MathWorks Software – MATLAB

Notice Changes to Distribution of MATLAB for July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025

There is a significant change to the licensing of MATLAB software. The Licensed Software Office (LSO) will no longer be able to distribute MATLAB licenses when the current license expires on June 30, 2023. Members of the University Community will need to obtain licenses directly from MathWorks.

This year MathWorks is implementing a requirement that UofT integrate our institutional single sign-on directly with MATLAB licensing. MathWorks states the change is designed to allow unrestricted use of the software for all members of the University community, regardless of whether they are paying towards the license. This new model limits our ability to operate on a cost-recovery basis.

Since the cost of the site license closely matches individual license costs from the vendor, any decrease in license revenue may enable individuals to obtain it cheaper directly from MathWorks. MathWorks is fully aware of this issue, they understand that we will not proceed with the site license, and they remain committed to this course of action.

When the license expires at the end of June, Faculty, Staff, and Students will need to purchase the product directly from MathWorks. Please note that MATLAB and toolboxes are priced separately, and the license distributed by the LSO includes all toolboxes. For pricing information, please contact Cory Winter at cwinter@mathworks.com / (248) 675-2610 or visit https://www.mathworks.com/pricing-licensing.html?prodcode=ML&intendeduse=edu.

We understand that this change will cause inconvenience, and we appreciate your understanding during this transition.


Product Information

  • License Period: July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024. The product expires on June 30.
  • Additional Toolboxes: As of the 2020 to 2021 license period, all MATLAB toolboxes are included as part of the TAH package distributed by the Licensed Software Office.
  • License Renewals: MathWorks TAH software licenses are a yearly subscription license. Purchasers of the previous year license (last year) can pay the current year's maintenance fee. Multiple years of back maintenance fees are no longer accepted. If you avoided maintenance payment last year, you will have to purchase a new license. 
    • Licenses purchased prior to January 1, 2015 can renew the license and toolboxes a la cart.
    • Licenses purchased after January 1, 2015 can renew MATLAB base or the package.
  • Cost: See ordering section below.
  • Restrictions: U of T faculty, staff, and researchers for noncommercial, academic use.
  • License Type: Subscription
  • Supported Operating Systems: Windows, UNIX/Linux, Mac.
  • Installation Media: Installation media can be downloaded directly from the MathWorks portal with your MATLAB account.

Description

MATLAB is a high-level technical computing language and interactive environment for algorithm development, data visualization, data analysis, and numeric computation. Using the MATLAB product, you can solve technical computing problems faster than with traditional programming languages, such as C, C++, and Fortran.

You can use MATLAB in a wide range of applications, including signal and image processing, communications, control design, test and measurement, financial modeling and analysis, and computational biology. Add-on toolboxes (collections of special-purpose MATLAB functions, available separately) extend the MATLAB environment to solve particular classes of problems in these application areas.


Ordering

For full details on ordering, see our “How to Purchase Software” page.

The software can be purchased and downloaded immediately afterwords online at:


MATLAB TAH Information

License Distributions:

MATLAB is distributed by the LSO as a non-perpetual yearly subscription license from July 01 to June 30. New licenses can be purchased as a package (MATLAB + 17 toolboxes) or MATLAB base without any toolboxes.

There are three license categories:

  • TAH Designated Computer - Single workstation licenses
  • TAH Network Concurrent User - Network licenses (requires a FLEXnet License Manager server)
  • TAH Classroom - For teaching purposes only

As of the 2020 to 2021 license period, all MATLAB toolboxes are included as part of the TAH package distributed by the Licensed Software Office.


Vendor and Support

  • Vendor: MathWorks
  • Support: The MathWorks has extensive online product documentation and help, including a large knowledge base of previously solved problems. A strong user community provides file exchange, newsgroups, link exchanges, and blogs. Also, support questions can be sent via email to support@mathworks.com . You will need your license number to get support.

Tutorial and Documentation

Tutorial: The MathWorks offer a free online tutorial that walks you through the basics of MATLAB. You can take the entire tutorial, or select an individual chapter specific to your needs. No prior MATLAB knowledge is required. This self-paced tutorial runs for approximately 90 minutes. Topics include:

  • Using MATLAB as a graphical calculator
  • Importing and extracting data
  • Visualizing data
  • Conducting computational analysis
  • Fitting data to a curve
  • Writing MATLAB programs
  • Publishing MATLAB programs

Registration for the tutorial is free. Sign up online.

Documentation: MathWorks has all their documentation (including product documentation, index of MATLAB examples, function list, tech notes, and "how-to" guides on their website. A good starting place is their support page.


Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is there a mobile application?
A: Yes. Please see the MATLAB Mobile for information on how to download the app and associate it with your MathWorks account to gain access to all of the features.

Q: Is there a minimum or maximum limit to the number of licenses that can be converted to the package?
A: There is no minimum or maximum number of licenses that can be converted to the MATLAB package. The only restriction is that you have purchased or renewed a license in the 2013 license period.

Q: Will renewing my existing MATLAB licenses as MATLAB package licenses cost me more or less?
A: Depending on the mix of products you currently have it may cost more or less.


Installation and Activation

MathWorks Account

If you do not already have a MathWorks account the Licensed Software Office will create one for you using the email address provided with purchase. You will then receive an automated email from MathWorks with the account information. The account will be used to download teh software from https://www.mathworks.com/downloads/.

Installation

Designated Computer: Use the Install Product instructions to install the software using your MathWorks account. If the installation wizard does not provide the option to activate using a license key then cancel the process and launch MATLAB. It will provide a different activation wizard that allows activation using a license file (see activation section).

Network Concurrent: Use the Install License Manager instructions to install the License Manager on your server. Use the MATLAB Client Installation instructions to install the product on client workstations.

Activation

Activation of a Designated Computer or Network Concurrent license requires the information below to be sent to us for each license purchased. We will then send back a license file.

  1. Host Id
  2. Operating System (Windows, Mac, Linux)

For a Designated Computer license use the use the activation instructions to activate an existing installation of MATLAB.

On step 2 select "Activate automatically using the Internet" and on step 3 select "Enter the full path to your license file, including file name" and browse to the saved location of the license file that we have sent you.

If this produces an error stating that the license is not for that workstation, go back and in the activation menu, select "Activate manually without the internet" then select "I do not have a license file. Help me with the next steps". On this page it will display the host id that can be sent to us.