Gemini student offer: how to get a free year of Google AI Pro or AI Plus before December 31, and who can claim it

Gemini is free for students for a year if you claim Google’s student offer by December 31, 2026. College and university students in the US get 12 months of Google AI Pro, and students in more than 140 other countries get 12 months of Google AI Plus. Both need you to prove you’re a student through SheerID and add a payment card, and both turn into a paid plan after the year unless you cancel.

Here’s how to claim it, who qualifies in each country, what each plan includes and what to check when the offer won’t work.

How to claim the Gemini student offer

Google’s student offer help page gives these steps:

1. Go to one.google.com/ai-student. The “Claim Free Student Plan” buttons on Google’s Gemini for Students page lead to the same offer.
2. Check you’re signed in to the personal Google Account you want the plan on.
3. Pick the student offer shown for your country.
4. Verify that you’re a student with SheerID when asked.
5. Finish signing up, including adding a payment method.

SheerID usually checks documents within a few minutes, but Google says it can take a few days at busy times. Don’t keep resubmitting the form: you only get a limited number of attempts. Once you’re verified, claim the offer on the same Google Account you started with, because your student verification can’t be moved to another account.

Who can claim the Gemini student offer?

Google’s offer terms say you must:

• Be 18 or over. Your age must be verified on your Google Account, and the birthday you give SheerID must match it.
• Be enrolled at a higher education institution, such as a college or university, in a country where the plan is sold. School pupils don’t qualify.
• Use a personal Google Account. School-issued accounts, including Workspace for Education accounts, can’t claim it.
• Add a payment method to your Google Payments account.

You can’t claim it if you’re a member of someone else’s Google One family plan (leave the family group first), if your account is supervised through Family Link, or if you get Google One through Google Fi, Pixel Pass or another partner. Each student can redeem it once.

If you had the AI Pro student trial Google ran in 2025 and early 2026, there’s still a way in. Google says US students whose 2025 trial has expired can claim the new free year, and anyone still on that trial “may be eligible for a limited-time discount on regular Google AI plans” when it ends.

What you get: Google AI Pro in the US, AI Plus everywhere else

Which plan you get depends on the country you study in. Google set it out in its August 19 announcement:

From Google’s announcement, Gemini for Students page and Google One help. Usage limits are compared with a Google Account that has no AI plan.

Google’s terms add that students “may experience different usage limits” from paying members, and that limits can change without notice. Our guide to Gemini’s five-hour and weekly limits explains how those limits work and how to check yours. AI Pro is also the plan that unlocks Gemini 4 Argon, Google’s most powerful model, in the Gemini app.

Google also sells two student deals that aren’t free: Google AI Pro at a student discount outside the US, and AI Pro bundled with YouTube Premium for students at up to 70% off in selected countries. Both last as long as you’re a student, for up to four years, and you must reverify with SheerID about every 12 months.

Gemini student offer last date: December 31, 2026

The last date to claim the offer is December 31, 2026. The 12 free months start on the day you redeem it, not on December 31, so a December claim keeps the plan free until December 2027.

Based on 12 months from the day you redeem. Check your exact renewal date in Google One.

When the year is up, the plan renews at the standard monthly price for your country unless you cancel, and Google says it will tell you before that happens. You can cancel at any time, and Google says your membership “may remain active until the end of the Offer Period”. One catch: if your files grow past your normal storage limit during the free year and you then cancel, you can’t store anything new until you delete files or pay for storage.

Switching plans has its own rules. If you already pay for AI Pro and switch to the AI Plus student trial, you keep AI Pro until the end of your billing period. If you upgrade from the free year to a paid plan, you can’t go back to the trial. And if you pay for Google One through the Apple App Store or a mobile carrier, cancel that plan first; plans billed through Google Play can switch straight over.

