The short version: the biggest student deal right now is a free year of Google AI Plus (AI Pro in the US), open in 140+ countries until December 31, 2026. If you code, GitHub Copilot is free through the GitHub Student Developer Pack. After those come 20–50% discounts on writing and research tools.

Here is every student offer we found on official pages, with the conditions and how to claim it.

The best free offers

Tool Offer Who Deadline
Google Gemini 12 months of Google AI Plus free (AI Pro in the US) Students 18+ in 140+ countries Dec 31, 2026
GitHub Copilot Copilot Student, free Students verified by GitHub Education Ongoing
Notion Education Plus plan, free University students and teachers with a school email Ongoing
Figma Professional plan, free Higher-ed students, educators, bootcamps Ongoing
Canva Canva for Education, free K-12 teachers and their students Ongoing
ChatGPT 4 months of Plus free (offer ended) US college and grad students only Ended Oct 31, 2026

A free year of Google AI

Google relaunched its student offer in August 2026: US college students get Google AI Pro, and students in more than 140 other markets get Google AI Plus, free for 12 months.

  • You must be 18 or older and enrolled at a college or university.
  • Verification runs through SheerID at gemini.google/students — have your school email or an enrollment document ready.
  • Redeem by December 31, 2026.
  • A few countries are excluded (the published list includes Canada, Hong Kong and Tunisia), so check yours on the official page first.
  • The plan can renew at the paid price after 12 months — set a reminder if you don't want to keep it.

GitHub Copilot for students

Copilot Student is free through the GitHub Student Developer Pack (education.github.com/pack). You need a GitHub account and proof of enrollment (school email or student ID). Sign-ups reopened in June 2026. It is the right first step before paying for Cursor or anything else — see our AI coding tools pricing guide.

Percentage discounts

Tool Discount Who
Perplexity Pro for $10/month instead of $20 Verified students and educators
Grammarly 50% off Premium Educators (not students), US military, first responders
Wordtune 30% off Advanced and Unlimited Verified students
Writesonic 30% off annual plans Students and non-profits
QuillBot 20% off Premium Verified students and educators
Jasper 20% off Students, teachers, non-profits
Murf Extra 20% on top of annual savings Verified students and educators
Jenni AI Discount via Student Beans Students

What about Claude?

As of October 2026 we found no individual student discount on Claude's official pricing page. Anthropic runs Claude for Education with universities, so ask whether your school has it. Otherwise the cheapest routes are Claude's free plan or Claude Pro billed yearly ($17/month instead of $20). Full prices are in ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini.

How to pass student verification

  1. Use your school email where you can — it is the fastest route for most tools.
  2. Prepare a recent official document showing your name, your school and the current term (enrollment letter or student ID).
  3. Type your name exactly as it appears on the document — mismatched spelling is the most common reason for rejection.
  4. Never use fake documents or bought accounts — the subscription can be cancelled and the account closed.
  5. Set a reminder before the free period ends so your card isn't charged automatically.

Our suggested order

  1. Claim the free Google AI Plus year before December 31, 2026.
  2. If you code, claim GitHub Copilot.
  3. Add Notion and Figma if you use them.
  4. Only then pay for one discounted subscription (for example Perplexity at $10) if you really need it.

More ways to save: how to pay less for AI tools.

Sources

Offers checked: October 2026. Student programs change quickly — confirm the terms on the official page before signing up.