MATLAB at Duke

The purpose of this page is to provide information about the MATLAB license at Duke and basic installation, download, and activation instructions.

If you are in need of technical support for MATLAB, please call MathWorks at (508) 647-7000.


 

Downloading MATLAB

Get Access through: Duke University’s MATLAB portal  

Instructions 

For new accounts, you may be prompted to set up your Profile once logged in.

Download the Installer:

  1. Go to our MATLAB Portal. Select "Sign in to get started" under the Get MATLAB and Simulink section.
  2. Log into your Duke MathWorks account. (Note – you may be asked to log in through a Duke login page first)
  3. Click the download button for the current release. (Users can also download previous releases here).
  4. Choose a supported platform and download the installer. 

 

Installing and Activating MATLAB from the Downloaded Installer

Official activation and installation instructions can be found here: https://www.mathworks.com/support/contact_us.html

Install and Activate:

  1. Run the installer.
  2. In the installer, select Log in with a MathWorks Account and follow the online instructions.
  3. When prompted to do so, select the Academic – Total Headcount license labeled Individual.
  4. Select the products you want to download and install.
  5. After downloading and installing your products, keep the Activate MATLAB checkbox selected and click Next.
  6. Follow the prompts to activate MATLAB.

 

Detailed License Information and Restrictions

Total Academic Headcount License (Faculty/Staff)

Licensed products may be installed and used in North America only by Duke faculty and academic staff on Duke-owned or leased individual, standalone computers and network servers.  Duke faculty and academic staff may install and use the programs on their personally owned computers, on campus, off campus, and via remote access.  This license includes designated computer, group license, and network concurrent options for Duke faculty and academic staff, meaning it can be installed and licensed on individual computers, in computer labs, or over a LAN using a FLEXnet server.

This software may only be used for noncommercial, academic purposes by licensed users.  This is limited to software administration, teaching, and noncommercial, academic research during a Duke faculty or academic staff member's ordinary course as a Duke employee.

Students qualify as licensed users solely for the purpose of using the programs in on-campus computing facilities and are expressly prohibited from installing and executing the programs on their personally owned computers under the faculty/staff license.  Students having multiple affiliations, e.g. student/staff are considered licensed users for their nonstudent roles at Duke and may use the software for those purposes only.

The TAH (Total Academic Headcount) license is funded by OIT, and the software is distributed at no cost to the Duke community.  MathWorks accounts are authorized for licensed users, and the software may be downloaded directly from the MathWorks website.

Total Student Headcount License (Students)

Licensed products may be installed and used by Duke students only on their personally-owned or leased computers.  Student licensed users may not use a program on more than two computers simultaneously.  Programs licensed under the Total Student Headcount license option may not be used by Duke faculty or academic staff. 

Students may only use this software for meeting classroom requirements of Duke courses and study.

 

Technical Support

Duke License Number

Technical support is available for MATLAB, Simulink, applications toolboxes, and blocksets. Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. EST

Students: Technical support from MathWorks is available for activation, installation, and bug-related issues.

The OIT Service Desk does not provide support for this software.
 
Official Product Site: http://www.mathworks.com/products/

 

Article number: KB0023255

Valid to: July 5, 2025