alt Hacker NewsI think it’s cheaper for student groups. If you google “student club sends satellite” you get a bunch of examples,
https://globalnews.ca/news/9818771/university-of-saskatchewa...
https://news.northeastern.edu/2024/09/16/satellite-developme...
https://www.utoronto.ca/news/launch-its-first-satellite-stud...
etc
SpaceX isn’t providing a discount to student groups. The program, Cubesat Launch Initiative, is funded by NASA and covers the cost of launch and integration into the deployer.