Unreal Engine 4 Goes Free for Colleges and Universities

Epic's new education program is live today.

Epic Games, most prolific in the industry for its development and distribution of the Unreal Engine (now in its fourth incarnation), is opening up the engine to Colleges and Universities for free.

Sign-ups are live right now. Here's the official word:

"Epic Games is committed to supporting students and schools, and helping companies that license Unreal Engine 4 find and hire qualified developers.

So, starting now, Unreal Engine 4 is free to use for colleges and universities. The engine can be installed and used on all school owned computers, and personal copies can be provided free of charge to all students enrolled in accredited video game development, computer science, art, architecture, simulation, and visualization programs.

In addition, schools and their students will receive regular updates as if subscribed, but without having to pay the $19 monthly fee. Launch of commercial products is still subject to the 5% royalty."

Though nothing is truly free, with that 5% royalty hitched on, this is a great way for students to get a look at the industry's most cutting-edge tools. The Unreal Engine 4 can be seen in Epic's 'Fortnite,' a game currently in development.

Source: Epic