New edition · 20 September 2026 · IMS Hub Editorial
Your study routine may become quieter between decisions. You may want to change from Pro to Core, stop renewal for a while, or understand what happens after a payment problem. Membership affects access, but different parts of Academic and Connect do not all change in the same way.
Begin by checking Settings → Payments & subscription. On Membership, read Current plan and any Renews or Expires date. A plan you have selected to inspect is different from the membership currently active on the account.
Separate a plan change from the end of paid access
Student Core and Student Pro both include full Academic access and expanded Connect. Pro adds eligible-region Advisor calls. When a confirmed change takes effect from Pro to Core, those two main modes retain their paid capabilities; the Advisor benefit is the relevant difference.
Use the action offered in Membership or Manage subscription through the billing provider. The timing and terms shown there matter. A cancellation request, an upcoming expiry and access that has already ended are different states, so use the displayed date and provider confirmation to plan your next session.
A payment issue can also need attention without being a deliberate cancellation. If the app directs you to Update payment method, resolve the provider's problem and return to check status. Do not interpret an unavailable billing screen as proof that your membership has ended.
Your saved Academic choices are preserved
When full paid Academic access ends, saved choices are preserved. Preservation does not give Basic full access: full matches and saved universities require Core or Pro.
Basic continues to offer a bounded preview of up to three matches, depending on the profile and available requirements. This can keep the connection between your study goals and initial results visible, while deeper review uses a paid plan.
If you return with an active membership, revisit the relevant options in Universities to check current information before deciding. The saved reference records facts from the time you saved it. A deadline, program detail or published cost may need a new check regardless of how long your membership was inactive.
Connect keeps receiving and existing mutual contacts free
On Basic, Connect includes 20 distinct discovery profiles per UTC day and five outgoing introductions per UTC calendar month. Receiving introductions and access to existing mutual contacts stay free, subject to ordinary eligibility, consent and safety rules.
That distinction matters if you have already met someone. Paid access ending does not, by itself, mean you must buy a plan to keep accessing a mutually shared contact. Either person can still change sharing, and blocking or other safety restrictions can affect access independently of membership.
For new discovery and outgoing requests, read the current allowance shown in Connect. Changing membership is not a reason to assume that used allowances have restarted or that a pending introduction will be accepted. Continue making each request deliberately and choosing the contact details you want to share.
Review alerts and calls separately
Optional Match alerts can continue after a plan ends, although full matches and saved choices still require paid access. If you want a quiet break, open Settings → Notifications → University match alerts and turn the relevant alerts off. Receiving an alert is not confirmation that paid access has been restored.
Advisor call minutes are separate from Academic browsing. Running out of call time does not use up your ability to match, browse or save while your qualifying membership remains active. Returning to Core is also a valid choice when those research and Connect functions are what you need.
Before leaving Membership, identify one concrete result: the plan now active, the expiry date or a billing action still required. See the IMS Hub mobile page for current app information when you are ready to return.
