What Is Cursor and Why Should Students Care?
Cursor is essentially a supercharged version of VS Code (Visual Studio Code) that integrates powerful AI models to help you write, debug, and understand code faster. Built on the familiar VS Code interface that many of us already use, Cursor adds AI capabilities through models like GPT-4 and Claude 3.5 Sonnet to create what might be the smartest code editor available right now.
Unlike traditional code editors that just highlight syntax, Cursor actually understands your code, makes intelligent suggestions, and can even write code for you based on natural language prompts. Think of it as having a pair-programming partner available 24/7, which is perfect when you're cramming for that project deadline.
For students specifically, Cursor offers something even better-free access to their Pro features for an entire year. This is a game-changer if you're balancing classes, projects, and maybe even a part-time job.
The Cursor Pro Student Plan Breakdown
The student offering from Cursor is pretty generous compared to other development tools:
- Full access to all Pro features for an entire academic year
- 500 fast premium AI requests per month (these are the high-priority, quick responses)
- Unlimited slow premium requests
- Access to advanced AI models including Claude 3.7 Sonnet and GPT-4.1
- No credit card required to start (just verify with your .edu email)
- Link : https://www.cursor.com/students
To get the student discount, just click "Verify Status" at the top of their website and follow the verification process. If you're already a Cursor Pro subscriber, they'll automatically refund your unused time and apply the discount right away.
Key Features That Will Change How You Code
AI Code Completion and Generation
Cursor doesn't just autocomplete a single line-it understands entire functions and can suggest multi-line edits that make sense in context. This is super helpful when you're learning a new language for class and aren't yet familiar with all the syntax quirks.
It's particularly good with languages like JavaScript, Python, and TypeScript, which are commonly used in intro programming courses. When I was working on a data structures assignment, Cursor suggested an entire implementation of a binary search tree after I just typed a comment explaining what I needed.
Natural Language Commands
One of my favorite features is being able to just tell Cursor what I want to do in plain English. For example, you can highlight a function and type a command like:
"Refactor this to be more efficient" or "Add error handling to this function" or "Explain what this algorithm is doing"
And it will actually do it! This is incredibly useful when you're trying to understand sample code from class or optimize your assignment before submission.
Debugging Assistant
We all know debugging eats up most of our coding time. Cursor helps identify bugs faster by analyzing your code and suggesting fixes. It can even explain why something isn't working, which is much more valuable than just highlighting an error.
According to a testimonial from a CMU student, Omar Ghabayen: "Cursor simplifies my development cycle by quickly spotting errors and providing reliable code suggestions. It genuinely enhances my productivity".
Multi-file Context Understanding
Unlike some AI coding tools that only look at one file at a time, Cursor can understand your entire project structure and relationships between files. This means it can make more intelligent suggestions based on your imports, dependencies, and overall architecture.
This feature does require proper indexing of your codebase, and for large projects, you might want to add directories like node_modules, .next, and .git to your .cursorignore file to improve performance.
Real Student Experiences with Cursor
The most convincing aspect of Cursor is how it's being embraced by students at top engineering schools. Here are some real experiences:
Stanford University
Stanford students are particularly vocal about their positive experiences with Cursor. Rehaan Ahmad mentions that Cursor was "instrumental to the development of alphaXiv since day one" and allowed students without web dev experience to build features for a site now used by hundreds of thousands of researchers.
Another Stanford student, Yanis Miraoui, shares: "I use Cursor every day... whether I'm experimenting with new ideas, writing up solutions, or helping students in office hours debug code, Cursor makes it all faster and smoother. Honestly, I can't imagine my workflow without it".
Harvard University
At Harvard, Aakaash Rao found Cursor particularly valuable for research programming: "Unlike other LLM-based coding workflows, Cursor complements my own skills rather than substituting for them, automating the tedious parts of research programming while keeping the 'human in the loop'".
