Which AI tools are free for students in 2026?

GitHub Copilot is free for verified students (the Copilot Student plan: unlimited completions plus 200 AI credits a month). OpenAI gives verified US and Canada university students $100 in free Codex credits. Canva Education is free for K-12 students, Notion gives students a free Plus workspace, and Figma is free for students and teachers.

Is Gemini still free for students?

No. Google's free 12-month Google AI Pro offer for students has ended. Google's own student page states the offer closed on 11 March 2026 in the US and 9 December 2025 in some other regions. Sites still advertising a free year of Gemini for students are out of date. Google AI Pro now costs $19.99/month, and a 1-month free trial is available to anyone.

Is there a Claude student discount?

There is no individual student discount for Claude. Claude for Education is a university-wide plan that an institution buys for its students and staff, so you cannot claim it yourself. If your university has signed up you get access through them. Otherwise use the free Claude tier, or Claude Pro at $17/month billed annually.

Does ChatGPT have a student discount?

Not on ChatGPT Plus. OpenAI ran limited-time free-Plus promotions for US and Canada students previously, but that offer has ended and the help article describing it now returns a 404. What students can get is $100 in free Codex credits for OpenAI's coding agent, verified through SheerID with a university email.

Do AI student discount codes work?

No. The major AI tools do not issue student coupon codes. Real student offers work through verification of your student status, usually a school email or SheerID, not a code you paste at checkout. Any site listing a student promo code for ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini is not legitimate.

AI deals for students

11 tools checked · Verified 2026-07-16 by Michael Okeje · How we verify

5 AI tools are genuinely free for students right now: GitHub Copilot (free Copilot Student plan), $100 in OpenAI Codex credits, plus Canva (K-12), Notion and Figma. Microsoft 365 with Copilot is $4.99/month. But two of the most-searched offers are dead ends: Gemini's free year for students has ended, and Claude has no individual student discount. Every claim below was read on the vendor's own page.

There are no student promo codes. Real student offers work by verifying who you are, normally a school email or SheerID, not a code you paste at checkout. Any site listing a “student discount code” for ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini is making it up.

Genuinely free for students

Verified, currently live, and claimable by an individual student.

GitHub Copilot

Free for students

Free 'Copilot Student' plan: unlimited code completions plus 200 AI credits a month. Note this is no longer full Copilot Pro - since March 2026 students get a dedicated Student plan with automatic model selection instead of manual model choice.

WHO: Verified students and teachers at a degree- or diploma-granting school, anywhere. Also free for maintainers of popular open-source projects.
HOW: When sign-ups resume, apply through the GitHub Student Developer Pack at education.github.com with a school email or proof of enrollment. Use Copilot Free while the pause remains.
LIST: $10/mo (Pro)

HEADS UP GitHub temporarily paused new Copilot paid and student plan sign-ups on April 20, 2026. Existing student access continues, but new applicants should use Copilot Free and check the official status before expecting activation.

Full GitHub Copilot student details →Source: GitHub documentation ↗

OpenAI Codex

Free for students

$100 in free Codex credits (2,500 credits) for OpenAI's AI coding agent. Works with a free ChatGPT account, so you do not need to pay for Plus to use it.

WHO: Enrolled at a degree-granting university in the US or Canada, and residing there when you claim. One per student.
HOW: Verify with a university email through SheerID at chatgpt.com/codex/students. Credits expire 12 months after they are granted.
LIST: Credits are a paid add-on

Full OpenAI Codex student details →Source: OpenAI ↗

Canva

Free for students

Canva Education gives free Pro-level access, and Canva has committed to keeping it 100% free for K-12.

WHO: K-12 (primary and secondary) students and educators only. University students do not qualify.
HOW: Teachers apply first with an education email, then invite their students into a class workspace.
LIST: $12.99/mo (Pro)

Full Canva student details →Source: Canva ↗

Notion

Free for students

Free Notion Plus on a one-member workspace. Student organisations can get a free unlimited-member plan.

WHO: Signed in with an institutional email from a school listed in the World Higher Education Database. Notion accepts only educational email, not student IDs.
HOW: Upgrade from the Free plan on desktop or web (not mobile).
LIST: Plus is paid

HEADS UP Notion's education page never mentions Notion AI. Third parties claim a student AI discount; we could not confirm that on any Notion page, so treat AI access as not included.

Full Notion student details →Source: Notion ↗

Figma

Free for students

Figma and FigJam free, including Dev Mode.

