Microsoft Campus Agreement


Frequently Asked Questions


Rules of Usage

Q. Who can purchase the work at home rights?

A. Currently only HSC faculty and staff can purchase the work at home rights. Hospital employees are not eligible for this program. Students are not covered by this agreement at this time. Main campus is considering enrolling students in a similar program that would apply to all UNM students.

Q. Can Faculty and Staff take the software home for personal use?

A. Faculty and Staff may use the products on a personally-owned computer at home as long as they have a corresponding copy of the software on their university-provided computer at work. Individuals who do not use a computer at work may not take the software home. For this reason, Microsoft products may not be distributed to retired faculty and staff. Any faculty or staff that discontinue their employment with the University are no longer eligible to use the software and must remove it from their personal machines.

Q. Does this contract mean we can omit buying Operating Systems for new hardware the university buys (or we as individuals buy) in the future?

A. No. Desktop operating system licenses available under Microsoft Volume Licensing programs - including the Microsoft Campus Agreement (MSCA ) - are upgrade licenses only. This means that in order to install Windows, you need to already have a full license for an earlier release of Windows. Essentially, you can not omit the OS from any machine you purchase, nor receive credit from Microsoft or its distributors as a result of the MSCA. You can, however, upgrade any copy of an older OS under the new MSCA.

Q. Does this contract mean we can omit buying the Office Suite for new hardware the university buys (or we as individuals buy) in the future?

A. Yes. Desktop applications such as Office Suite do not carry any upgrade requirements. There is no need to purchase these products separately. When purchasing new computer hardware, you should make sure that you are not paying again for products already covered under this program.

Q. May I resell or give the media I obtained under the MSCA to someone else?

A. No. Neither the media nor any licenses may be resold. The licenses are not transferable to another person. Nor should any individual have the media without having signed the official paperwork; so, media can only be obtained through each institution's official mechanisms. Microsoft will actively pursue violations through legal channels.