<PAGE>   1
    AS FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION ON AUGUST 4, 1998

                                           REGISTRATION NO. 333-__________
                                                                 
============================================================================

                                    FORM S-8

                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                    UNDER THE
                             SECURITIES ACT OF 1933


                               ANSOFT CORPORATION
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)



             Delaware                                    72-1001901
   (State or other jurisdiction             (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
 of incorporation or organization)


         Four Station Square, Suite 660, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219
               (Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)


                    ANSOFT CORPORATION 1995 STOCK OPTION PLAN
                              (Full title of plan)


       Corporation Trust Center, 1209 Orange Street, Wilmington, Delaware
                     (Name and address of agent for service)


                                  302-777-0205
          (Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

                         CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE



<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                              Proposed
                                                      Proposed                 maximum
  Title of securities       Amount to be          maximum offering       aggregate offering          Amount of
   to be registered          registered        price per unit ($) (1)         price ($)(1)      registration fee ($)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S>                            <C>                     <C>                    <C>                    <C>
     Common Stock              850,000                 $5.1875                 $4,409,375             $1,301    
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
</TABLE>


(1)      The price is estimated solely for purpose of calculating the
         registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(h)(1). The offering price and fee
         are computed based on the average of the last sale price of the
         registrant's common stock as reported on the NASDAQ National Market
         System on August 3, 1998.


<PAGE>   2





                                     PART II


               INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT


Item 3.  Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

         The following documents which have been filed with the Commission by
Ansoft Corporation (the "Company") are incorporated herein by reference and made
a part hereof:

         (a)      The Company's latest annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal
                  year ended April 30, 1998;

         (b)      The description of the Company's common stock which is
                  contained in the Company's registration statement on Form
                  8-A/A filed with the Commission, including any amendment or
                  report filed for the purpose of updating such description; and

         (c)      All documents filed by the Company with the Commission
                  pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the
                  Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, after the date of
                  this registration statement and prior to the filing of a
                  post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities
                  offered have been sold or which deregisters all securities
                  then remaining unsold shall be deemed to be incorporated by
                  reference into this registration statement and to be a part
                  hereof from the date of filing of such documents. Any
                  statement contained in a document incorporated by reference
                  herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for
                  purposes of this registration statement to the extent that a
                  statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed
                  document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by
                  reference herein modified or supersedes such statement. Any
                  statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed,
                  except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of
                  this registration statement.

Item 4.  Description of Securities.  Not applicable.

Item 5.  Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.  Not applicable.

Item 6.  Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

         Reference is made to Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation
Law , as amended (the "DGCL") and Article Seven of the Company's Amended and
Restated Certificate of Incorporation, which provides that a corporation may
indemnify any person who was or is a part or is threatened to be made a party to
any threatened, pending or completed legal action, suit or proceeding, whether
civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in
the right of such corporation) by reason of the fact that such person is or was
a director, officer, employee or agent of such corporation, or is or was serving
at the request of such corporation in such capacity of another corporation or
business organization. The indemnity may include expenses (including attorneys'
fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably
incurred by such director, officer, employee or agent in connection with such
action, suit or proceeding if such person acted in good faith an in a manner
such person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interest of
the corporation, and ,with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no
reasonable cause to believe that such person's 



<PAGE>   3




conduct was unlawful. A Delaware corporation may indemnify officers and
directors in an action by or in the right of a corporation under the same
conditions, except that no indemnification is permitted without judicial
approval if the officer or director is adjudged to be liable to the corporation.
Where an officer or director is successful on the merits or otherwise in the
defense of any action referred to above, the corporation must indemnify him
against he expenses that such officer of director actually and reasonably
incurred.

         Reference is also made to Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL, which enables
a corporation in its certificate of incorporation to eliminate or limit the
personal liability of a director for violations of a director's fiduciary duty,
except for liability (i) for any breach of the director's duty of loyalty to the
corporation or its stockholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not I good faith or
which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) under
Section 174 of the DGCL (providing for liability of directors for unlawful
payment of dividends or unlawful stock purchases or redemptions) or (iv) for any
transaction from which the director derived an improper benefit.