WHO: Students and teachers, with separate K-12 and higher-ed tracks.
HOW: Apply at figma.com/education/apply.
LIST: Professional is paid

Full Figma student details →Source: Figma ↗

Real student discounts

Not free, but genuinely cheaper if you verify as a student.

Microsoft 365 + Copilot

Student discount

Microsoft 365 with Microsoft Copilot, 1TB of storage and advanced security for $4.99/month.

WHO: Full-time and part-time students enrolled at accredited universities and colleges, with a valid Microsoft account.
HOW: Verify your student status with an EDU email.
LIST: Higher on standard consumer plans

HEADS UP Microsoft announced a '12 months free' student promotion in January 2026, but the live pricing page now shows $4.99/month, so that promo appears to have lapsed. Do not count on the free year.

Full Microsoft 365 + Copilot student details →Source: Microsoft ↗

Perplexity

Student discount

Education Pro gives verified students and educators everything in Perplexity Pro at a reduced price: unlimited Pro searches, premium models, file uploads and Learn Mode.

WHO: Verified students and educators, via SheerID. Any email address works to sign up.
HOW: Click upgrade, switch to the Education plan, then choose 'Verify as student' and complete SheerID.
LIST: $20/mo (Pro)

HEADS UP Perplexity's own help page only says 'at a discount' and never states a price. The widely-repeated $10/month figure comes from third parties, so we are not stating it as fact.

Full Perplexity student details →Source: Perplexity help centre ↗

Ended, restricted, or never existed

The offers people search for most are often the ones that are gone. Most sites still list these as live. They are not.

Google AI Pro (Gemini)

Offer ended

Google's free 12-month Google AI Pro offer for students has ENDED. Google's own student page now states the offer is no longer available: it closed on 11 March 2026 in the US and 9 December 2025 in some other regions. Anyone still advertising 'Gemini free for a year for students' is out of date.

WHO: No longer open to new students. A 1-month free Pro trial is still available to anyone.
HOW: Nothing to claim. If you redeemed before your region's deadline, your 12 months run their course.
LIST: $19.99/mo (Google AI Pro)

HEADS UP Google's student page is geo-conditional. We confirmed the offer has ended from two regions, but we cannot speak for all 140+ countries - check gemini.google/students from your own country.

Full Google AI Pro (Gemini) student details →Source: Google ↗

Claude

Via your university only

There is no individual student discount. 'Claude for Education' is a university-wide plan an institution buys for its students, faculty and staff - you cannot claim it yourself. If your university has signed up, you get access through them.

WHO: Only if your university has purchased Claude for Education.
HOW: Ask your university IT or library whether they have a Claude for Education plan. Otherwise use the free Claude tier.
LIST: $17/mo annual, $20/mo monthly (Pro)

Full Claude student details →Source: Anthropic ↗

ChatGPT Plus

No student pricing

No student discount on ChatGPT Plus. OpenAI ran limited-time free-Plus promotions for US and Canada students in the past, but that is over and the help article describing it now 404s. Students should look at the free Codex credits above instead.

WHO: Not applicable.
HOW: Use the free tier, or the Go plan at $8/month if you want paid features cheaply.
LIST: $20/mo (Plus), $8/mo (Go)

Full ChatGPT Plus student details →Source: OpenAI ↗

Midjourney

No student pricing

No student pricing and no free tier. The cheapest way in is the Basic plan billed annually.

WHO: Not applicable.
HOW: Use annual billing for 20% off, or a free alternative.
LIST: $10/mo ($8/mo annual)

Full Midjourney student details →Source: Midjourney ↗

How student verification actually works

Nearly every real offer runs through one of three checks. A school email is the fastest route and is all GitHub or Microsoft usually need. SheerID is a third-party verifier used by OpenAI and Perplexity: you enter your school and graduation year and it checks enrollment databases, with a document upload as fallback. The GitHub Student Developer Pack works as a hub: once GitHub approves you, Copilot and dozens of other tools unlock together.

If your university does not issue a recognisable academic email, which is common outside the US, upload an enrollment letter, dated student ID, or transcript instead. Approval normally takes anywhere from minutes to a few business days.

Want the full explanation of eligibility, teacher programs and what to do if you do not qualify? Read the complete guide to AI tools for students. Not a student? See all verified AI deals.

Student offers change fast and several are geo-restricted, so always confirm on the vendor's own page before relying on one. If you spot an offer we have missed or one that has changed, tell us and we will verify it.