Request to enable VM sizes in an allowed region (Azure for Students)

Question

Request to enable VM sizes in an allowed region (Azure for Students)

Ahmed Salah Ahmed AbdelHamid 0

Hello,

I have an Azure for Students subscription and I am preparing for the

AZ-104 exam. I am trying to create a small Linux VM (2 vCPUs) to

practice virtual networks, subnets, and NSGs, but I cannot find any

size I can deploy.

Background

My subscription has the built-in policy "Allowed resource deployment

regions" assigned, and it only allows these regions:

uaenorth, germanywestcentral, switzerlandnorth, austriaeast,

spaincentral

What I see

Germany West Central: Standard_B2s and Standard_B2s_v2 show "This size is currently unavailable in GermanyWestCentral for this subscription: NotAvailableForSubscription". The D2 v7 sizes have the same restriction.
Spain Central: all Standard_D2* sizes are restricted with NotAvailableForSubscription.
UAE North and Switzerland North: az vm list-skus returns nothing for Standard_D2*.
Austria East: only a few sizes show no restrictions (Standard_D2s_v6, Standard_D2ds_v6, Standard_D2ls_v6, Standard_D2lds_v6, Standard_D2_v2_Promo).

Quota (az vm list-usage)

Total Regional vCPUs: 6
BS family: 4, Dv3/Dv4/F family: 4
Dsv6 / Ddsv6 families: 0

Commands I used

az vm list-skus --location <region> --size Standard_D2 --output table

az vm list-usage --location <region> --output table

My questions

Which small VM sizes (2 vCPUs or less) can an Azure for Students subscription actually deploy in these five regions?
Is NotAvailableForSubscription a limit that I can request to change, or is it fixed for student

0 comments

2 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

There is no fixed list in the provided material that identifies exactly which 2 vCPU or smaller VM sizes an Azure for Students subscription can deploy in those five regions. The supported answer is only that Azure for Students subscriptions are restricted by policy to a small set of allowed regions, and VM size availability can still vary within those allowed regions because of SKU or subscription restrictions.

For the regions already allowed on the subscription, the practical way to identify deployable sizes is:

Check the policy-assigned allowed regions in Azure Policy → Authoring → Assignments under Allowed resource deployment regions.

For each allowed region, list available VM sizes with Azure CLI:

   az vm list-skus --location <region> --output table

or

   az vm list-sizes --location <region> --output table

Use only sizes that appear as available for that region and subscription.

Based on the material, if a size shows NotAvailableForSubscription or the requested SKU is unavailable in that region, the supported resolutions are:

choose a different allowed region, or
choose a different VM size that is available in that allowed region.

NotAvailableForSubscription is not described as a self-service setting that can be changed directly on the subscription. The documented path for restricted VM series access is to submit a support request in Azure Portal → Help + support → Create a support request, then use:

Service and Subscription Limits (quotas)
Compute-VM (cores-vCPUs) subscription limit increases

If the issue is specifically access to a restricted VM series or zone, the documented process is to request access through that support flow. For Azure for Students, the context also states that region restrictions are expected behavior and are controlled by policy, not by a user setting.

A quota value of 0 for a VM family indicates that family is not currently available for deployment under the subscription in that scope, so those Dsv6/Ddsv6 families are not currently usable until Microsoft enables them for the subscription through the applicable support or quota process.

Answer 2

You might want to refer to https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/discussions/microsoft-learn-for-educators/sku-quota-and-policy-restrictions-on-azure-for-students-and-free-subscriptions/4525160

Additional backend restrictions beyond visible policies?	Yes, behavior strongly indicates additional subscription/SKU restrictions beyond visible policies.
Additional backend restrictions beyond visible policies?	Yes, behavior strongly indicates additional subscription/SKU restrictions beyond visible policies.
Dynamic VM restrictions per student?	Evidence strongly suggests yes in practice, though Microsoft does not publicly document the exact mechanism.
Regional capacity controls different across students?	Yes — capacity and eligibility appear to vary per subscription and region.
Best way to identify deployable SKUs?	Use az vm list-skus and verify against each student’s allowed regions before labs.

and for your students, here's a list to make things easier

Azure for Students VM Troubleshooting Checklist

Quick Student Guide

Use this checklist when your Azure VM deployment fails.

Step 1 — Confirm You Are Using an Allowed Region

Your student subscription only works in certain Azure regions.

Check allowed regions:

Open Azure Portal
Search for Policy
Go to:
- Authoring → Assignments
1. Open:
  - Allowed resource deployment regions
  1. Write down your allowed regions

Only deploy VMs in those regions.

Step 2 — Try Another Allowed Region

Even allowed regions may fail temporarily due to Azure capacity shortages.

If deployment fails:

Try another allowed region
Test several approved regions

Some students only succeed after changing regions multiple times.

Step 3 — Use Recommended VM Sizes

Some older VM sizes are restricted or retired.

Recommended VM sizes:

Standard_B2ats_v2
Standard_B2ts_v2
Standard_B2als_v2

Avoid:

B1s
older B-series VM sizes

Step 4 — Do NOT Select Availability Zones

Availability Zones can block VM creation on student subscriptions.

Best practice:

Leave zone selection on default
Use:
- “No infrastructure redundancy required”

This avoids:

“Unsupported availability zone”
“SKU unavailable in selected zone”

Step 5 — Check VM Quotas

You may hit VM quota limits even with free credit available.

Check quotas:

Go to:
- Subscriptions → Usage + quotas
1. Look for:
  - Total Regional vCPU quota
    - VM family quotas

Common error:

“Total Regional Core quota exceeded”

Step 6 — If No VM Sizes Appear

Possible causes:

region capacity exhausted
restricted subscription
unsupported VM family
temporary Azure capacity issue

Try:

Another allowed region Another Bsv2 VM size Removing Availability Zones Trying again later

Step 7 — Use CLI to Check Available VM Sizes (Advanced)

The Azure Portal sometimes shows incomplete information.

Azure CLI command:

Shell

az vm list-skus \

--location <region> \

--resource-type virtualMachines \

--output table

Show more lines

Example:

Shell

az vm list-skus \

--location denmarkeast \

--size Standard_B \

--all

``

Show more lines

This shows which VM sizes are actually available for your subscription

Important Reality Check

Azure for Students subscriptions can behave differently between students because:

allowed regions differ
VM capacity changes dynamically
some VM sizes are restricted
region availability is not always consistent

A deployment that works for one student may fail for another student with the same subscription type.

If the above response helps answer your question, remember to "Accept Answer" so that others in the community facing similar issues can easily find the solution. Your contribution is highly appreciated.

hth

Marcin