On Feb. 7, I got the notice from design professor John Schall that students would no longer have access to the Adobe Suite from their personal devices. As a second-year student pursuing a graphic communications associate degree, I was immediately panicked.
I rely on Adobe products to complete assignments, build my portfolio, and practice the skills I’ve committed to learning.
For years, students at Los Medanos College had the benefit of accessing the Adobe Creative Suite both on and off campus. It was a resource we trusted, one that allowed us to complete coursework on our own schedules, whether we were in the graphics lab or working from home.
Now, that access is restricted to on-campus labs, a shift that has left many of us frustrated, inconvenienced, and concerned about the future of our education.
The Adobe Creative Suite isn’t just a luxury, it’s a necessity for students in design, media, and communication programs. Assignments in these fields demand proficiency in programs like Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. Many of us chose these programs and invested in our skills with the understanding that we had access to industry-standard tools.
The sudden change has forced students to consider costly alternatives, such as purchasing personal licenses that can reach up to $60 a month, or reshaping their schedules to fit into limited lab hours. Students have even gone as far as to create new accounts with Diablo Valley and Contra Costa College to be able to access what was rightfully available.
Other students and I have also encountered issues with the Adobe Cloud. Miraculously, I’m still able to access—unsure for how long—my essential three, Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, on my personal MacBook.
However, I’ve noticed that Adobe Cloud no longer reliably saves my progress, even when I’m working on the graphics lab’s Mac computers. It feels like an attempt to restrict students to using just one device.
Thankfully, my designer brain made me buy a USB drive, which I consider an essential design tool, and I’m encouraging other students who relied on off-campus Adobe access to do the same.
This issue extends beyond graphic design majors. After speaking to several journalism students, I learned about an incident that perfectly captures the chaos this licensing change has caused.
On a busy production day, as students prepared to finalize their publication, many found themselves locked out of Adobe InDesign. Hours of waiting for IT support followed, delaying production and leaving students stressed and scrambling to meet deadlines.
These are not isolated inconveniences—they’re disruptions that hinder learning and compromise the quality of student work.
Beyond the practical issues, there’s a deeper concern: discouragement. Delving into a creative field, especially during a transformative time like college, can honestly be a scary and bold choice—whether or not you have years of experience.
Removing access to essential tools adds yet another barrier, potentially pushing future students away from pursuing these disciplines.
If neighboring colleges like DVC and CCC can still provide the same Adobe access they promised, it’s unfair that we LMC students are left without the same resources. Many of us chose LMC because we believed it would support our academic and creative growth, but now that commitment feels uncertain.
From all the creatives on and off campus, let us find a solution that restores our access, our confidence, and the reason we chose Los Medanos College to encourage our ambitions.
