MathWorks, Inc. provides high-productivity tools for solving challenging mathematical, computational, and model-based technical problems including MATLAB, Simulink, and related Toolboxes.
Please refer to the MathWorks systems requirements page to determine if your platform is supported.
A FAQ is available with additional details on working with licenses and includes pointers to training and other resources.
BU Site-wide Licensing Program
In January 2017, Boston University adopted the MathWorks Total Academic Headcount (TAH) site-wide license program giving BU students, faculty, staff, BU labs, and computing clusters unlimited access to software and licenses for MATLAB, Simulink, and 49 add-on products at no additional cost.
Note that once each year beginning June 2018, all individual stand-alone and campus licenses will need to be reactivated online.
Students, Faculty, and Staff
BU students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to get an
individual stand-alone copy of the software and TAH license for each of the machines on which you are the sole MATLAB user (includes office and personal machines). The new licensing structure permits your machine to run MATLAB without access to the network once you have downloaded the software and activated your license.
- Create a required Mathworks Account on the MathWorks BU Portal using your BU login@bu.edu email address as your credential.
- Log into the Portal and download and run the MATLAB installer.
- Authenticate using your MathWorks Account. Select the “40523728 Individual Academic – Total Headcount” license. Install the software you choose.
- Activate your license.
Note for Faculty If you have been using a Concurrent network license on the IS&T server (typically this has been the model for faculty and staff running MATLAB on a BU owned machine and accessing the license server on campus or through the VPN), it will continue to run as is. When you want new versions of the software and additional toolboxes, you should acquire an Individual stand-alone license from the MathWorks BU Portal.
Alumni and Research Collaborators
External Research Collaborators who are on SCC Research Projects may continue to use MATLAB on the SCC and any Lab machines owned by BU. You are not eligible to use BU’s MATLAB TAH Individual license on your personal devices.
BU’s MATLAB TAH license coverage is not extended to Boston University Alumni.
If you are not eligible to use BU’s MATLAB TAH license, and would like to acquire your own individual license, please contact MathWorks at: https://www.mathworks.com/store?s_tid=gn_store.
Shared-use workstations
Workstations or laptops used by more than one person (shared-use) and with continuous and stable access to the BU campus network should use the
Concurrent license. Shared-use laptops or workstations that are used in the field or in specialized research applications should use the
Campus license. Please go to the MATLAB
Shared-use Workstations page (BU login required) for further instructions on transitioning to the Concurrent license as well as setting up and renewing the Campus license.
Large Scale MATLAB Deployments
For large scale MATLAB deployments in larger classrooms, labs, and clusters, the MathWorks TAH
Concurrent network license on the IS&T server should be used. Using MATLAB in these environments requires the use of BU’s network (on campus or through the VPN) to access the license server. The TAH license also accommodates large scale installations that do not have access to BU’s network. If you wish to use either type of installation please create a support ticket by sending email to
ithelp@bu.edu.
Alternative access to MATLAB
For those who need access to greater computational resources, MATLAB is available on the Shared Computing Cluster (
SCC). MATLAB is also available on the
Linux Virtual Lab, the
BU Commons, and on various classroom lab machines.
