In December 2025, Microsoft announced that the Intune suite — which had previously been an expensive add-on — would be included in Microsoft 365 E3 and E5 licences. This is a major step forward for organisations holding these licences. However, educational institutions generally use the A3 and A5 versions, which are not equivalent to the E plans. The situation is therefore more nuanced than the announcement suggests.
What’s in the A3 and A5?
Microsoft 365 Education A3 and A5 include Intune Plan 1 as standard: basic device and application management. The advanced Intune Suite features, which are now available free of charge to E3 and E5 customers, are not automatically included in the education licences.
Intune Remote Help does appear to be available for A3 and A5. The official Microsoft documentation lists A3 as a qualifying licence for this feature. This is a valuable addition for IT support teams wishing to assist users remotely via a secure session that integrates fully with the Intune management console.
For the time being, the more advanced features remain unavailable to educational institutions without an additional licence:
Endpoint Privilege Management (EPM), which allows you to remove local admin rights and replace them with controlled just-in-time elevation, is only included in a full Microsoft 365 E5 subscription. The same applies to Microsoft Cloud PKI, which eliminates the need for an on-premises certificate infrastructure, and to Enterprise App Management, the built-in application catalogue for automated software deployment and updates.
What is available for schools?
With an A3 licence, you have access to Intune Plan 1 for comprehensive device management, and in all likelihood also to Intune Remote Help for secure remote support. EPM, Cloud PKI and Enterprise App Management require an E5 licence or a separate Intune Suite add-on, and are not currently available free of charge for A3 or A5. Microsoft’s documentation is evolving in this regard, so it is advisable to check the situation in your own tenant via the Intune admin centre.
Want to find out more about Intune in a school setting?
Our Tech Premium package will be available from 1 September 2026. This package includes a comprehensive range of training courses specifically focused on Microsoft administration in education and business, including:
- Wi-Fi management with Intune and Entra — configuring and securing network access via certificates and policies
- Web filtering with Microsoft 365 solutions — enforcing safe browsing on school devices
- Using and configuring Intune Remote Help — a practical guide to setting up secure remote support
The Tech Premium bundle provides access to all these modules and more, as a single integrated package for those who wish to develop their Microsoft management skills in a structured way.