Item 7.  Exemptions from Registration Claimed.  Not applicable.

Item 8.  Exhibits.

Exhibit No.         Description

4.1                 1995 Stock Option Plan 

5.1                 Opinion of Buchanan Ingersoll Professional Corporation
                    regarding the legality of the shares of Common Stock of the
                    Company being registered hereby

23.1                Consent of Buchanan Ingersoll Professional Corporation

23.2                Consent of KPMG Peat Marwick LLP

24.1                Powers of Attorney 

Item 9.  Undertakings.

         (1)      The Registrant hereby undertakes:

                  (a) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are
being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement to any
material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously
disclosed in this Registration Statement or any material change to such
information in the Registration Statement;

                  (b) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under
the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a
new registration statement relating to the securities offered herein, and the
offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona
fide offering thereof; and



<PAGE>   4




                  (c) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective
amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the
termination of the offering.

         (2) The Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining
any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the Registrant's
annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act of
1934 that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement shall be
deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered
therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be
the initial bona fide offering thereof.

         (3) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the
Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling
persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions or otherwise, the
Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such
indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of
1933, and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for
indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the
Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling
person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or
proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in
connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in
the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent,
submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such
indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities
Act of 1933 and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.



<PAGE>   5
                                        


                                   SIGNATURES

         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the
registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all
of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this registration
statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly
authorized, in the City of Pittsburgh, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, on August
4, 1998.

                                               ANSOFT CORPORATION


                                                   /s/ NICHOLAS CSENDES
                                                   -----------------------------
                                                       Nicholas Csendes,
                                                       Chief Executive Officer

         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this
registration statement has been signed by the following person in the capacities
and on the date indicated.

         KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS that each person whose signature appears
below constitutes and appoints Nicholas Csendes and Anthony L. Ryan, and each of
them, his true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of
substitution and revocation, for him and in his name, place and stead, in any
and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective
amendments) to this Registration Statement, and any additional Registration
Statements relating to the same offering, filed pursuant to Rule 462 and to file
the same with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith,
with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said
attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do
and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done, as
fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby
ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents or any of
them, or their substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue
hereof.

August 4, 1998    /s/ ZOLTAN J. CENDES, Ph.D.     Director and 
                --------------------------------- Chairman of the Board
                    Zoltan J. Cendes, Ph.D.

August 4, 1998        /s/ NICHOLAS CSENDES        Director and 
                --------------------------------- Chief Executive Officer
                        Nicholas Csendes

August 4, 1998       /s/ THOMAS A.N. MILLER       Director
                ---------------------------------
                       Thomas A.N. Miller

August 4, 1998  /s/ ULRICH L. ROHDE, Ph.D.        Director
                ---------------------------------
                     Ulrich L. Rohde, Ph.D.

August 4, 1998        /s/ JOHN N. WHELIHAN        Director
                ---------------------------------
                        John N. Whelihan

August 4, 1998     /s/ JACOB K. WHITE, Ph.D.      Director
                ---------------------------------
                     Jacob K. White, Ph.D.

August 4, 1998        /s/ ANTHONY L. RYAN         Chief Financial Officer
                ---------------------------------
                        Anthony L. Ryan


<PAGE>   6






Exhibit Index

Exhibit
Number              Description

4.1                 1995 Stock Option Plan (Incorporated herein by reference
                    from Registration Statement No. 333-1398.)

5.1*                Opinion of Buchanan Ingersoll Professional Corporation
                    regarding the legality of the shares of Common Stock of the
                    Company being registered hereby

23.1*               Consent of Buchanan Ingersoll Professional Corporation
                    (Included in their opinion filed as Exhibit 5.1 hereto.)

23.2*               Consent of KPMG Peat Marwick LLP

24.1*               Powers of Attorney (Included as part of the signature pages
                    hereof.)


