Canva for Campus FAQ


By the end of August 2024, faculty & staff who wish to use Canva can follow the steps below to purchase a license. Students who need a license can get it for free by skipping to the 'How do I login' link below in the FAQ.

This FAQ is a summary of the more comprehensive FAQ on the UCOP Procurement website.

Table of Contents

This FAQ is a work-in-progress, so please check back regularly for updates.

Order Instructions (not ready yet, but coming soon)

  1. Place your order using the CDW-G 'punchout' on UCIBuy (we will provide a link to step-by-step instructions once the UCIBuy team provides them to OIT). We strongly recommend you partner with your purchasing coordinator as they are quite familiar with the requirements for submitting requisitions through UCIBuy/KFS. Unfortunately, the OIT Help Desk will not be able to assist with the procurement/purchasing process. Note that the price is pro-rated each month (full price is $94/user/fiscal year is purchased on July 1).
  2. Shortly after your order has been submitted, you'll receiving a confirmation email from CDW-G with instructions. Note the PO# at the top of the email, which you'll use in the next step.
  3. The email will contain an Excel spreadsheet attachment titled 'UC User Info.xlsx'. Download & open the attachment, and then add your PO# (which is in the email) on the first line, along with the license holder's first name, last name, and email address. Save the file to your computer.
  4. Forward the order confirmation email, along with the completed spreadsheet you filled out in step 3, to [email protected]. After a day or so, you'll receive a welcome email from Canva telling you how to login.

How do I log in?

Faculty & staff should not attempt to login until they've completed the steps above.

There are multiple ways to login, but we recommend using the Direct Link option, which can also be found on the OIT Canva for Campus webpage (https://www.oit.uci.edu/canva/). The direct link will take you to our campus Single Sign-On (SSO) page where you will enter your UCInetID & password. 

Alternatively, you can follow these instructions to login using SSO from the canva.com website, although there are a couple more steps involved. After successfully logging in once, you can come back to the canva.com website and sign in with the 'Continue with Google' or the 'Continue with Microsoft' option, assuming you have one of those email accounts. 

Please note that sometime this year, we might change the default login method from logging in with your UCInetID & password to requiring you to log in with your Microsoft 365 account. We will post a message on our Canva homepage shortly before the time comes, and we will update this document at that time too. This change will be required to allow OIT to more easily manage licenses for the campus in the long term.

What is Canva for Campus?

Canva for Campus is a new service offering from Canva specifically designed for tertiary/higher-ed institutions. The UC Office of the President (UCOP) has entered into a new, multi-year systemwide agreement allowing anyone across all 10 campuses to use the Premium service at educational pricing. More about this can be found on our OIT Canva for Campus webpage (https://www.oit.uci.edu/canva)

Who's eligible to use Canva for Campus?

Active students, employees, contractors, and guests are eligible for now. Retirees, alumni, and applicants are ineligible. 

How is this different from my Personal Canva account?

When you log in for the first time using your uci.edu email address, you will receive a Premium account. If you have a Personal Canva account under the same uci.edu address, both accounts will be linked automatically. All of your assets in your Personal account will remain there. It's up to you if you want to manually move assets between your Personal and Campus account. OIT cannot do this for you.

Is there a desktop app and/or mobile app?

Yes, you can download the desktop app from the canva.com website when you log in to your computer. The 'Download the app' link looks like an iMac computer and is in the top right corner, next to the 'Settings' gear icon. If you work for a DSS-managed unit, you can use the BigFix service to have the software pushed to your machine.  We recommend you create an account first (see the top of this FAQ) before signing in for the first time using the desktop application. 

The mobile app can be found in the Apple and Android app stores. 

Will I lose access if I leave UCI?

Depending on the individual, you will lose access either after you separate or retire from the university, or if you're a student it will be within 1 year of graduation. Students who are not enrolled for 2 consecutive academic quarters will lose their licenses, too. 

How do I get help with Canva?

If you need help logging in or signing up, OIT can assist, but if you have a functional/usability-related question, please use the chatbot feature or the Help Center on the canva.com website.  Alternatively, feel free to email them at [email protected].

