Adobe Campus-Wide Licensing Changes for Fiscal Year 2027

UGA has negotiated a new licensing model with Adobe to better align functionality with user needs and to control institutional costs. In response, Franklin College is adjusting how Adobe tools are provisioned to faculty and staff.

Effective on July 1st (FY27), all Franklin College employees with existing Adobe licenses will be transitioned to Adobe Acrobat Studio only as their licensed product. Access to the full Adobe Creative Cloud suite will be available by opt-in only for individuals who require professional creative tools as part of their daily job responsibilities. The deadline to complete this is close of business Thursday, April 23, 2026.

• Franklin faculty and staff had broad access to the full Adobe Creative Cloud suite, regardless of level of need.

• Adobe Acrobat Studio was not offered as a standalone product but required the full Creative Cloud suite of tools.

• Licensing costs were proportionally spread across the institution and Student Technology Fees, with limited differentiation by role or usage.

• Outside of Franklin College Computer labs, students did not have direct access to Adobe products.

• Licensed quantities could increase OR decrease per year.

• All faculty and staff with existing licensed products will transition to only Adobe Acrobat Studio by default.

• Adobe Creative Cloud suite will require opting-in.

• Individuals requesting Creative Cloud access must submit a brief justification explaining how the tools are required for their role.

• Students will receive access to the Adobe Express series of tools at no cost.

• Units will now also be able to purchase individual student licenses each year.

• Decreases in licenses will no longer be permitted. The quantity established each fiscal year will be the new baseline for future years.

• Additional quantities can be added each year.

All existing licensed faculty and staff will continue to have access to Adobe Acrobat Studio, which supports the majority of academic and administrative document needs, including:

• Creating, editing, and combining PDFs

• Commenting, reviewing, and annotating documents

• Creating fillable forms

• Applying electronic signatures

• Supporting accessibility and compliance workflows

For many roles, Acrobat may fully meet daily operational requirements in addition to existing basic graphic and editing software on computers.

The Adobe Creative Cloud suite includes professional-grade tools such as:

• Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign

• Premiere Pro, After Effects

• Lightroom and other advanced media tools

These applications are intended for specialized, continuous use, not occasional or incidental needs.

You should consider requesting Creative Cloud if your role includes:

• Teaching courses that require students to use professional design, media, or production software

• Regular creation of graphics, video, or publications as a core job duty

• Marketing, communications, or media production responsibilities

• Research dissemination or grant-supported work that requires advanced creative output

Occasional, ad hoc, or preference-based use typically does not require Creative Cloud. Both Windows and MacOS contain available alternatives either natively or for free via installed software. (Contact Franklin OIT to discuss options.)

>> Please opt-in to Adobe Creative Cloud using this form <<

Requests will require:

• Confirmation of Adobe Creative Cloud suite license

• Identification of Unit affiliation

• A brief justification describing the specific applications needed and how they apply to your work.

This change supports several institutional goals:

• Cost stewardship: Creative Cloud licenses are approximately six times more expensive than Acrobat-only licenses

• Equity and consistency: Aligns tool access with actual role requirements

• Sustainability: Ensures long-term availability of Adobe tools without across-the-board reductions

• Clarity: Makes it easier to understand which tools are available and why, providing a process to change licensing

Adobe itself has moved toward tiered, role-based licensing in higher education, encouraging institutions to differentiate between everyday document needs and professional creative production.

• Existing instructional and lab deployments are not impacted by this change

• Full Adobe Creative Cloud suite will remain available in Franklin College computer labs

• Deadline for opt-in Submissions: Close of business on Thursday, April 23, 2026.

• Creative Cloud opt-in form will be announced separately

• Departments with known Creative Cloud needs may be contacted directly

If you are unsure which tools you need or whether Creative Cloud is appropriate for your role, please contact the Franklin OIT Helpdesk for Assistance.

We are happy to help determine the best fit based on your responsibilities and workflows.

• Web Request: http://helpdesk.franklin.uga.edu

• Email: helpdesk@franklin.uga.edu

• Phone: (706) 542-9900