Oracle Java SE Universal Subscription is a term-based Program licensed by Employee for Java SE Universal Subscription, not by Database Named User Plus or Database Processor. The Oracle Java SE Universal Subscription Global Price List dated 1 March 2023 (educational) lists that single Java SE Universal product.[1] Quantity is the number of Employees as of the order effective date, not the number of people who use the Programs. Under the same metric, You may install and/or run the Programs on up to 50,000 Processors, exclusive of Processors on desktop and laptop computers.[2]
Editions / offers
The Java SE Universal Subscription Global Price List (1 March 2023, educational, subject to change without notice) lists Java SE Universal Subscription only. It does not list Java SE Advanced, Java SE Advanced Desktop, Java SE Suite, Java SE Subscription, or Java SE Desktop Subscription as current SKUs.[1] The Oracle Technology Global Price List dated 3 August 2026 (educational) also does not list those Java SE products as priced SKUs; it names Java SE Support, Java SE Advanced, and Java SE Suite only as exceptions to occupied-socket Processor counting.[3]
The Java SE Universal Subscription FAQ states that Java SE Universal Subscription replaced the legacy Java SE Subscription and Java SE Desktop Subscription as of 23 January 2023, and that existing Java SE Advanced, Java SE Advanced Desktop, and Java SE Suite licenses and related support continue as usual.[4] Do not price those legacy Programs from the Universal Subscription card; they are not on that price list.
| Employees (volume band) | Monthly subscription price | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| 1–999 | $15.00 | Employee for Java SE Universal Subscription |
| 1,000–2,999 | $12.00 | Employee for Java SE Universal Subscription |
| 3,000–9,999 | $10.50 | Employee for Java SE Universal Subscription |
| 10,000–19,999 | $8.25 | Employee for Java SE Universal Subscription |
| 20,000–29,999 | $6.75 | Employee for Java SE Universal Subscription |
| 30,000–39,999 | $5.70 | Employee for Java SE Universal Subscription |
| 40,000–49,999 | $5.25 | Employee for Java SE Universal Subscription |
| 50,000+ | Contact for Details | Employee for Java SE Universal Subscription |
Pricing notes on that card: the E-Business Discount Schedule does not apply; the subscription is available only for internal business operations under an applicable enterprise license and is not eligible under ASFU, ESL, or a Binary License and Redistribution Agreement; contact Oracle for pricing if the Programs are installed on and/or running on more than 50,000 Processors (desktops and laptops excluded from that limit).[1]
Worked example from the same PDF: a total Employee count of 28,000 (23,000 full-time, part-time and temporary employees plus 5,000 agents, contractors and consultants) is priced as 28,000 × $6.75/month × 12 months = $2,268,000/year.[1]
The FAQ states the standard term is one year.[4]
Metrics
- Employee is the purchase metric for Java SE Universal Subscription. Do not re-count Java installs, named users, or Database processors to size this SKU.[2]
- Processor is not how you buy Java SE Universal Subscription. It is how the 50,000 Processor install/run cap is measured: cores × core factor, fractions rounded up. Java SE Universal Subscription is excepted from occupied-socket counting.[1]
License Definitions still list Named User Plus minima of 10 NUP per Processor for Java SE Advanced and Java SE Suite.[2] Those rows are not current Universal Subscription SKUs on the 1 March 2023 Java price list.
Counting / who is an Employee
Vendor definition (License Definitions, effective 15 June 2024; same text on the Java price list):[2]
Employee for Java SE Universal Subscription: is defined as (i) all of Your full-time, part-time, temporary employees, and (ii) all of the full-time employees, part-time employees and temporary employees of Your agents, contractors, outsourcers, and consultants that support Your internal business operations. The quantity of the licenses required is determined by the number of Employees and not just the actual number of employees that use the Programs. For these Java SE Universal Subscription licenses, the licensed quantity purchased must, at a minimum, be equal to the number of Employees as of the effective date of Your order. Under this Employee metric for Java SE Universal Subscription Programs(s), You may only install and/or run the Java SE Universal Subscription Program(s) on up to 50,000 Processors. If Your use exceeds 50,000 Processors, exclusive of Processors installed and/or running on desktop and laptop computers, You must obtain an additional license from Oracle.
Who is counted. Full-time, part-time, and temporary employees of You, plus the full-time, part-time, and temporary employees of agents, contractors, outsourcers, and consultants that support Your internal business operations. The price-list example adds those two populations together; it does not license only Java users.[1]
Floor. Licensed quantity ≥ Employees as of the effective date of the order.[2]
Processor cap. 50,000 Processors under the Processor definition, exclusive of desktops and laptops. Pricing note 3: contact Oracle if use exceeds that cap.[1]
Do not apply Named User Plus or Database Processor floors to Java SE Universal Subscription.
