5 Best and Cost-effective VPN for College Students in 2024

For students who need to use the internet without any worries and hassle while saving big time, this post will help a lot. We have discussed the top five best and most cost-effective VPNs for college students. Each has been tested for security, cost-effectiveness, viability, privacy, and ease of usage. So you can bank upon it without any worries or hassles.  

Why Should Students Use a VPN?

Before we dive deeper and learn about the top choices of the best VPN for college students category, let’s talk about why a student should use a VPN in the first place. So, here are some of the most common reasons for having the best VPN app for school Wi-Fi:

No slow internet connection

Slow internet speed can hinder the learning experience of the student. Not only will the websites take time to open up, but some of the e-books, educational software, or study material can also take days to download. Using a VPN increases the internet speed and lets students download content at blazing speed. 

Better encryption

Some websites may seem unsafe and can steal crucial information saved in the students’ system. VPN comes with solid encryption and provides a secure browsing experience.  

Restriction free access

Some of the study material can be geo-restricted. A VPN lets students access study material or tools without any restrictions. No bandwidth limitation- VPN allows students to surpass bandwidth limitations and access the internet without any worries about limited bandwidth. 

What Are the Best VPNs for College Students?

Now that it is clear that using a VPN is nothing but bliss for a student, it’s time to know about some of the best choices available in the market. We always want you to help our readers in the best possible manner.

This time, we also extensively researched the best VPNs for college students and hand-picked some of the best options.  

NordVPN: Best VPN for College Students

NordVPN grabs the first place on our list. This is the best VPN for schools and college students as it provides blazing speed and never compromises data security. Whether it is security or privacy, this free VPN for college students has impressed us on every front. 

When we did extensive research on its security, we figured out that it uses 256-bit AES encryption , which is security-grade encryption.  No data theft and security intrusion incidents  will be observed with such powerful encryption. 

This VPN has a global presence, and  can be used in 59 countries  without much hassle and hurdles. Its servers are known to deliver a blazing-speed browsing experience and are optimized enough for anti-DDoS and Tor activities. 

NordVPN Review

Privacy and Logging  

It maintains the zero-logging policy by all means as we tested this free VPN for schools for DNS and WebRTC leaks, and it passed the tests effortlessly. 

Also, it has an auto-kill switch to maintain your privacy. Strong encryption ensures that no one is intruding on your privacy. 

Streaming and Torrenting Support

Using NordVPN, students can overcome Netflix’s geo-restriction and easily unlock the Hulu and BBC iPlayer content. 

As far as torrenting is concerned, it supports this activity impressively. Students can conduct torrenting activities over every server. 

Apps Availability

There are dedicated Android and iOS mobile apps for this VPN. It also supports desktop platforms like Linux, Windows, and macOS.

✅ Wide server network 

✅ Maintains zero-logs policy by all means 

❌ Only location can be selected.

Get the Best Deal on NordVPN

VyprVPN: Free VPN for College Students 

VyprVPN is our second choice for multiple reasons. To begin with, we would give it a massive round of applause for its ability to handle as many as 30 connections per subscription . Managing such many connections over a single subscription can lead to slow speed and buggy performance, as per the general perception. 

But nothing of this sort will happen with VyprVPN. It is super speed and works flawlessly. While it owns less number of servers than NordVPN, it surpasses the Great Firewall of China and lets you get connected with a China-based server. 

One of the critical reasons why VyprVPN is a good VPN for school Wi-Fi is its high-end security features.  Military-grade encryption, security keys, and multiple security protocols ; you name it, and VyprVPN has it. 

Privacy and Logging 

Well, this is one front where VyprVPN lacks a little bit as it saves the IP details of the users, but only for 30-days. 

Streaming and Torrenting Support

This VPN unblocks Netflix, Hulu, and BBC iPlayer. Students can access their favorite content on all these streaming platforms without restrictions. It supports torrenting activities as well. However, some reports of blocked accounts due to torrenting activities were making waves in the past. This is why we personally tested it for torrenting and found it flawless on this front as well.

Apps Availability

VyprVPN offers diligently designed apps for iOS and Android platforms. 

As far as desktop compatibility is concerned, it works well on Windows and macOS.  

