Berlin - Tuition and fees usually take a heavy toll on every student's budget. Rent and cell phone demand another chunk, and then there are still costs associated with computers, especially the software.

The standard tool for the job, Microsoft's Office suite, costs around 460 dollars. Graphics students may also require expensive applications like Adobe's Creative Suite for a cool 2,400 dollars. Yet there is some relief in sight: Many manufacturers are now offering rebates.

It's possible to save up to 85 per cent in this way, a test by the Munich-based Chip magazine recently showed. Creative Suite 3 Design Premium was made available for 
329 dollars. While hardly free, it's still much cheaper than the regular price. The Home and Student version of Microsoft Office cost only 95 dollars. And software maker Steinberg offered its Cubase music software to students at 30 per cent off.

"The cheapest offers generally perform just as well as the standard versions," says Fabian von Keudell from Chip. The student version of Office is missing only the Outlook email program. Students sometimes need to dig through software makers' websites to find the offers, the computer magazine test found.

Another alternative are internet shops which sell software from various software houses with student licenses, at appropriately lower prices. Universities themselves also often offer students software at special prices, notes Morten Hendricks from the Institute for Education in the Information Society in Berlin. Some institutes of higher education have made agreements with manufacturers on cheaper prices.

"Students should find out from their university which programs are being offered," Hendricks says.

The catch: The special offers are generally licensed only for student use, warns Astrid Auer-Reinsdorff, an IT lawyer in Berlin. Using them at home for private purposes or for a side job runs the risk of being sued for damages.

Another option for even cheaper software is eBay. Yet that too can be a dangerous game. Fabian von Keudell advises purchasing only original products, including the license and backup CD. The original packaging is also a good indicator. Yet even a program with all the paraphernalia can be forged, cautions Astrid Auer-Reinsdorff. The risk is naturally higher when dealing with used software: The seller may continue using the software him or herself, leaving the buyer in legal jeopardy.

The best way to reduce risks is to check out the seller carefully: "If he or she only sold socks in the past, maybe you should be a bit skeptical," Auer-Reinsdorff says.

She also recommends watching how and for what prices any given seller is offering software: "If a new full version of Office Profession is being offered for just 100 euro, then something isn't right," says the Chairwoman for the IT Working Group at the German Bar Association (DAV).

This is why the best option is often the special versions from the manufacturers advertising," as Fabian von Keudell observes. Companies want to build brand loyalty in young customers so that they will later buy the full versions as professionals or buy the software for their own children. Students save money now with the expectations that they'll lay out more down the road. (dpa)