Build in-demand, career-ready analytics and AI skills with free training, cloud software, credentials, and hands-on learning designed for students.

SAS Skill Builder for Students is a free online learning platform that provides students with data analytics and AI training along with cloud-based SAS software. Students can learn the full analytics life cycle using the same technology trusted by organizations worldwide.

Skill Builder makes it easy with the career- and topic-based learning paths, each featuring self-paced online courses.

Along the way, you’ll use industry-relevant tools and technologies, including:

• SAS analytics and AI tools
• Python and R

You’ll also be able to earn digital badges as you go and get certification exam prep materials so that you can turn your learning into a recognized credential.  

Yes. SAS Skill Builder is free for eligible students worldwide.

Students enrolled in an academic institution can access the platform using a valid academic email address. Availability may vary slightly by region or institution.

Students get access to cloud-based SAS tools, including SAS Viya for Learners , a modern data and AI platform that lets you learn the full analytics life cycle, and SAS Viya Workbench for Learners, a dedicated coding environment that gives you the flexibility to work in the coding language of your choice. Both are browser-based and cloud-hosted, so you can start learning immediately.

With Skill Builder, you can explore a wide range of in-demand topics, including:

• Data analytics and data visualization
• AI and machine learning
• Responsible AI and data ethics
• Statistics
• SQL and data management

You’ll also find content specific to certain career roles, like an overview of risk in finance or liability management in banking.

Absolutely! With SAS Skill Builder for Students, you can earn digital credentials that help you show off your skills and stand out:

• Free Learn Badges to celebrate course completion
• Free Knowledge Badges to show you understand key concepts

Ready to go further? You’ll find everything you need to prepare for certification, including:

• Step-by-step certification pathways
• Study guides and practice exams
• Discounted certification exam vouchers for students
• Certification Badges to prove you can apply your skills in real-world scenarios

SAS gives you more than just individual skills; it helps you understand how real-world analytics and AI come together. With modern tools like SAS Viya, you can work across the full lifecycle in one place, from preparing data to building, evaluating, and deploying models.

What sets it apart:

• End-to-end experience: Learn how data moves from raw input to real decisions
• Industry relevance: Used in sectors like health care, banking, and government where accuracy and trust matter
• Built-in governance: Gain exposure to responsible, transparent AI practices
• Multi-language environment: Work with SAS alongside Python and R

Because you’re learning on a platform used by organizations every day, the experience translates directly to the workplace. No matter what your career path, you’ll gain practical, transferable skills and the confidence to apply them in real scenarios.

The training you’ll find in Skill Builder helps you build in-demand analytics, AI, and data management skills that apply across a wide range of modern careers, not just roles that use SAS specifically.

Depending on the paths you explore, you’ll be developing capabilities that align with roles that span industries such as:

• Data Engineer
• Business Analyst
• AI / Machine Learning Specialist
• Risk or Fraud Analyst
• Data Analyst
• Marketing or Customer Insights Analyst
• Data Scientist

Because you’re learning core skills like data analysis, programming, machine learning, and responsible AI your knowledge transfers easily across tools and technologies. That means you’re building a foundation that supports a variety of career paths as the job market continues to evolve.

No, this isn’t an either/or decision. While Python is widely used in open-source environments and SAS is trusted across enterprise and regulated industries like healthcare, finance, and pharmaceuticals, many professionals use both.

With SAS Viya, you’re working in a full data and AI platform, not just learning a programming language, and you can integrate with Python or R as needed. That means you can:

• Work across SAS, Python, and R in the same workflows
• Apply the right tool for different data and modeling tasks
• Build a flexible, job-ready skill set valued by employers

Instead of choosing one over the other, learning SAS alongside Python expands your options and prepares you for a wider range of real-world roles.

Getting started with SAS Skill Builder for Students is quick and easy:

1. Click
   Use the Get Started link to go to the SAS Profile page.
2. Log in
   Sign in or create a SAS profile using your academic email address to verify eligibility.
3. Review & Access
   Accept the license agreement to enter SAS Skill Builder for Students. You can start learning within minutes of creating your account and verifying your student status. Access is valid for one year.