Bringing Figma to even more classrooms | Figma Blog

Figma expanded its Figma for Education program in response to the growing need for remote teaching during COVID-19. The program now supports online courses, bootcamps, school-sponsored hackathons, and other virtual or informal classrooms—not just accredited degree programs. Its goal is to make collaborative design education accessible to more learners.

Expanding Eligibility Beyond Traditional Institutions

• Figma had previously offered free access and discounts to students and educators at accredited institutions.
• More than 100,000 people worldwide were already using Figma in classrooms.
• The expanded program now includes:
  • Online courses
  • Bootcamps
  • School-sponsored hackathons
  • Other in-person and virtual learning environments
• This broader eligibility supports students pursuing degrees, changing careers, improving their skills, or simply learning about design.

Supporting Remote Classrooms

• The shift to remote education created significant challenges for educators and students.
• Figma worked with educators such as Miguel Cardona of RIT and Students Who Design to publish teaching materials and guidance for organizing online classes.
• These resources cover onboarding students, structuring files, teaching remotely, and providing project feedback.

Benefits of the Education Plan

Applicants accepted into the program receive:

• A free Education plan with Professional-level features.
• Unlimited editors, files, and projects.
• Classroom-focused templates and other teaching resources.
• Access to a community of educators and students.
• Invitations to virtual events and meetups.

Collaborative Design Learning

• Figma emphasizes that its browser-based, collaborative workflow fits naturally with how students already work together online.
• UC Berkeley professor Eric Paulos highlighted the platform’s ability to bring rich online collaboration into visual design education.
• The program reflects Figma’s broader mission of making design more accessible.

Educators and students can apply for an Education plan through Figma’s education program, while feedback and ideas are welcomed through the dedicated education team.