✅ Instant and quick live chat support 

✅ Reliable server connection and speed 

❌ No support for cryptocurrency payment

Get the Best Deal on Vypr VPN

PIA: Best VPN for Schoo

PIA, or Private Internet Access, is another famed VPN students can trust. This USA-based VPN has an impressive number of servers. At present, there are  more than 19,000 servers at your service in 76 countries . Hence, we have no qualms about admitting that this is the best VPN that works on school Wi-Fi. This VPN can work effortlessly over 10 connections simultaneously.  

Privacy and Logging 

PIA uses OpenVPN and WireGuard security protocols, which are the most recent and decent ones. This implies PIA takes care of end-users’ privacy and never compromises it. The website has an explicit mention of the zero-logs policy. The built-in kill switch ensures that none of your information roams freely in the virtual space. 

PIA Review

Streaming and Torrenting Support 

If you need to unblock Netflix, you will be disappointed as PIA VPN doesn’t have this capability. Some of its servers, like the UK servers, were able to unblock Netflix UK, but its Japanese server failed bid time. So, it is a mixed bag, basically. 

However, it supports torrenting on all of its servers. Students can conduct P2P activities without any restrictions. 

Apps Support

PIA is one of those VPNs that work at an extensive level and target a larger audience, so it offers professionally designed apps for platforms like iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux, and FireTV. Such extensive app support is laudable and is a rarity. 

Pros  

✅ Offers impressive DNS leak protection 

✅ Open-source apps 

❌ Inconsistent streaming speed 

Get the Best Deal on PIA VPN

Surfshark: Good VPN for School Wi-Fi

Surfshark doesn’t need any introduction. With unlimited device connectivity at a time, an in-built ad blocker, and excellent speed, this is indeed the best VPN for school and college students.

Not every student is a pro at using VPN. Some might face difficulties and need professional assistance. Surfshark has a pervasive and responsive customer care support system for such end-users. 

Anyone can contact them via a  24/7 live chat  and email facility. A wide and detailed knowledge base is available free of cost on the website as well. You can refer to it anytime to get answers to all your queries. 

The only problem is that it can be a bit pocket-heavy for some students as it comes with a hefty price tag. However, there is a discount on VPNs for college students on the website. So, check them out before you make the final payment.

Privacy and Logging 

With features like zero log policy, complete protection against IPv6, DNS, and WebRTC leaks, and automatic malware scanning, this free VPN for college students maintains students’ privacy.

Streaming and Torrenting Support

SurfShark allows P2P activities  and lets you  access the BitTorrent  website without any hiccups. As far as its streaming capabilities are concerned, all the leading streaming platforms, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and BBC iPlayer, can be unblocked using this VPN. This, in turn, puts it into our list of the best VPNs for streaming.

Apps Support

The app support of Surfshark is impressive as it offers dedicated apps for Android, iOS, Windows, Linux, and macOS.

✅ Offers split tunneling facility

✅ The ad blocker offers an uninterrupted experience

❌ Need to improve the audit facility

Get the Best Deal on Surfshark

Express VPN: Good VPN for School Wi-Fi

 

ExpressVPN helps students to unblock websites at school without any fear. It is a neat and straightforward VPN for college students. It comes with an  in-built kill switch  to safeguard your identity and network in the virtual world. So students can use it without any worries. No wonder why millions of people from 94 countries have already used this VPN.

Privacy and Logging

The server saves no traffic logs. The VPN uses multiple security protocols for high-end security and supports Bitcoin payment for complete secrecy.

Streaming and Logging

It lets you enjoy the content available on streaming platforms like Hulu, Netflix, and BBC iPlayer and supports torrenting activities. 

Apps Support

Separate and in-built app support for Android, iOS, macOS, and Linux platforms are available.

✅ Minimal speed loss

✅ Well-enforced no-logging policy

✅ Instant connection with long-distant servers 

❌ The Power-user configuration option makes things complex at times.

Get the Best Deal on ExpressVPN

How to Unblock Websites on College Wi-Fi?

It is an easy job. Let’s explain it with NordVPN:

Step 1: Download the NordVPN app or extension on the device. 

Step 2: Buy the subscription and activate the VPN subscription. 

Step 3: Get connected to the college Wi-Fi and access the NordVPN app

Step 4: Choose any server located outside your country and get connected to it using NordVPN. 

Step 5: Unblock the website and enjoy an unrestricted browsing experience.