CMU and Other Universities
Students at Carnegie Mellon University report significant time savings. Yifan Wang, a CTO of a student startup, claims: "I generated over 50,000 lines of usable code in just one month, cutting our development time by about 70%".
How Cursor Compares to Other Code Editors in 2025
To give you a clear picture, here's how Cursor stacks up against other popular code editors in 2025:
Cursor vs. VS Code with GitHub Copilot
Both are powerful, but Cursor has integrated AI more deeply into the editor experience. While GitHub Copilot is an excellent extension for VS Code, Cursor's built-in chat interface and natural language commands provide a more seamless experience.
Pricing-wise, GitHub Copilot costs $10/month after the free trial, while Cursor offers a free tier and the Pro version at $20/month (but free for students for a year).
Cursor vs. JetBrains IDEs
JetBrains products like IntelliJ IDEA and CLion are fantastic IDEs with deep language-specific features and excellent refactoring tools. They excel in dedicated environments for specific languages (Java, Python, etc.).
Where Cursor pulls ahead is in its AI-assisted features that work across languages, plus its lighter resource footprint. Students often mention that JetBrains products can be resource-intensive on older laptops, while Cursor strikes a better balance.
Cursor vs. Sublime Text
Sublime Text is known for being lightweight and fast, with excellent performance even on older hardware. However, it lacks the advanced AI capabilities that Cursor offers.
If pure speed and minimalism are your priority, Sublime might still be your pick. But for most students who want a balance of performance and helpful features, Cursor offers much more assistance with coding and learning new concepts.
Getting Started with Cursor as a Student
If I've convinced you to give Cursor a try (and you really should!), here's a quick guide to getting started:
Download and Install: Head to cursor.com and download the version for your operating system.
Sign Up for Student Access: After installation, click on "Verify Status" to validate your student status using your .edu email.
Choose Your AI Model: Cursor supports several models, including Claude 3.7 Sonnet and GPT-4.1. You can select which one you prefer in settings, though "Auto-select" is often a good choice as it picks the most appropriate model for each task.
Learn the Key Commands:
/in the editor to start AI commandsCtrl+K(orCmd+Kon Mac) to bring up the command palette- Use Chat (usually in the sidebar) for longer conversations about your code
Start Simple: Begin with some basic tasks like asking Cursor to explain code, generate simple functions, or help debug a small program.
Optimize for Large Projects: If you're working on larger codebases, set up a
.cursorignorefile to exclude directories like node_modules, .next, and .git for better performance.
Tips for Making the Most of Cursor as a Student
For CS Classes
Ask Cursor to explain complex algorithms or data structures in your coursework. It's great at breaking down complicated concepts in a way that's easy to understand.
For Learning New Languages
When tackling a new programming language for a class, ask Cursor to translate code you already know into the new language, or to explain the syntax differences.
For Group Projects
Use Cursor to help standardize code style across your team, generate documentation, or refactor messy code that your teammates (or let's be honest, you) wrote at 2 AM.
For Research Projects
Students involved in research, especially in fields like data science or machine learning, report that Cursor helps them clean datasets, develop analysis pipelines, and write complex queries without breaking flow.
The Bottom Line: Is Cursor Worth It for Students?
After examining the features, student testimonials, and comparing it with other editors, the answer is a resounding yes-especially since it's free for students. The productivity gains are substantial, with students reporting they can complete projects in days that would normally take weeks.
As Sam Clement from Berkeley puts it: "Cursor has changed my life. It helps me turn startup ideas into reality in days... Cursor is central to how I ship in days, not weeks"
The best part is that Cursor doesn't just help you complete assignments faster-it actually helps you become a better programmer by explaining concepts, showing you best practices, and exposing you to well-structured code. It's like having a tutor and a productivity tool in one.
So if you're a student looking to level up your coding game in 2025, give Cursor a try. Your future self, especially during finals week, will thank you.
Have you tried Cursor or other AI-powered coding tools? Drop a comment below and let me know your experience!
