This article consolidates the key points about how Cornell University grants and manages access to the Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps Plan for employees, instructors, and students, including licensing models, eligibility, deployment, and costs. The information below is organized to guide departments and individuals through requesting access, understanding what is included, and navigating installation on campus and personal devices.
What is Included in Creative Cloud All Apps Plan
The Creative Cloud All Apps plan includes all desktop applications that are part of the Adobe Creative Cloud suite. This includes Acrobat Pro, Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Premiere Pro, and many other applications. The license also includes all Adobe Creative Cloud online collaborative tools and Adobe CC mobile apps, along with 100 GB of Adobe Cloud Storage for your Adobe documents. See Cornell's Adobe Licensing article for a list of all of the Creative Cloud apps included in this plan.
If you only need to edit PDF documents or combine multiple PDFs into a single document, you do not need the All Apps Plan. Instead, you should apply for an Acrobat Pro license.
Credentialing and Licensing Models
Cornell University has an Enterprise Term License (ETLA) for the Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps Plan. Cornell staff and faculty with a documented business need may also receive access to the full Creative Cloud All Apps Plan under individual (Named-User) licensing. Named-User licensing provides you with a personal license allowing you to install and use Creative Cloud on any computer. Please note that the ETLA has a maximum number of individuals to whom Cornell may provision a CC All Apps Plan license.
Named-User licensing is the default deployment method for Creative Cloud and Document Cloud products. Named-User Licensing ties each license to an individual user identity, allowing that person to authenticate and activate products on their computers. Named-User Licensing requires periodic internet connectivity; computers must connect to Adobe servers for initial activation and at least once every 30 days thereafter. Users sign in to access apps and services. The Creative Cloud desktop app serves as both a local licensing service and deployment tool, enabling self-service download, install, and updates. Authentication verifies the user's identity and links it to their Creative Cloud membership.
The ETLA, established in 2010, provides a separate small allotment of Creative Cloud for Shared Device Licenses (SDL). SDL licenses are installed on a specific physical computer on campus and allow sign-in with any Adobe ID (Cornell-issued or not). SDL is only authorized for educational use, such as classrooms, instructional labs, and library kiosks, and is not authorized for research or administrative use.
Eligibility and Access by Group
Cornell Employees-Regular full-time, part-time, temporary, and student employees at the Ithaca and Cornell Tech campuses may be granted access to the Creative Cloud All Apps Plan or the Acrobat Pro DC standalone plan. The license can cover external contractors performing duties similar to employees. The license may also cover employees of four additional Cornell-affiliated institutions. Continued access depends on employment and can be canceled by the department.
Cornell Students-Registered students with a documented academic need may be granted access to an instructional-use license on a semester-by-semester basis. All requests must originate from an instructor or academic department. Access is contingent on continued student registration and expires a few weeks after the semester ends. Each student license must be sponsored by an instructor or department.
Weill Cornell Medical College-Has its own independent agreement with Adobe. Weill staff and faculty should check with their departmental IT staff or the Weill ITS Department for details on Creative Cloud at Weill.
Restrictions and Considerations
The All Apps Plan is intended for employees with a documented business need, determined by the employee's department. Individual licenses allow installation on any computer. The SDL licenses are for educational use on campus devices and are not suitable for research or administrative work. If you only need Acrobat Pro, that license is available without the All Apps Plan.
Latest Adobe applications, including cloud-first apps like Lightroom CC and Adobe Dimension, are part of Named-User licensing. Organizations should prepare for ongoing licensing costs since Adobe licensing is not free and is based on the number of licensees and products licensed. In Cornell’s case, the ETLA has grown over time, prompting consideration of cost-recovery mechanisms and departmental cost allocations.
Download and Install: On Campus and Personal Devices
Install on a Cornell-owned Computer: To install Creative Cloud software on a Cornell-owned computer, work with your department’s local IT support team. Most personnel at Cornell do not have sufficient rights to install software without IT assistance.
Install on a Personally-owned Computer: The license also allows installation on personal devices. If given the option, select “Company or School Account.” At sign-in, you’ll be directed to a Cornell-branded CUWebLogin page with Two-Step Login. If you need to exit Adobe services, use Help -> Sign Out before continuing.
Network considerations: Ensure firewall and proxy settings allow connections to Adobe web service endpoints so that activation and updates can occur as required by the licensing model.
Costs and Payment Framework
While CIT does not currently assess individual licensing fees to use Adobe software, the University pays Adobe a contracted annual licensing fee based on the number of licensees and products licensed. The original ETLA cost was a bit over $100K in 2010, with ongoing IT overhead charges. Over time, costs have risen as licensing expanded. Departments are being asked to provide a KFS (Key Financial System) account number to support potential cost-recovery planning for licensing usage.
How to Request Access
Requests should be coordinated through Cornell departments and instructors for student licenses, and through department leadership for staff and faculty. If you are a technical support provider seeking deployment information, refer to the Creative Cloud for TSPs article and Cornell’s Adobe Licensing FAQ for answers to specific questions.
Practical Guidance and Quick References
- All Apps Plan includes full desktop Creative Cloud applications and cloud services, with 100 GB storage for Adobe documents.
- SDL licenses exist for educational use on specific campus devices and are not suitable for research or administrative tasks.
- Named-User Licensing connects each license to an individual user identity and requires periodic internet connectivity for activation and usage.
- Departments should assess business or academic need before requesting licenses, especially under ETLA constraints.
- Consult the department’s IT staff for installation on Cornell-owned machines.
- For student licenses, ensure the instructor or academic department sponsors the license and that student registration is active.
- For personal devices, follow the sign-in and logout procedures to preserve privacy and proper licensing.
- If you are uncertain about coverage, refer to Cornell’s Adobe Licensing FAQ and the Adobe Licensing article for detailed lists of included apps.
