Why My Cursor Student Discount Failed and How I Fixed It in 3 Steps

Like many student coders, I rely on AI tools daily. So when Cursor IDE offered a free Pro plan for students, I was pumped! But my excitement quickly faded when the student discount refused to work, even after verification. After some digging, I cracked it. Let me walk you through my fix so you can skip the headache.

The Discount Hurdle I Faced

I verified my student email with SheerID successfully. But clicking ‘Apply Discount’ did weird things. Sometimes it dumped me back at the dashboard. Other times, Stripe showed a $20 charge.

My account never reflected the discount, and I kept seeing ‘401 unauthorized’ errors in Cursor. Super frustrating since I was using a valid .edu address!

My 3-Step Fix That Actually Worked

Turns out, the villain was simple: email mismatches between Cursor and SheerID. Here’s how I solved it:

• Use the same email everywhere: I logged out of Cursor completely. Signed back in using only my school email—no personal or GitHub accounts mixed in. This killed the ‘Invalid Email’ error instantly.
• Re-verify and apply: Went back to Cursor’s student page, re-verified my email, and waited for SheerID’s confirmation. Only then did I click ‘Apply Discount’. On Stripe, I triple-checked the total showed $0 before checkout.
• Confirm it stuck: Logged into Cursor, clicked ‘Managed Subscription’, then ‘See More’. When I spotted “Monthly: $0” under my plan, I finally breathed easy.

Lessons Learned the Hard Way

These tips saved me hours of rage-quitting:

• Non-.edu emails get tricky: If your school uses .ca or .de domains, eligibility might be spotty. I learned to check Cursor’s updates instead of spamming support.
• SheerID glitches: For ‘Verification Limit’ errors? Contact SheerID directly via their FAQ. Resending the verification link often worked when Cursor couldn’t help.
• Dodge accidental charges: Set a phone reminder to cancel before your free year ends—auto-renewal bites. Also, watch your Pro plan usage limits like a hawk.
• When things break: Emailed hi@cursor.com with screenshots and student ID proof. They fixed account-specific bugs, but replies took about a week during busy periods.

Now Cursor runs like a dream for my AI projects—no more discount drama. Follow these steps, and you’ll be coding with Pro features today. Go build something cool!