education Program is an agent skill most often used in Grow (also Validate pricing, Launch distribution) that plans and optimizes verified student and education discount programs for SaaS-style acquisition.
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/kostja94/marketing-skills --skill education-programWhat is this skill?
- Initial assessment: product type, student ICP fit, discount on first purchase vs renewal, verification method
- Compares education programs to adjacent channels; points to startups-page-generator for pricing-page-only work
- Covers third-party verification (SheerID, UNiDAYS) and .edu / student ID flows
- Frames education pricing as long-term acquisition (~65% continue tools after school per skill positioning)
- ~65% of students who use professional tools in school continue in first jobs (skill positioning)
- metadata version 1.0.1
Adoption & trust: 680 installs on skills.sh; 586 GitHub stars; 3/3 security scanners passed (skills.sh audits).
What problem does it solve?
You want a student plan but lack a verification strategy, renewal rules, and a clear sense of whether the channel fits your ICP.
Who is it for?
Indie SaaS, dev tools, design tools, and productivity apps targeting students or early-career buyers with recurring revenue.
Skip if: Pure enterprise sales with no student funnel, or requests limited to generating a startup pricing page without program strategy (use startups-page-generator).
When should I use this skill?
User mentions student discount, education discount, student plan, .edu discount, academic pricing, student verification, SheerID, UNiDAYS, or education program.
What do I get? / Deliverables
You leave with an assessment-backed education discount design—fit, structure, and verification path—ready to implement on pricing, checkout, and growth campaigns.
- education program assessment
- discount and verification recommendations
- channel positioning vs other acquisition tactics
Recommended Skills
Journey fit
Spans multiple journey phases - primary shelf plus alternate fits below.
Education programs compound retention and early-career habit formation, so the canonical shelf is Grow lifecycle even though planning starts earlier. Lifecycle covers acquisition mechanics, verification vendors, renewal rules, and funnel impact beyond a static pricing table.
Where it fits
Decide whether a 50% student tier cannibalizes pro plans before you publish numbers.
Pair campus communities and .edu offers with a verified checkout flow at go-live.
Tighten renewal rules and verification to reduce fraud while keeping graduates on paid tiers.
Draft student-facing FAQs that explain eligibility and third-party verification steps.
How it compares
Channel strategy for verified student pricing—not the same as a generic pricing-page generator or paid ads playbook.
Common Questions / FAQ
Who is education-program for?
Founders and marketers on subscription products where students are current or future power users and discounts must be verified and sustainable.
When should I use education-program?
In Validate when scoping academic pricing, in Launch when adding distribution via campus communities, and in Grow when optimizing SheerID/UNiDAYS flows and renewal policy.
Is education-program safe to install?
It is strategic copy and checklists only; confirm vendor terms for SheerID or UNiDAYS yourself and review Security Audits on this Prism page.
SKILL.md
READMESKILL.md - Education Program
# Channels: Education Program Guides student and education discount programs as an acquisition channel. Targets students and educators; common for SaaS, dev tools, and productivity apps. ~65% of students who use professional tools in school continue using them in their first jobs—education discounts are long-term customer acquisition, not just revenue loss. **When invoking**: On **first use**, if helpful, open with 1–2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On **subsequent use** or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output. ## Initial Assessment **Check for project context first:** If `.claude/project-context.md` or `.cursor/project-context.md` exists, read it for product, audience, and pricing. Identify: 1. **Product type**: SaaS, dev tool, design tool, productivity 2. **Student fit**: Is your ICP or future ICP student-aged? 3. **Discount structure**: First-time vs renewal; % or fixed 4. **Verification**: .edu, student ID, third-party (SheerID, UNiDAYS) ## Education Program vs Other Channels | Dimension | Education Program | Startups Program | Referral | |-----------|-------------------|------------------|----------| | **Audience** | Students, educators | Founders, early-stage | Existing users | | **Incentive** | Discount, free tier | Discount, credits | Discount, credits | | **Verification** | .edu, student ID, SheerID/UNiDAYS | Revenue, team size | None (user-driven) | | **LTV focus** | Future customers; 65% continue post-grad | Early adopters | Referred users | ## Discount Structures | Type | Typical Range | Use | |------|---------------|-----| | **First-time / registration** | 30–50% off | Apply at signup; drives conversion | | **Ongoing / renewal** | 15–25% off | Retain students; lower than first-time | | **Free tier** | Full access free | JetBrains, GitHub Education; highest adoption | | **Flat academic rate** | Simplified pricing | Easier for students to understand | **Example**: 30% off on registration day; 15% off on renewal. Align with **discount-marketing-strategy** for financial guardrails (LTV:CAC, qualification criteria). ## Verification | Method | Use | |--------|-----| | **.edu email** | Instant; low friction; US-centric | | **Student ID upload** | Manual review; global; document must show name, institution, expiry | | **SheerID** | Third-party; 200K+ data sources; verify → promo code at checkout | | **UNiDAYS** | Third-party; 98%+ automated; 800+ brands; marketplace reach | **When to verify**: At registration (recommended when discount applies at signup) or at checkout. Registration-time verification = single decision point; user claims discount where they convert. ## Placement Priority | Priority | Location | Purpose | |----------|----------|---------| | **P0** | Registration / signup flow | User claims discount here; must show when discount applies at signup | | **P1** | Pricing page | Student tier or "Student discount" block; keeps single decision point | | **P1** | Homepage banner or CTA | "Students: 30% off today, 15% off ongoing"; top-banner-generator | | **P2** | Standalone page /student-discount | Optional; for "student discount" SEO or paid ad landing page | **Principle**: When discount applies at registration, core placement is registration flow. Pricing page and homepage support discovery. Standalone page only if needed for SEO or ads—avoid duplication when persona pages (e.g. "for students") already exist. ## Page Strategy | Approach | When | |----------|------| | **Embed in pricing** | Stud