TL;DR: Yes, there is a live Google AI student offer in India again, but it is not the same as last year. Google now gives eligible college students Google AI Plus free for 12 months, and you can redeem it until 31 December 2026. Google AI Pro itself is not free this time. Instead, students get up to 70% off a Google AI Pro + YouTube Premium bundle. The old free AI Pro offer from July 2025 closed on 15 September 2025.
Status check: This is a time-sensitive post, so I am mentioning the check date: 11 September 2026. The AI Plus student offer was live on this date as per Google’s official India blog.
When Google first announced the free Google AI Pro student offer in India in July 2025, it was one of the best student tech deals of the year. A full year of Google’s premium AI plan, free.
That offer ended. For a few months, there was nothing new for Indian students, and I had updated this post to say so.
Now Google has come back with a new academic-year offer. It is a different plan, with a different deadline, so here is the clear picture: what the new offer gives you, how it compares with the old one, and how to claim it.
Is Google AI free for students in India right now?
Short answer: yes, Google AI Plus is free for one year. Google AI Pro is discounted, not free.
Google’s official India blog post, “Start the academic year with one year of Gemini, on us”, says eligible college students can get one year of Google AI Plus at no cost. The offer can be redeemed until 31 December 2026.
Here is how the two offers compare:
| 2025 offer (expired) | 2026 offer (live) | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Google AI Pro | Google AI Plus |
| Free period | 12 months | 12 months |
| Last date to claim | 15 September 2025 | 31 December 2026 |
| Storage | 2 TB (with AI Pro) | 400 GB |
| AI Pro option | Included free | AI Pro + YouTube Premium at up to 70% off |
| After the free year | Renews at AI Pro price | Renews at about $4.99/month or the local equivalent |
So if someone tells you “Google AI Pro is free for Indian students”, that is old information. The free plan now is AI Plus.
What do you get with the free Google AI Plus plan?
As per Google’s announcement, the free student AI Plus plan includes:
- Gemini Omni access for study, writing, research and coding help.
- 2x higher usage limits in Gemini compared with the free plan.
- 400 GB of Google storage across Drive, Gmail and Photos.
- Study notebooks and Gemini Live for revision, quizzes and voice practice.
It is a smaller plan than AI Pro, but for most students this is enough. If your main need is higher Gemini limits and more storage for college files, AI Plus covers it.
Plan features change often, so check the live Gemini subscriptions page for India before you decide.
Who is eligible?
Short answer: college students in India with a personal Google account and a valid payment method.
- You should be a college student in one of the 140+ markets where Google AI Plus is available. India is included.
- Use a personal Google account, not only a college-managed Workspace account.
- Add a valid payment method at sign-up. You are not charged during the free year, but the plan renews after that unless you cancel.
- For the AI Pro + YouTube Premium discount, Google verifies student status through SheerID.
- Redeem before 31 December 2026.
The offer is not available in the US, Canada, Hong Kong, Macau, Bolivia, Albania and Tunisia, as per Google’s post. That does not affect Indian students, but it explains why some international guides say something different.
How to claim the offer
- Sign in with your personal Google account.
- Open the official claim page: one.google.com/ai-student. You can also start from gemini.google.com/students.
- Choose the free Google AI Plus student offer, or the discounted AI Pro + YouTube Premium bundle if you want the bigger plan.
- Add your payment method and confirm. For the Pro bundle, complete SheerID student verification.
- Put a reminder in your calendar a few days before the free year ends.
Only use the official Google and SheerID pages. Do not share college ID documents or card details on third-party “activation” sites or Telegram groups.
AI Plus free vs AI Pro at 70% off: which one should you pick?
Take the free AI Plus plan if:
- You mainly use Gemini for notes, summaries, assignments help and exam prep.
- 400 GB is enough for your Drive, Gmail and Photos.
- You do not want to pay anything this year.
Consider the discounted AI Pro + YouTube Premium bundle if:
- You hit Gemini limits often, or need Deep Research and higher NotebookLM limits for projects and research.
- You already pay for YouTube Premium, so the bundle replaces an existing expense.
- You need more storage than 400 GB.
My honest take: start with the free AI Plus plan. Use it seriously for a month. If you keep hitting limits, then look at the Pro bundle.
What happened to the 2025 free AI Pro offer?
Google announced the first India student offer on 15 July 2025. It gave eligible students aged 18+ a free one-year Google AI Pro plan, with student verification through SheerID. Registration closed on 15 September 2025.
Google’s announcement at that time mentioned a Google-Kantar report where 75% of Indians said they were looking for a daily collaborator to help them grow and excel.
If you claimed that offer in August or September 2025, your free year is ending around now. Open your Google One membership page and check:
- Your plan status and next billing date.
- Whether auto-renewal is on.
- How much of your 2 TB storage you are using. If you drop to a smaller plan, move or clean up files first.
Free trials are still subscriptions. I track renewals like this in a simple sheet, and I wrote about my setup in my Google Sheets spending tracker guide.
How students should use Gemini without blindly trusting it
This part matters more than the offer itself. The best use is not “write my assignment for me”. The better use is “help me understand this topic, test me, organise my notes, and show me where I might be wrong”.
Good ways to use Gemini as a student:
- Paste your notes and ask for a clean study outline.
- Upload a document and ask for likely exam questions.
- Ask it to explain a topic at beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels.
- Use it to generate flashcards, then check the answers yourself.
- Use it for mock interviews and resume feedback.
Bad ways to use it: submitting AI-written assignments without understanding them, trusting citations without opening the sources, and copying generated code without testing it.
Also, AI accounts are not password managers or secure vaults. I use Proton Pass for passwords and sensitive logins, and I explained why in my Proton Pass experience post.
FAQ
Is Google AI Pro free for students in India in 2026?
No. The 2026 student offer gives Google AI Plus free for 12 months. Google AI Pro is available with YouTube Premium at up to 70% off for verified students.
What is the last date to claim the free Google AI Plus offer?
Google says students can redeem the offer until 31 December 2026.
Does the offer need a payment method?
Yes. A valid payment method is needed at sign-up. After 12 months, the plan renews at about $4.99/month or the local currency equivalent unless you cancel.
I claimed the 2025 AI Pro offer. Can I claim this one too?
Check the claim page with your account. Eligibility can depend on your current subscription. If your AI Pro trial is still active, see your Google One page for the renewal date first.
Do I need a college email?
Not always. The discounted Pro bundle uses SheerID verification, which may ask for proof of enrolment. A college email helps but does not guarantee approval.
Summing Up!
The free Google AI Pro offer from 2025 is over, but Indian college students have a new deal: Google AI Plus free for one year, redeemable until 31 December 2026, plus up to 70% off AI Pro with YouTube Premium.
For most students, the free AI Plus plan is the sensible pick. Claim it from the official Google page, set a renewal reminder, and use it to actually learn faster, not to skip the thinking.