Q: Why can't I activate Student MATLAB for Linux when connected by wireless?

Answer

As noted in http://www.mathworks.com/support/solutions/en/data/1-661QJD/index.html?solution=1-661QJD, your workstation must be connected via the ethN device in order to activate.

On Ubuntu, you can find the udev rules.d file is /etc/udev/rules.d/70-persistent-net.rules.

The article listed above has workarounds for computers without an ethN device (e.g. netbooks that just have WiFi).

This is a MathWorks-imposed restriction that IS&T has no control over.