Opportunities AI Minute Newsroom 2026-08-24

A free year of Google's paid AI tier for students, in 140-plus markets — and the window closes on 31 December

Google announced on 19 August that verified college students can claim twelve months of its paid AI subscription at no cost. In the United States that means Google AI Pro, normally $19.99 a month, which includes four times the usual Gemini usage limits, access to Gemini Spark, Gemini inside Gmail and Google Docs, 5 TB of storage and Google Health Premium. Outside the United States the offer is one free year of Google AI Plus, available in more than 140 markets — the named exceptions are Bolivia, Albania, Canada, Macau, Hong Kong and Tunisia — with twice the usual usage limits, access to Gemini Omni and 400 GB of storage. Both offers are redeemed at one.google.com/ai-student, both require proof of college enrolment, and both close on 31 December 2026. Two conditions to read before you sign: a valid payment method is required at sign-up, and the plan renews automatically at full price after the twelve months unless you cancel. Google also added a Student Hub inside Gemini, which collects Study Notebooks, flashcards and practice quizzes in one place. A bundle of AI Pro with YouTube Premium is being offered at up to 70 percent off in selected markets.

Why it mattersIf you are a student, this is the least complicated thing on this list to act on: the requirement is enrolment, the benefit is a year of a tier most people cannot justify paying for, and the deadline is real. Two practical notes. First, check whether your country is among the 140-plus at the redemption link rather than assuming — the offer differs between the US tier and everywhere else, and a handful of markets are excluded outright. Second, the card on file will be charged in twelve months if you do nothing, so set a calendar reminder for a week before the anniversary at the moment you sign up, not later. For teachers, the Student Hub is worth a look for a different reason: study tools built into the assistant change what "doing the homework with AI" looks like in practice, and it is easier to set a class policy about a tool you have opened yourself.

✓ Verified · 3 sources

Read in the app — free, in 9 languages

Nine days left: Google's Africa AI Lab gives founders early access to unreleased Gemini and Veo models, and possible funding
2026-08-22 A free year of Google's paid AI plan is open to college students in 140-odd countries — and it has to be claimed by 31 December
2026-08-20 A 90-day agent-building contest opened on Friday: open to anyone anywhere, free to enter, ₹18 lakh in prizes, closes 15 November
2026-08-17 A paid eight-week alignment fellowship closes on Monday — and it asks for no institution behind you
2026-08-15 Two weeks left: Google's Accra lab offers African founders DeepMind models before anyone else sees them
2026-08-14

A free year of Google's paid AI tier for students, in 140-plus markets — and the window closes on 31 December

Related stories