Microsoft provides lots of special offers to students. They can use Dream Spark for free, they will get an office ultimate copy for low cost and so on.
But for me as employee there are now special offers provided within the last months or perhaps years. But this time is over right now! Microsoft Sharepoint Designer 2007, which I use to customize Sharepoint Websits is for free available!!
Here you can find the download at Microsoft's Download Center.. The Key ist listed in the webpage header :D
Have fun with customizing sharepoint and wss