Program

AWS Cloud Credit for Research

Credits for finite research projects. Students can ask for up to $5,000. Faculty and staff have no cap. Applications are open all year.

AWS Cloud Credit for Research is for faculty, research staff and graduate students at accredited institutions. Up to $5,000 for students, no cap for faculty.

Students: Up to $5,000
Faculty and staff: No cap
Review time: Rolling, roughly 1–4 months
Validity: 1 year
EC2: On-Demand and Spot only
Excluded: Greater China region; Free Tier accounts

At a glance

Decision time: Conflicting official figures: the apply page (pages.awscloud.com) says 30-60 days, and the main program page says 90-120 days. No expedited reviews. Decisions come from aws-research-credit@amazon.com, so check your spam folder.
Credits last: 1 year from when the credit is applied to the account, or until used up (apply page). Promotional Credit Terms s.10(b) say they expire 1 year after receipt.
Access: Open application

Official application page

01 · Overview

A good fit if you are

Proofs of concept and benchmarks
Building shareable research tools
Cloud workshops and tutorials

Not for

Ongoing lab operations
General lab funding
Startups (use Activate instead)

Timeline and terms

Application window: Rolling, all year
Decision time: Conflicting official figures: the apply page (pages.awscloud.com) says 30-60 days, and the main program page says 90-120 days. No expedited reviews. Decisions come from aws-research-credit@amazon.com, so check your spam folder.
Credit validity: 1 year from when the credit is applied to the account, or until used up (apply page). Promotional Credit Terms s.10(b) say they expire 1 year after receipt.
Where: Worldwide except the greater China region. India is administered by AISPL for AISPL customers.

Students (graduate, postgraduate, PhD): capped at USD 5,000. Faculty and research staff: no cap. Amounts depend on the proposal and documented service usage, and recipients may get less than they asked for.

What changed recently

2026-02-16
Free Tier accounts became ineligible for the credits ('Effective February 16, 2026'). Source
2026 (date not determined)
The FAQ subpages (proposal preparation, review process, billing, allowed services) now redirect to the generic AWS Public Sector page. Only the 'General Information' FAQ remains readable. Source
2023-09-24 to 2024-04-15 (between apply-page snapshots)
Apply page's stated review time changed from '90 to 120 days' to '30 to 60 days'. The main program page still says 90-120 days, which causes the current conflict. Source

02 · Eligibility

Hard eligibility rules

You must

Full-time faculty, full-time research staff, or a graduate, postgraduate or PhD student at an accredited research institution
Official institution-issued email (.edu, .org or equivalent); other domains are rejected
Existing AWS account (account number required); since Feb 16, 2026 it must not be a Free Tier plan account
A finite project of one of three types: proof of concept or benchmark; repeatable, sharable solution (science-as-a-service, tools, open data); or advanced workshops and tutorials
Credits used for academic research only (Promotional Credit Terms s.10(b))

Excluded

Applicants from the greater China region
Administrative workloads and operations, including the institution's internal administrative workloads
Ongoing or established research projects, and general lab funding
Free Tier plan accounts (from Feb 16, 2026)
Non-institutional email domains

Have this ready before you apply

Institution-issued email address
AWS account ID (paid plan, not Free Tier)
Detailed project description: problem statement, summary, specific AWS services, timeline and milestones
Plan for sharing outcomes (tools, data, resources)
Potential future AWS use after the award
Names of any AWS staff contacted (optional)
AWS Public Data Sets to be used
Service usage requirements or estimates (awards are sized on them)

03 · How to apply

How to apply

1
Write a project proposal: the problem, AWS services you'll use, timeline and milestones.
2
Explain how you'll share results, data or tools.
3
Apply on the AWS research credit page.
4
Watch for emails from aws-research-credit@amazon.com, including in spam.

What catches founders out

Since February 16, 2026, Free Tier accounts can't receive promotional credits.
You may get less than you request.
Credits can't pay upfront fees, such as Reserved Instances.

What founders report Show

Summarised from public founder posts. Anecdotal, not official AWS policy.

Why applications get rejected

No documented rejection reasons found. People questioning eligibility (an undergraduate final project; a makerspace) suggest that non-research or non-institutional uses don't fit

Approval times reported

One researcher reported approval after submitting a two-page proposal (2019, no duration given); another applicant said they never received any reply

Gotchas

Lab users report the credits running out at the 1-year expiry, forcing a move to local hardware or other funding
Decision emails can go unnoticed (AWS itself warns to check spam folders)

04 · Credits & stacking

What the credits cover

Covered

AWS services eligible for AWS Promotional Credit
Amazon EC2 on-demand and Spot Instances only (main page)

Not covered

Amazon Mechanical Turk
AWS Managed Services
Ineligible AWS Support (Enterprise, Unified Operations, Enterprise On-Ramp, resold support, Partner-Led Support)
AWS Marketplace
AWS Professional Services
AWS Training
AWS Certification
Amazon Route 53 domain name registration or transfer
Services used for cryptocurrency mining
Upfront fees for Savings Plans and Reserved Instances
Taxes
Amazon EC2 Reserved Instances and Savings Plans upfront fees (EC2 support is on-demand and Spot only)
Any upfront fee for any service

Stacking with other credits

Can combine with

AWS Educate (separate learning programme)

Can't combine with

Other AWS promotional offers on the same usage, unless AWS authorises it (Promotional Credit Terms s.6)

Lifetime cap: No lifetime cap is published for faculty and staff. Students are capped at USD 5,000 per award; no lifetime figure is published.

05 · Alternatives

If this isn't the right program

AWS Activate Founders
If your research becomes a startup.

Sources

Checked October 2026. AWS can change amounts and rules at any time.

Facts on this page checked against official sources on 2026-10-04.

Questions

How much can a student get?

Student applications may request up to $5,000. Faculty and staff awards are not capped.

How long do research credits last?

One year from when they're applied, or until used up.

Prices and credit amounts are estimates and may change. Check AWS for current terms.