-------------------------
*  Filed herewith.
[{"type": "S-8", "sequence": "1", "description": "ANSOFT CORPORATION", "secsgml_size_bytes": 14771}]
{"company-data": {"conformed-name": "ANSOFT CORP", "cik": "0000849433", "assigned-sic": "7372", "irs-number": "721001901", "state-of-incorporation": "PA", "fiscal-year-end": "0430"}, "filing-values": {"form-type": "S-8", "act": "33", "file-number": "333-60581", "film-number": "98676839"}, "business-address": {"street1": "FOUR STATION SQUARE", "street2": "STE 660", "city": "PITTSBURGH", "state": "PA", "zip": "15219", "phone": "4122613200"}, "mail-address": {"street1": "4 STATION SQUARE", "street2": "STE 660", "city": "PITTSBURGH", "state": "PA", "zip": "15219"}}
1
    AS FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION ON AUGUST 4, 1998

                                           REGISTRATION NO. 333-__________
                                                                 
============================================================================

                                    FORM S-8

                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                    UNDER THE
                             SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                               ANSOFT CORPORATION
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

             Delaware                                    72-1001901
   (State or other jurisdiction             (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
 of incorporation or organization)

         Four Station Square, Suite 660, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219
               (Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

                    ANSOFT CORPORATION 1995 STOCK OPTION PLAN
                              (Full title of plan)

       Corporation Trust Center, 1209 Orange Street, Wilmington, Delaware
                     (Name and address of agent for service)

                                  302-777-0205
          (Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

                         CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                              Proposed
                                                      Proposed                 maximum
  Title of securities       Amount to be          maximum offering       aggregate offering          Amount of
   to be registered          registered        price per unit ($) (1)         price ($)(1)      registration fee ($)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Common Stock              850,000                 $5.1875                 $4,409,375             $1,301    
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1)      The price is estimated solely for purpose of calculating the
         registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(h)(1). The offering price and fee
         are computed based on the average of the last sale price of the
         registrant's common stock as reported on the NASDAQ National Market
         System on August 3, 1998.
2

                                     PART II

               INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3.  Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

         The following documents which have been filed with the Commission by
Ansoft Corporation (the "Company") are incorporated herein by reference and made
a part hereof:

         (a)      The Company's latest annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal
                  year ended April 30, 1998;

         (b)      The description of the Company's common stock which is
                  contained in the Company's registration statement on Form
                  8-A/A filed with the Commission, including any amendment or
                  report filed for the purpose of updating such description; and

         (c)      All documents filed by the Company with the Commission
                  pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the
                  Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, after the date of
                  this registration statement and prior to the filing of a
                  post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities
                  offered have been sold or which deregisters all securities
                  then remaining unsold shall be deemed to be incorporated by
                  reference into this registration statement and to be a part
                  hereof from the date of filing of such documents. Any
                  statement contained in a document incorporated by reference
                  herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for
                  purposes of this registration statement to the extent that a
                  statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed
                  document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by
                  reference herein modified or supersedes such statement. Any
                  statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed,
                  except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of
                  this registration statement.

Item 4.  Description of Securities.  Not applicable.

Item 5.  Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.  Not applicable.

Item 6.  Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

         Reference is made to Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation
Law , as amended (the "DGCL") and Article Seven of the Company's Amended and
Restated Certificate of Incorporation, which provides that a corporation may
indemnify any person who was or is a part or is threatened to be made a party to
any threatened, pending or completed legal action, suit or proceeding, whether
civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in
the right of such corporation) by reason of the fact that such person is or was
a director, officer, employee or agent of such corporation, or is or was serving
at the request of such corporation in such capacity of another corporation or
business organization. The indemnity may include expenses (including attorneys'
fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably
incurred by such director, officer, employee or agent in connection with such
action, suit or proceeding if such person acted in good faith an in a manner
such person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interest of
the corporation, and ,with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no
reasonable cause to believe that such person's
3

conduct was unlawful. A Delaware corporation may indemnify officers and
directors in an action by or in the right of a corporation under the same
conditions, except that no indemnification is permitted without judicial
approval if the officer or director is adjudged to be liable to the corporation.
Where an officer or director is successful on the merits or otherwise in the
defense of any action referred to above, the corporation must indemnify him
against he expenses that such officer of director actually and reasonably
incurred.

