Why do the add-ons cost $29 even though I have the Student Suite version of MATLAB?

The site said that add-ons would only be $10 with Student Suite version of MATLAB but when I try to purchase an add-on, they show up as $29.

Answer 1

[Walter Roberson]

Add-ons are $US10 when purchased at the same time as a new Student license. When you buy them later they are $US29.

Answer 2

[Grant Hinkle]

That policy is nonsense. How on earth would a student know what add-ons they would need when purchasing the program initially? (especially if you are a student using MatLAB for the first time)

It is just a underhanded way for Mathworks to make money off of students who will buy a bunch of add-ons they don't need -- and then overcharge them for the ones they didn't buy when they realize that they need a specific add-on.

[Walter Roberson]

Students are given a list of needed toolboxes with their course syllabus.

[Walter Roberson]

I find it impossible to take seriously a proposition that students are being "overcharged" at $29 per toolbox. The retail price of toolboxes are mostly over $1000.

[Andrew Folz]

I think you may be disconnected from a students reality. The average student is broke as it is, they will not be using Matlab for work or to make money. Charging money for toolboxes needed for completion of a couple trivial homework problems is a slap in the face to an aspiring engineering student. The initial student purchase should include all toolboxes so students can learn, not be robbed of what little money they use for sustenance. This is coming from a student who was not provided with a list on the syllabus of required toolboxes.

[Walter Roberson]

The initial purchase, $US 49, includes

• MATLAB
• Parallel Computing toolbox
• Statistics and Machine Learning toolbox
• Curve Fitting toolbox
• Optimization toolbox
• Symbolic Math toolbox
• Simulink

My costs to buy those:

$US2150 + $US1000 + $US1000 + $US1000 + $US1250 + $US1000 + $US3250 = $US10650

The student price is a fraction

fprintf('fraction = %.3f%%\n', 49/10650 * 100)

fraction = 0.460%

About 1/2% of the price I have to pay.

For every $10 I pay, you pay 5 cents.

And you say that at that price, they are "robbing" you. No they aren't.

If you went to McDonalds and they had a student special such that two "meals" that would normally cost $US10 together, would cost the student only 5 cents, would you complain that McDonalds is "robbing" you because they were not providing you with a meal for eight people for that 5 cents??