Gemini student offer not working? What to check

Google’s help page lists the usual reasons a claim fails:

• Wrong account. Claim on the Google Account you were signed in to when you started the SheerID check.
• School account. Use a personal Gmail account, not one from your university.
• Age not verified. Verify your age at myaccount.google.com/age-verification and make sure your SheerID birthday matches.
• Family group. Members of someone else’s family plan must leave it first.
• Country mismatch. Your Google Play country (Android or web) or Google Payments profile (iPhone) must match the country where you live and study.
• Page keeps failing. Start again from one.google.com/ai-student in another browser, a private window or on a computer, and try a different network if campus Wi-Fi is weak.

Google also explains the SheerID errors students see most:

• “The name doesn’t match”: type your name exactly as it appears on your card, or upload an enrolment letter or fee statement showing your full name.
• “Doesn’t meet the date requirements”: upload something dated this academic year, such as a tuition receipt, class timetable or a screenshot of your student portal. You can upload more than one document.
• “You’ve reached the maximum amount of verification attempts”: after three failed tries, retrying won’t work. Email [email protected] or use SheerID’s support form.
• “Verification limit exceeded”: your student details were already used on another Google Account. Sign in to that one.

Gemini student offer in India, Pakistan, the UK, Canada and other countries

Students outside the US can claim the free year of AI Plus in any country where Google AI Plus is sold except Hong Kong, Macau and Tunisia, according to Google’s help page. Google’s AI Plus country list includes India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brazil, Mexico, the UK, Ireland, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and Turkey.

Canada is the one to check. Google’s August announcement listed Canada, Bolivia and Albania among the exceptions, but its current student help page doesn’t, and its AI Plus page now lists all three as places the plan is sold. If you study in Canada, the offer page shows what your account can claim; if no free year appears, the discounted AI Pro student plan is the fallback.

A VPN won’t change which offer you get. Google matches the offer to your Google Play or Payments country, and SheerID checks where you’re enrolled, which is why the free year of AI Pro stays with US students. Unlike OpenAI’s ChatGPT student offer, which was only for US students and closed on October 31, Google’s covers most of the world.

Last checked: November 9, 2026, against Google’s offer terms, Gemini for Students page and Google One help pages.

Frequently asked questions

Is Gemini free for students?

Yes, for 12 months, if you’re 18 or over, enrolled at a college or university, and claim Google’s student offer by December 31, 2026. Students in the US get Google AI Pro; students in more than 140 other countries get Google AI Plus.

What is the last date for the Gemini student offer?

December 31, 2026. The 12 free months start on the day you claim, so claiming on the last day gives you the plan until December 31, 2027.

Is the Gemini student offer available in India and Pakistan?

Yes. Students at colleges and universities in India and Pakistan can claim 12 months of Google AI Plus free. The free year of Google AI Pro is only for students in the US.

Is the Gemini student offer available in the UK and Canada?

UK students can claim a free year of Google AI Plus. Canada is less clear: Google’s August announcement excluded it, but Google’s current student help page doesn’t, so check what one.google.com/ai-student offers your account.

Do I need a credit card for the Gemini student offer?

Yes. You must add a valid payment method when you sign up. You aren’t charged during the 12 free months, but the plan renews at the normal monthly price afterwards unless you cancel.

Can I claim it with my university Google account?

No. School-issued Google accounts, including Workspace for Education accounts, aren’t eligible. Claim it on a personal Google Account; SheerID checks that you’re a student separately.

Can high school students get the Gemini student offer?

No. You must be 18 or over and enrolled at a higher education institution, such as a college or university.

What happens when the free year ends?

The plan renews at the standard monthly price for your country, $19.99 for AI Pro in the US and $4.99 or the local equivalent for AI Plus, unless you cancel first. Google says it will tell you before the change.

Can I claim the Gemini student offer twice?

No. Each student can redeem it once. If SheerID says “Verification limit exceeded”, your details have already been used on another Google Account, so sign in to that one.

Sources: Google: Start the semester with one year of Gemini, on us, Gemini for Students, Google One AI Plan Membership Student Offer Terms, Claim a Google One student offer, Get a Google AI Plus membership and Use Google AI Pro benefits.