SKILL.md
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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
Student as tier or block; link to full pricing; no separate page
Registration only
Discount claimed at signup; pricing page shows "Student discount available—verify at signup"
Standalone /student-discount
"Student discount" search intent; paid ad landing; persona page would duplicate
See startups-page-generator for page structure when a standalone education page is needed; pricing-page-generator for Special programs section.
Implementation Flow
- Define discount: First-time %, renewal %; align with pricing-strategy, discount-marketing-strategy
- Choose verification: .edu (instant) vs SheerID/UNiDAYS (broader, automated)
- Placement: Registration (P0); pricing page (P1); homepage banner (P1); standalone page (P2 if needed)
- Graduation transition: Plan how students convert to full price when eligibility ends
- Track: Student signups, conversion rate, LTV of student cohort
Best Practices
- Low friction: .edu = instant; ID upload = clear requirements; third-party = one-click verify
- Abuse prevention: Revoke if ineligible; annual re-verification; limit per person
- Messaging: "We've been there"; "Grow with us"; social proof ("X students use [Product]")
- Graduation: Email before expiry; offer transition discount to full plan
Output Format
- Discount structure (first-time, renewal)
- Verification method
- Placement (registration, pricing, homepage, standalone)
- Page strategy (embed vs standalone)
- Related skills for execution (pricing-page, startups-page, top-banner, discount-marketing)
Related Skills
- discount-marketing-strategy: Discount structure, financial guardrails; education is a campaign type
- pricing-strategy: Base price; education discount applies on top
- pricing-page-generator: Special programs section; Student tier or block; placement P1
- startups-page-generator: Standalone education page when needed; same structure for startups + education
- top-banner-generator: Homepage banner "Students: X% off"; placement P1
- landing-page-generator: /student-discount landing page when used for SEO or ads
- signup-login-page-generator: Signup is P0 for student discount; discount block, verification at registration
- use-cases-page-generator: "For students" use case; avoid duplicate "for students" page