I have come across a lot of posts on many Indian forums where they say Microsoft is giving away free software but that is NOT valid for India which kind of annoys me but as it turns out, Indian students are also eligible to free, yes you read it correctly - free.
There are 2 ways by which you can eligible for this:
1. Enroll into the MSP program, ie. the Microsoft Student program.
2. Become an IEEE member, which most engineering students do.
The software that you are entitled to under both these programs are pretty much the same.
Under MSP you are entitled to:
Free goodies that you are entitled to:
1. MSDN subscription.
2. Vista(Business Edition)
3. Resource DVDs
4. Books
Under IEEE-Microsoft you are entitled to:
1. Vista Business Edition
2. Visual Studio Team System
3. Expression Web Designer
4. Project 2007
5. Visio 2007
6. Windows Server 2003
Complete article with enrollment details and other information -
Free Software From Microsoft For Indian Students | I'm Just Being Manan