It probably is dodgy.
I am actually a computer animation student, perhaps I could be of some help.
If you do not want to torrent the software (which is illegal, but very practical), you can acquire any of the Autodesk creative suite for free if you are a student including Maya and Mudbox.
Sculptris is a good pixologic alternative to zBrush that is free, and there is always Blender--though I personally hate it.
Hope that helps!