Virtualization and partitioning
The Java SE Universal Subscription FAQ: subscriptions are available per Employee; the underlying application architecture and deployment model does not affect pricing.[4] The retrieved Java SE PDFs do not apply the Oracle Partitioning Policy to Java SE. Do not import Database hard/soft partition counting onto this SKU.
Cloud
License Definitions and the Java price list: Your right to use the Programs for internal business operations includes using them to run Your Java applications as a cloud service, subject to the Master Agreement. You shall not make the Oracle Java SE Universal Subscription Program(s) themselves available as a cloud service.[2]
If You choose not to renew, the right to use terminates and You must de-install the Programs.[2]
The Oracle JDK License FAQ (updated 16 September 2025) states OCI customers are entitled to use Oracle Java SE Products per the Oracle PaaS and IaaS Universal Credits and Service Descriptions.[5] That FAQ does not publish a vCPU-to-Employee mapping; Employee remains the Universal Subscription metric.
No-fee licenses (BCL / OTN / NFTC)
The Oracle JDK License FAQ (updated 16 September 2025) is the current vendor statement of download licenses. It pertains to Oracle Java SE releases starting 16 April 2019 and to the Oracle No-Fee Terms and Conditions License starting 14 September 2021. In a discrepancy, the license under which the software was received controls.[5]
- BCL. Oracle Java SE versions (including updates) released prior to 16 April 2019 are the only versions licensed under the Binary Code License for Java SE; BCL is no longer used for new releases. Releases already downloaded may continue to be used under the license under which they were downloaded.[5]
- OTN License Agreement for Java SE. Current Oracle JDK 8 (8u211, April 2019 and later), Oracle JDK 11, and Oracle JDK 17 updates after September 2024 (17.0.13 and later) are described as My Oracle Support (Oracle customers) and OTN for personal, development, and other users only. OTN permits, without cost: personal use on a desktop or laptop; development, testing, prototyping, and demonstrating; use with identified Schedule A and Schedule B products; and use with identified Oracle Cloud Infrastructure products. Use of Java on a desktop or laptop as part of any business operations is not personal use.[5]
- NFTC. Oracle JDK 21 and later (and specified earlier NFTC windows) permit free use for all users, including commercial and production use, subject to that license. Hosted use, including allowing use by third parties who do not obtain a copy of the Program, is generally considered internal business operations. Redistribution is permitted as long as it is not for a fee. Separately downloaded Java SE Subscription product features (for example Java Management Service) are not available under NFTC.[5]
- Subscription for other uses. The same FAQ: you can get an Oracle Java SE Universal Subscription that includes commercial use license and support.[5]
The Java SE Universal Subscription FAQ: Java SE 8 is the last Java SE release targeting desktop deployment (for example Java Web Start and a stand-alone system JRE); Java SE 8 reached end of public updates in January 2019; commercial users need to either transition to other technologies or purchase a Java SE Universal Subscription; Oracle will provide commercial support for Java SE 8 through at least 2030 including Java Web Start. Java Applets have been deprecated and may be removed at any time.[4]
Programs
- Term. Standard term is one year (FAQ). Subscription term is effective on the ordering-document effective date unless otherwise stated; Oracle Store orders: date accepted by Oracle.[4]
- End of term. Rights to commercial software downloaded under the subscription and access to Oracle Premier Support end; License Definitions require de-install if You do not renew.[2]
- Redistribution / ISV. The Java price list: not eligible under ASFU, ESL, or Binary License and Redistribution Agreement. The FAQ: if you embed Java SE in a device or application and/or distribute “shrink wrapped” software, Oracle names a Binary License and Redistribution Agreement for ISV products.[1]
- Other Oracle products. FAQ: if you use any Oracle product that requires Java SE, you are already licensed to use the Oracle Java SE runtime with, and for the sole purpose of running, that Oracle product (My Oracle Support Note 1557737.1).[4]
ULA certification math for Java SE is not defined in the PDFs retrieved for this page.
Out of scope
- Oracle Database metrics Named User Plus, Processor, and Standard Edition 2 Processor. See Oracle Database licensing. Do not mix those rules with Java SE Employee.
- Java Embedded has a separate Oracle price list on the corporate pricing page; it is not catalogued here.
- Middleware (WebLogic and related) is outside this page even where License Definitions share the Processor definition.
- Oracle Partitioning Policy and ACE vCPU tables are Database/technology cloud documents; they are not cited here as Java SE Employee counting rules.