Educational version.
The educational version is pretty much identical to the regular version. The exact difference is outlined on Mathematica's site (
http://www.wolfram.com). The educational version is a great deal. Well worth the savings.
I finally got Mathematica for OS X just a couple of weeks ago. I got it through a home use license from work which means I have to pay nothing for it. I'd been looking for a long time to find a discounted version of Mathematica because I really wanted it at home. I couldn't find one. And I tried just about every avenue available to me.
In fact, I know the author of JLink who has been a software developer for Mathematica for a very long time. My boss has known him for a while and he has done some consulting for us so I've gotten to know him pretty well. Anyway, I had asked him if there was any way to get a copy of Mathematica for less than retail, and he said the only way was through the educational discount. Bummer.
I was so happy when my boss said we could get home use licenses. Made my year!
Matthew