         Reference is also made to Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL, which enables
a corporation in its certificate of incorporation to eliminate or limit the
personal liability of a director for violations of a director's fiduciary duty,
except for liability (i) for any breach of the director's duty of loyalty to the
corporation or its stockholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not I good faith or
which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) under
Section 174 of the DGCL (providing for liability of directors for unlawful
payment of dividends or unlawful stock purchases or redemptions) or (iv) for any
transaction from which the director derived an improper benefit.

Item 7.  Exemptions from Registration Claimed.  Not applicable.

Item 8.  Exhibits.

Exhibit No.         Description

4.1                 1995 Stock Option Plan 

5.1                 Opinion of Buchanan Ingersoll Professional Corporation
                    regarding the legality of the shares of Common Stock of the
                    Company being registered hereby

23.1                Consent of Buchanan Ingersoll Professional Corporation

23.2                Consent of KPMG Peat Marwick LLP

24.1                Powers of Attorney 

Item 9.  Undertakings.

         (1)      The Registrant hereby undertakes:

                  (a) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are
being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement to any
material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously
disclosed in this Registration Statement or any material change to such
information in the Registration Statement;

                  (b) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under
the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a
new registration statement relating to the securities offered herein, and the
offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona
fide offering thereof; and
4

                  (c) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective
amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the
termination of the offering.

         (2) The Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining
any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the Registrant's
annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act of
1934 that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement shall be
deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered
therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be
the initial bona fide offering thereof.

         (3) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the
Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling
persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions or otherwise, the
Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such
indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of
1933, and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for
indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the
Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling
person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or
proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in
connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in
the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent,
submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such
indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities
Act of 1933 and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
5
                                        

                                   SIGNATURES

         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the
registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all
of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this registration
statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly
authorized, in the City of Pittsburgh, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, on August
4, 1998.

                                               ANSOFT CORPORATION

                                                   /s/ NICHOLAS CSENDES
                                                   -----------------------------
                                                       Nicholas Csendes,
                                                       Chief Executive Officer

         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this
registration statement has been signed by the following person in the capacities
and on the date indicated.

         KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS that each person whose signature appears
below constitutes and appoints Nicholas Csendes and Anthony L. Ryan, and each of
them, his true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of
substitution and revocation, for him and in his name, place and stead, in any
and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective
amendments) to this Registration Statement, and any additional Registration
Statements relating to the same offering, filed pursuant to Rule 462 and to file
the same with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith,
with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said
attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do
and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done, as
fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby
ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents or any of
them, or their substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue
hereof.

August 4, 1998    /s/ ZOLTAN J. CENDES, Ph.D.     Director and 
                --------------------------------- Chairman of the Board
                    Zoltan J. Cendes, Ph.D.

August 4, 1998        /s/ NICHOLAS CSENDES        Director and 
                --------------------------------- Chief Executive Officer
                        Nicholas Csendes

August 4, 1998       /s/ THOMAS A.N. MILLER       Director
                ---------------------------------
                       Thomas A.N. Miller

August 4, 1998  /s/ ULRICH L. ROHDE, Ph.D.        Director
                ---------------------------------
                     Ulrich L. Rohde, Ph.D.

August 4, 1998        /s/ JOHN N. WHELIHAN        Director
                ---------------------------------
                        John N. Whelihan

August 4, 1998     /s/ JACOB K. WHITE, Ph.D.      Director
                ---------------------------------
                     Jacob K. White, Ph.D.

August 4, 1998        /s/ ANTHONY L. RYAN         Chief Financial Officer
                ---------------------------------
                        Anthony L. Ryan
6

Exhibit Index

Exhibit
Number              Description

4.1                 1995 Stock Option Plan (Incorporated herein by reference
                    from Registration Statement No. 333-1398.)

5.1*                Opinion of Buchanan Ingersoll Professional Corporation
                    regarding the legality of the shares of Common Stock of the
                    Company being registered hereby

23.1*               Consent of Buchanan Ingersoll Professional Corporation
                    (Included in their opinion filed as Exhibit 5.1 hereto.)

23.2*               Consent of KPMG Peat Marwick LLP

24.1*               Powers of Attorney (Included as part of the signature pages
                    hereof.)

-------------------------
*  Filed herewith.