Bentley Education Student Access: PLAXIS (LE)


FAQ: As a student or university, how do I get free PLAXIS LE access?  

Bentley Education provides free access to these entry-level versions of PLAXIS LE so that students and educators can learn core geotechnical modeling with: 

To learn more about the capabilities of each version, visit our product pages. 

FAQ: PLAXIS LE or Designer doesn't have the capabilities I need, how do I get PLAXIS access?  

PLAXIS 2D and PLAXIS 3D are not available under Bentley Education's free offering and require purchasing a perpetual academic or classroom license via Bentley sales teams. Typically, these licenses are purchased by a university or institution for a select number of users and licenses are managed by an administrator role. 

Accessing PLAXIS 2D or 3D via University License Administrators: 

For administrators:  

Administrators have the necessary user management permissions to add new users to available licenses or reallocate access. Add a new user to an available license and then confirm that they have been assigned the Download role within Bentley's User Management system (only available for administrators on purchased, university-controlled licenses). Only once the Download role has been assigned will the user be able to access software. 

For students, school staff, or non-administrator educators: 

If your school has already purchased a license for PLAXIS 2D or 3D, access is managed directly by your institution’s IT or license administration team. Please contact your school's administrator for support or access. 

Contact the PLAXIS sales team for quotes regarding the paid academic versions by filling out the form here -  Enquire about Academic Subscriptions - Seequent 

If you are a student who previously had access to a PLAXIS license through your university, it is your school's administrator that will need to provide you access if this has expired or been removed. Contact your school’s license administrator and request to be re-added to the license user list.  

Please note: Due to licensing policies, the Bentley Education support team is unable to assign roles or manage access for university-controlled licenses. 

Other Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 

How do I get the Bentley Education free versions of PLAXIS LE or PLAXIS Designer? 

  1. Go to bentley.com/education 
  2. If you do not already have a Bentley Education account, select the sign-up button in the header image. If you already have an account, select the log in button. If you previously created an account but your initial access has expired, you will be asked to revalidate your eligibility through editing your education profile and completing the required steps to prove your continued eligibility for free access as a current student or educator. 
  3. From the main education page, go to the page for viewing education software. You will find the free education options for PLAXIS LE and PLAXIS Designer under the Geotechnical engineering filter.  
  4. Select the Install link on a product brand tile. If you do not see the link to Install, make sure the Students & Educators filter is turned on. You must be logged in with a verified education account before you can access any downloads, otherwise the Install link will provide you with an error message. Selecting the Install link under the LE tile will allow you to select the 2D LE or 3D LE version.

My university has a license for PLAXIS 2D or 3D . How can I access it? 

You must contact your school’s license administrator or IT team. The administrator is the only one with permissions to add individual students or educators to the license user list and assign the necessary permissions for access. 

If I complete a help request or email the Bentley Education team, can you give me access to PLAXIS 2D or 3D? 

No. Due to licensing policies, the Bentley Education support team cannot manage access roles for university-controlled licenses. 

I’m using a personal email. Can I still access PLAXIS LE or Designer through Bentley Education? 

When you sign up for a Bentley Education account, we recommend you use an education-domain (school) email for the quickest access. If you are unable to use a school email, you can use a personal account, but you will be asked to complete additional verification checks before you can access any free software. Once you have a verified account, you can access any free software available to students or educators for up to one year before needing to reverify your eligibility.