As a member of St. Olaf, you will be able to access some industry-standard software for educational use. These options are available to anyone with a St. Olaf email (including students, staff and faculty), and can sometimes be used on your own personal computer instead of having to go to a campus lab. If you have a question on an application that is not listed here, please contact the IT Helpdesk to inquire about other software types. There may also be an open-source alternative if the application you need here is not listed.
It is important to keep in mind that the majority of these resources can only be accessed with your St. Olaf account and not a personal account. IT can only support resources for St. Olaf accounts.
Google Suite (G Suite)
As a St. Olaf student, you already have access to the apps in Google Suite!
It does a lot of what Microsoft Office does, with the ability to allow for groups to synchronously edit the same documents. Papers and spreadsheets can be saved in common formats (like Microsoft’s .docx and .xlsx) and you can print directly to stoPrint.
How do I access Google Suite?
- Log into your St. Olaf Google account.
- Find any Google App by clicking on the Google Apps icon on the upper-right corner of any Google Apps screen (including Gmail). The menu will show all available Google Apps: Google Sheets, Calendar, Slides, Gmail, and many others.
For additional information, visit the G Suite Learning Center or contact the IT Helpdesk for help with using Google apps.
Microsoft Office for Education
Microsoft Office 365 (Office 365 for Education) includes access to commonly used Microsoft applications:
- Word
- PowerPoint
- Excel
- OneNote
- And many more!
This is available for both Mac and Windows computers for students, faculty and staff, and you can install the FULL Office applications on up to 5 PCs or Macs for free! Documents and materials created in Office 365 can also be shared with others who have a 365 account or accessed in Google Drive.
How do I access Office 365?
- Go to the Office in Education website,
- Create a Microsoft Account using your St. Olaf email.
- This may need a different password than your regular G Suite account.
- Verify your student status with your St Olaf email account.
If you have any questions or need help accessing Office 365, please contact the IT Helpdesk.
Note: This is available as long as your St. Olaf account is active.
Microsoft Imagine
The Microsoft Imagine program offers free access to Microsoft development tools, Visual Studio, server operating systems, training materials.
How do I access Microsoft Imagine?
- Go to the Microsoft Imagine website.
- Create a Microsoft account using your St. Olaf email.
- This may need a different password than your regular G Suite account.
- If you have already created a Microsoft account for Office 365, you can log in using this account.
- Verify your student status with your St Olaf email account to download and access the software.
Note: This is available as long as your St. Olaf account is active.
Autodesk Education
Autodesk, publishers of AutoCAD and 3D software, release everything they publish commercially for free to students with an .edu account. This includes:
- AutoCAD
- Tinkercad
- Maya
- And many others!
Note: The only caveat is that files created with Autodesk Education software bear education watermarks that can’t be removed.
How do I access Autodesk Education?
- Go to the Autodesk Education website.
- Click on the software link that you wish to download.
- Sign up and verify your St. Olaf credentials.
For additional information, visit the Autodesk Education website.
Wolfram Mathematica
Mathematica is a computation program used by scientists and engineers worldwide. St. Olaf maintains a site license to Mathematica software that you can access as long as you are at the college.
How do I access Mathematica?
Follow the instructions HERE to install Mathematica.
For additional questions or help with accessing Mathematica, contact IT Helpdesk.
LibreOffice
LibreOffice is a full open-source desktop office suite (similar to Microsoft Office) that has word processing, spreadsheet, presentation and other packages. This is available for most operating platforms.
How do I access LibreOffice?
Go to the website and download for free.
For additional information, visit the LibreOffice website.
ESRI ArcGIS Software
Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) publishes GIS (Geographic Information Systems) software for both the Windows desktop and the cloud. St. Olaf has a full site license to ArcGIS Desktop, ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS.com. ArcGIS is the industry-standard for mapping and GIS software.
How do I access ArcGIS?
- For ArcGIS Online, contact the IT Helpdesk to request an account.
- Requests for ArcGIS Desktop on non-St. Olaf computers are addressed on a case by case basis. Software is available in the DiSCO for public access and in RNS 400 for the ENV 255 class. If you would like to access RNS 400, please contact the Environmental Studies department to inquire about the availability of the GIS lab.
For additional information on ESRI and ArcGIS resources, visit the ESRI website or contact IT Helpdesk.