Overview
- Google announced the student program on Wednesday and is offering eligible college students one free year of a Google AI plan — AI Pro in the U.S. and AI Plus in most other countries — along with new study-focused features.
- The U.S. AI Pro student tier includes 4x higher Gemini usage limits, access to Gemini Spark and 5 terabytes of storage, while the international AI Plus tier provides Gemini Omni, higher but smaller usage limits and 400 gigabytes of storage.
- New learning tools launching now or in the coming weeks include a dedicated Student Hub, study notebooks that read uploaded course materials and add calendar deadlines with permission, Deep Research in Gemini Live for multi-step background reports, interactive visuals and practice quizzes in Search, and Lens step-by-step help for photographed problems.
- Students must be 18 or older, use a personal Google Account, verify enrollment through SheerID, and provide a payment method to claim the 12-month promotion, with availability and exact terms varying by country and local rules.
- Universities and commentators say the rollout widens access but also creates governance issues over what can be uploaded, how student data and cloud storage are used, and how instructors should update academic-integrity and account policies as AI tools become routine study aids.