Note: If your school completely blocks VPN and you need to bypass school firewall, please refer to The Best VPN to Bypass College Firewall guide.
Many schools, colleges and universities restrict internet access to certain online resources in attempt to ensure that their students remain focused on education. Typically blocked content is social media and entertainment websites along with some messengers. On-demand video streaming websites like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, HBO as well as gaming (Steam, battle.net, Origin) are, unfortunately, generally inaccessible from college campuses.
Since torrenting is illegal, downloading it on college campuses might not only result in a warning, but might also cause issues with school management. Hence, even if p2p file sharing is not blocked, torrents are illegal and should not be downloaded on school WiFi.
In addition to blocked content, every school monitors and logs everything on their network (full traffic logging). This essentially means that college admins know every website that you visit and the kind of content you download violating your right to privacy!
More so, college WiFis are typically insufficiently secure networks and should be treated similar to public WiFi hotspots where hackers can easily to steal passwords, bank accounts and other sensitive personal info.
Considering that VPN encrypts all incoming and outgoing data and completely hides your online activity from school, it’s an excellent tool that secures sensitive data from hackers, ensures online privacy and also unblocks Facebook, Reddit, Twitter, Imgur, Instagram, YouTube, SnapChat and many more.
MONTHLY PRICE: 11.95 USD
ANNUAL PRICE: 2.99 USD/mo
Panama based NordVPN is one of the best security oriented VPN companies with amazingly fast infrastructure. NordVPN offers over 5,000 servers in 62 countries, dedicated & shared IP types, and 6 simultaneous logins. NordVPN has a Smart Play technology offering an encrypted connection to access geo-restricted content on Netflix, Hulu, Pandora, BBC iPlayer and similar services. NordVPN implemented a strict no logs privacy policy, offers double data encryption, obfuscation tools and other advanced security features. Their custom apps run on system startup include Kill Switch feature and DNS leak resolver to protect the user from unexpected data leaks. To read a full NordVPN review and get an annual discount click HERE.
ANNUAL PRICE: 2.19 USD/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 11.95 USD
PIA is a leading no logs VPN provider with a massive amount of servers (over 3,000) that deliver excellent speeds and a very reliable service. PIA VPN does a great job protecting users’ privacy from surveillance, cyber attacks and other online threats. PIA offers an easy to install VPN app for all devices with advanced features that secure VPN connection from unexpected data leaks. For faster streaming and torrenting PIA software offers switching between different connection types and ports. To read a full PIA review click HERE.
ANNUAL PRICE: 2.45 USD/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 12.99 USD
Romania based CyberGhost is a no logs VPN provider with over 3,500 high speed VPN servers. CyberGhost offers streaming servers to unblock Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer as well as secure torrenting servers. For faster streaming and torrenting CyberGhost VPN allows switching between TCP/UDP protocols. VPN provider offers desktop and mobile apps with built-in advanced security features such as automatic kill switch, DNS & IP leaks, anti-fingerprinting and tracking protection, an ad-blocker and anti-malware. To read a full CyberGhost review click HERE.
ANNUAL PRICE: 6.67 USD/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 12.95 USD
ExpressVPN has one of the largest and fastest infrastructures with over 2,000 servers in 94 countries. Ultra fast ExpressVPN network supports gigabit Internet connection which makes it a perfect choice for ultra high speed streaming and torrenting. Besides, ExpressVPN aligns itself as one of the Internet’s leading advocates for net neutrality, for a democratic and open internet. Considering they have a no logs policy, accept Bitcoin and are located on the Caribbean Island, they are a great choice for privacy oriented customers who want to protect their data from surveillance, bypass censorship and access restricted materials. To read a full ExpressVPN review click HERE.
ANNUAL PRICE: 1.32 USD/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 10.95 USD
Hong Kong based PureVPN is a proud owner of a massive 2,000 servers network in over 140 countries with over 60 server locations specifically optimized for torrenting. PureVPN is a fast and reliable VPN provider with exclusive streaming servers to unblock Netflix, Hulu and similar services. PureVPN online gaming VPN servers are dedicated for gamers’ traffic only. Low ping offered by optimized PureVPN servers make it possible for gaming and streaming users to enjoy entertainment with the fastest load time. Secure PureVPN infrastructure is protected behind NAT Firewall. PureVPN offers custom apps for all devices, while desktop apps have a built-in Kill Switch feature that guards the users from unencrypted data leaks when the internet connection drops. To read a full PureVPN review click HERE.
MONTHLY PRICE: 8.99 USD
ANNUAL PRICE: 4.49 USD/mo [promocode]
Offering over 3,000 servers in 50 countries, all mainstream protocols and 5 simultaneous connections, TorGuard rightfully earned its place as a top VPN provider. No logs TorGuard offers a reliable, fast and secure VPN connection. Their SOCKS5 proxy is an excellent feature for high speed multimedia streaming and torrenting as it integrates with the main BitTorrent applications. TorGuard native apps offer advanced security features to ensure no data leaks, even when the connection drops. TorGuard’s StealthVPN protocol is an effective tool to bypass strict firewalls and VPN blocking. To read a full TorGuard review click HERE.
MONTHLY PRICE: 6.99 USD
ANNUAL PRICE: 5 USD/mo
TunnelBear is an excellent privacy company trusted by millions of VPN users. No logs Bear offers a number of advanced security features that minimize tracking, maximize privacy and prevent IP leaks. IntelliBear is a handy split tunneling feature. Additionally, the provider’s excellent speeds deliver perfect streaming experience when watching HD multimedia content. And unlike most VPN services, TunnelBear is not blocked by Netflix and Hulu. More so, TunnelBear can get around censorship even in countries like China because GhostBear can bypass even the strictest firewalls that employ deep packet inspection to block VPN traffic. To read a full TunnelBear review click HERE.
MONTHLY PRICE: 10 USD
ANNUAL PRICE: 6.49 USD/mo
IPVanish is a no logs VPN provider with a global servers infrastructure secured behind NAT Firewall. IPVanish offers native apps for desktop and mobile clients and allows 10 simultaneous connections. IPVanish servers are specifically optimized for streaming and gaming which ensures excellent download speeds and low ping times. IPvanish software protects users from unexpected data leaks and offers a number of advanced features especially useful for torrenting. To read a full IPVanish review click HERE.
ANNUAL PRICE PRICE: 1.75 USD/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 11.99 USD
ZenMate is a no logs privacy oriented VPN provider with a number of built-in security features for advanced protection from cybercrime and various IP leaks. ZenMate has over 1,000 ultra fast VPN servers that are great for streaming (including Netflix), torrenting and gaming since the infrastructure is optimized for low ping times and virtually eliminates lag. ZenMate Premium software for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android is lightweight, efficient and reliable – it takes about 2 seconds to disconnect from one VPN server and connect to another. ZenMate simply never disconnects! To read a full ZenMate review click HERE.
ANNUAL PRICE: 2.99 USD/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 12.99 USD
Hotspot Shield is the largest no logs VPN provider serving tens of millions of users. Hotspot Shield has dedicated VPN software for Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android and even Windows Phone. The app allows users to split tunnel only selected websites via VPN while other browsing activities will continue using standard internet connection. Torrenting is allowed and streaming speeds are excellent as well. To read a full Hotspot Shield review click HERE.