Definition of Academic

Eigenvector offers academic discounts on our software and short courses, such as our upcoming Basic Chemometrics in Rome. Everyone, of course, likes a discount, so we get a lot of questions regarding how to qualify as an academic.

If you do a Google search on “definition academic” you’ll come up with quite a few choices. Most of them, like TheFreeDictionary.com, include something to the effect of “Of, relating to, or characteristic of a school, especially one of higher learning.” Based on this, we define academic as degree granting institution. Thus, we do not consider research institutes, such as national laboratories, to be academic, and ask that they pay industrial rates.

There are some other definitions of academic. In particular I like “Scholarly to the point of being unaware of the outside world” and “Theoretical or speculative without a practical purpose or intention.” If you are willing to admit that your institution fits this definition, then I suppose we would give you the academic rate. However, I’d have to see this on letterhead and signed by the laboratory director. I doubt that we’ll find anyone willing to put that in writing, but if we do, I’ll post it here!

BMW