I'm having trouble logging in (e.g. seeing an error that I am 'forbidden' from logging in).

Please run a SAML trace of your SSO login by following the steps below. Perform these steps from a computer only.

  1. Download and add the SAML-tracer tool extension to your browser (Chrome, Edge and other Chromium-based browsers are supported). 
  2. The icon will appear in your web browser in the top right, where you see other browser extensions you may have installed in the past. Select it and a separate floating window will appear.
  3. In your main browser window, navigate to Canva.com and duplicate the issue by trying to log in again.
  4. The results will appear in the floating window. Export the entire SAML trace using "None" as the cookie-filter profile.
  5. Send the exported file to [email protected] along with detailed information about when & how you were trying to log in when you encountered the error. Include screenshots of the error if possible. 

Alumni

What happens to student accounts when they graduate? Where do their assets go?

When students graduate, they will lose access to their university email as well as access to their free Canva for Campus account. Graduates can export their designs by copy/paste into a personal account using these instructions.

What is the cost for a UC student that graduates?

UC graduates that would like the premium version of Canva can purchase Canva Pro, which is currently $120/year.

Organizations, Teams, and Roles

What are the different roles and permissions?

Each campus will be assigned one Organization (i.e. tenant.) Each campus will have 3 Canva Teams: one for students, one for faculty and staff, and one for brand designers/marketing teams

Students will automatically gain free access to the Student Team by logging in to canva.com with their UCInetID & password. Students that are also staff and need access to the Faculty/Staff Team will be required to purchase a paid account.

How do I create different dedicated working environments for our campus or Canva Team?

Use the “Group” function to create shared environments for campus departments or colleges (Creating Groups in Canva).

I have a Canva Enterprise account (faculty or staff), how do I collaborate with someone who does not have a Canva account or someone with a free account (student)?

Canva lets you collaborate with anyone right away. You can share a link that lets anyone edit your design, no sign-in required. (How to collaborate with anyone)

What if I already have a current UC-paid Canva account?

Canva will refund the remainder of prepaid Pro licenses, but those users will have to move their designs over to the new account using these instructions. Anyone with an existing paid Canva license will still have access to the teams they had access to before switching over to a new UC account.

What if I already have a “5-for-1” Canva license?

Canva is phasing out 5-for-1 licenses as of November 2024. Users with these accounts can keep them until they phase out, but as of November 2024, they will need to purchase a new Canva Enterprise account at the $94/user/year rate (prorated to their purchase date). 5-for-1 account holders are not able to use SSO for sign-in and have fewer features than Canva Enterprise accounts.

Data Security / AI / Accessibility

What data security measures are included in the Canva agreement?

The Canva agreement includes the Appendix DS with permitted use up to P2 per IS-3. It also includes the Appendix GDPR. Canva will not have the ability to detect or block P3 or P4 data. Please ensure that you are not including this level of date when using Canva.

Have the Canva AI features been approved at the system level?

No, each campus needs to govern the use of AI for their respective campus. AI features are enabled by default, but campuses may decide to turn it off until it’s been reviewed and approved by their campus governance. (Turning off AI features won’t affect any existing designs.) AI Machine Learning (ability for apps to learn and evolve based on user behavior) is turned OFF by default for all campuses. UCOP can assist in disabling AI and/or assigning administrators as needed

Does Canva meet UC Accessibility requirements?

Yes, Canva meets UC Accessibility requirements. Meeting this requirement is part of our contracting process. Read more about Canva’s accessibility standards.

Support Services / Communications

How do I get technical support for Canva?

For general Canva usage and feature support, users should use the Canva Help Center. This resource houses thousands of help articles that will answer most Canva questions. Users can go to the Canva Support Team for suspected bug/functionality issues by submitting a support ticket through our Canva Help Center under the "Solve your issue" link. Submitted tickets are usually answered within 24 hours unless it is submitted over a weekend.

How will Canva notify me?

Canva notifications will come from the email: [email protected] This email will be used to notify users of account activation confirmation or for outreach to current Canva users.

Who are the main contacts at UCOP if I have additional questions?