Best VPN for School Wi-Fi in 2025: Stream Netflix, Unblock BBC iPlayer, Bypass Censorship and More
Based on our testing and research, here are the most important factors for students to consider when choosing a VPN for school Wi-Fi:
Confidentiality
Privacy is perhaps the most important consideration when choosing a VPN. Especially when you’re on your school’s Wi-Fi network, you need to make sure your online activity is protected and hidden from network administrators or anyone who might be monitoring what you’re doing. It’s important to choose a VPN that offers industry-standard privacy protections, such as 256-bit AES encryption, a kill switch, and DNS leak protection. Students should also look for a VPN that offers an obfuscation feature to disguise their VPN traffic as normal internet traffic.
Speed
Internet speed is crucial for students. A VPN can reduce your internet download speeds by 50% or more, so if your school’s Wi-Fi is already slow, you’ll want to make sure you have a fast VPN that will limit your speeds 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 their VPN protocol, as it generally works better than OpenVPN.
Cost
Being a student is expensive, so you’ll need a VPN that offers the best value within your budget. Good VPNs can cost anywhere from around $40 to $100 per year, so you should be able to find a reliable option within your budget. You might be tempted by a multi-year plan with deep discounts, but we generally advise against it. A lot can change in a VPN provider’s service in a year, and the best value option could also easily move to a competitor during that time. If you can’t find an affordable VPN subscription, you can use Proton VPN’s free plan, which is the only free VPN that I enthusiastically recommend.
User-friendliness
Most VPN apps are pretty user-friendly, but some can be a little more complicated to use than others, and some may work better than others for things like streaming or gaming. The most important thing is that the VPN you choose works well for you and has all the features you need to succeed in school.
Server network
A large server network will give you better opportunities to connect to a nearby server with 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 around the world. Some VPNs have servers in 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 server list before purchasing to make sure the VPN has servers in the countries of your choice.
