Software giant Microsoft has come up with a new promotion which can be of great benefit to students, particularly those who need Microsoft's apps --- the company is giving the students a `free of charge' six-month trial of its cloud-based app suite, Office 365.

Microsoft has packaged the Office 365 University suite with all the latest Office applications, along with 20GB of SkyDrive storage and 60 minutes of Skype per month; and those students who like the promotional offer will be able to keep their subscription going at a substantially discounted price. However, since the deal is open only for a short period, interested students will have to sign in at the earliest.

In order to take advantage of the promotion, students need to sign up with an .edu email address, provided they meet some specified eligibility criteria for availing the enticing `free for six months' Office 365 offer.

Initially, the students who sign in will be offered three free months of Office 365, which will bring along full access to apps on up to two computers, as well as the bonus of an extra 20GB of Skydrive space. The `three free months' period can be extended to six months, if students share the deal on Facebook.

At the end of the free ride, students will have the option to pay a hugely discounted Office 365 price - just $80 to buy access for four years - in order to keep the service going.