What damage is done if a student uses a cracked version? What damages does Autodesk have to say they have incurred?
And sorry, ever since I've been a student of drafting from 2001-2004, I've seen various places to try SELL you the Student version, or give you the CD free, and charge for the key, or what not, but the Student version was always available for free from the right places (no, not pirate ships) ... it was the textbooks that "came with" Autocad Student Version that required you buy an activation code, that I remember... silly scam, if you ask me.
If you would widen your perspective a bit, to focus on more than just AutoCAD, since the discussion, I thought, was about the principle of their software in general, and not AutoCAD, AutoDESK software is crippled in many varying ways.
I've already stated why even just a PLOT STAMP -is- a major cripple to the success and ability of a student to thrive in their student endevours. Feel free to read back, you can read it, just as easy as I can quote it.
AutoCAD is not even the worst offender in Autodesk's lineup of handicaps.