Are IntelliJ IDEA and PyCharm free for students?

Sources: JetBrains, Install IntelliJ IDEA, Install PyCharm and Unified PyCharm overview, read 17 October 2026. We are not connected with JetBrains.

1. Check you qualify. Aged 13 or older, enrolled at an accredited high school, college or university, studying full-time.
2. Pick a proof. The help center lists an email address from your school, an ISIC or ITIC card, or a GitHub Student Developer Pack.
3. Use your school email if you have one. Enter it on the JetBrains student application form, which the help center links to.
4. If your school email is not accepted, JetBrains says your school’s email domain can be submitted to the swot repository it uses to recognize schools. Once the domain is accepted, apply again.
5. No school email at all? Use an ISIC or ITIC card, or Authorize with GitHub if you have the GitHub Student Developer Pack.
6. Activate in the IDE. The help center says to create a JetBrains Account, download the product, and log in with that account when the IDE prompts you on first start.
7. Renew each year. JetBrains sends a reminder email 2 weeks before the subscription expires; renew from that link or from your JetBrains Account if you are still studying full-time.

Sources: JetBrains sales help center, how to apply, institutional email not accepted, no institutional email and renewing for another year, read 17 October 2026.

# which_python.py (ours): which Python is running this?
import sys
print(sys.version.split()[0])
in_venv = sys.prefix != sys.base_prefix
print("inside a virtual environment:", in_venv)
import requests
print("requests", requests.__version__)

Run 1, the computer's own Python (our run):
3.13.6
inside a virtual environment: False
requests 2.32.5

Run 2, a brand-new virtual environment (our run):
3.13.6
inside a virtual environment: True
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "which_python.py", line 6, in <module>
    import requests
ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'requests'

1. Look at the interpreter selector. PyCharm shows the project’s interpreter in the status bar at the bottom; click it to see or switch interpreters.
2. Install the package for that interpreter. PyCharm’s documentation explains that packages belong to a particular interpreter, so each project has its own set; use the Python Packages tool window, which uses pip by default.
3. In IntelliJ IDEA, check the project SDK. If the JDK is missing or the wrong version, use Download JDK in the SDK settings.
4. Confirm with a tiny program. Run the Java check below inside the IDE; it prints the version the project really uses.
5. If the IDE itself misbehaves (wrong highlighting, missing classes that clearly exist), choose File, then Invalidate Caches, then Invalidate and Restart.

// WhichJava.java (ours): which JDK is running this?
public class WhichJava {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.out.println(System.getProperty("java.version"));
        System.out.println(System.getProperty("java.vendor"));
    }
}

our run:
22.0.1
Oracle Corporation

Sources: JetBrains, Install, uninstall, and upgrade packages and Invalidate caches, read 17 October 2026.