Based on our testing and research, these are the most important factors for students to consider when choosing a VPN for school Wi-Fi:

Privacy

Privacy is perhaps the most important consideration when choosing a VPN. Especially when you’re on your school’s Wi-Fi network, you’ll want to make sure that your online activity is protected and hidden from network administrators or anyone who may be snooping on what you’re up to. It’s important to choose a VPN that offers industry-standard privacy protections such as AES 256-bit encryption, a kill switch and DNS leak protection. Students should also look for a VPN that offers obfuscation to disguise their VPN traffic as regular internet traffic.

Speed

Internet speed is crucial for students. A VPN can cut your internet download speeds by 50% or more, so if your school’s Wi-Fi is already slow, then you’ll need to make sure you have a fast VPN that will limit your speeds by as little as possible. Fast VPN speeds are essential for activities like streaming, gaming and video conferencing. If you need the fastest speeds possible, look for providers that offer WireGuard or an equivalent (like NordVPN’s NordLynx) as a VPN protocol, as this generally performs better than OpenVPN.

Cost

Being a student is expensive, so you’ll want a VPN that offers the most value within your budget. Good VPNs can range from about $40 to $100 a year, so you should be able to find a reliable option within your budget. You might be tempted by a multi-year plan with significant discounts, but we generally advise against them. Much can change about a VPN provider’s service within a year, and the best value for money option could easily shift to a competitor within that time, too. If you don’t find an affordable VPN subscription, you can use Proton VPN’s free plan — which is the only free VPN I enthusiastically recommend.

Usability

Most VPN apps are pretty user-friendly — but some may be a little more complicated to use than others, and some may work better than others for things like streaming or gaming. What’s most important is that the VPN you choose works well for you and has all the functionality you need to succeed at school. 

Server network

A large server network will give you better opportunities to connect to a nearby server with a light load and optimize the speed and stability of your connection. Having access to a large network of VPN servers can also help you expand your streaming horizons by unblocking content from a wide variety of regions globally. Some VPNs have servers in up to 100 or more countries, but most decent VPNs have servers in at least 50 to 60 countries. Usually, VPN companies have a list of their server locations on their website, so you can check the list of servers before buying to make sure the VPN has servers in the countries you want.