Ok, a quick inquiry to the folks at nextlimit technologies has revealed: Maxwell Render stand alone edition is available to educationally qualified individuals for $95 a year for a term of three years. "During this period, you will recieve updates to newer and better versions of maxwell render. The license you get has no time limit. The only difference to (the commercial version) is that the license is valid for only 2 CPU's, as opposed to the standard 4." You do need a student ID and proof of enrollement, but hey, offer some college kid 50 bucks to scan their papers and send them in :) $300 over three years is WAY better than the standard $1000 commercial price. W00t!