AI Student Discounts in 2026: Every Active Offer Compared

Four AI tools have live student discounts in 2026: Google Gemini, OpenAI ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot, and Perplexity. At Layer3Labs, we build AI workflows for small and mid-sized businesses, and every rollout we have done starts with checking what each plan costs after the promo ends. The most valuable current offers provide temporary free access rather than permanent discounts, which means renewal terms decide their true value.

Neither Claude by Anthropic nor Cursor publishes an individual student discount. Anthropic sells Claude for Education as a university-wide plan covering students, faculty and staff. Cursor maintains a free tier that requires no credit card and points students toward future campus events.

Redemption windows for the most generous promotions close by the end of 2026. OpenAI requires students to claim its four-month trial by October 31, 2026, while Google accepts claims for its one-year offer through December 31, 2026. Both trials require payment details upfront and automatically convert into standard paid monthly plans if not cancelled.

Every AI Student Discount in One Table

Gemini, ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot, and Perplexity offer active student pricing in 2026, while Claude and Cursor currently publish no individual student discounts.

The table below lists every verified offer available as of October 1, 2026.

GitHub Copilot is the one offer here that names high school and homeschool students as eligible; Gemini and ChatGPT require college enrollment. GitHub Copilot re-evaluates student status monthly.

AI Student Discounts: Two Fall Deadlines to Watch

Two AI student offers close in fall 2026: ChatGPT Plus on October 31 and Google AI Pro on December 31.

OpenAI requires eligible United States (US) college students to claim four free months of ChatGPT Plus by October 31, 2026, on the ChatGPT student page. The plan renews at $20 per month unless cancelled before the promotional period ends. When cancellation takes effect, any remaining promotional months are forfeited.

Google allows eligible US college students aged 18 and older to redeem 12 months of Google AI Pro until December 31, 2026, through the Gemini student portal. The subscription automatically renews at $19.99 per month after the trial ends unless cancelled earlier. Google requires users to verify eligibility each year to maintain student terms.

Both promotions require a valid payment method during registration. Set a calendar reminder near the 12-month mark for Google or before the fourth billing cycle concludes for OpenAI to prevent unwanted charges.

Which AI Student Discounts to Claim First

Pick the offer that matches your main task: writing, coding, or research.

Students seeking a general writing and coursework assistant should prioritize Google AI Pro or ChatGPT Plus. Google provides a full year of service valued at $19.99 per month, giving it three times the duration of the OpenAI promotion. The OpenAI offer lasts four billing periods, valued at $80 total, but includes access to ChatGPT Work.

Computer science and technical students should activate GitHub Copilot and the Codex credit program first. The Copilot Student plan provides free access with auto model selection and 200 monthly AI credits, alongside unlimited standard code completions as documented on the GitHub discussion portal. Verified university students in the US and Canada can also claim $100 in Codex credits through OpenAI Codex. Coding students who want more than auto model selection should budget $10 a month for Copilot Pro.

Researchers who review literature and track sources benefit most from Perplexity Education Pro. At $10 per month, Education Pro costs half the $20 Pro price and includes everything in Pro according to the Perplexity help center.

Available Offers for Students Outside the United States

The ChatGPT Plus and Google AI Pro offers are both US-only.

The four-month ChatGPT Plus promotion limits eligibility to students attending degree-granting institutions in the US. OpenAI does not publish an equivalent consumer promotion for students located overseas. Canadian students can, however, claim the $100 Codex credit grant alongside US peers.

Google structures its international promotion around a different product tier. As outlined on the Google product blog, students outside the US can receive one year of Google AI Plus free of charge, which includes 400 GB of cloud storage. The Google One support documentation notes that this AI Plus trial excludes Albania, Bolivia, Canada, Hong Kong, Macau, Tunisia, and the US.

GitHub's Copilot Student route runs through GitHub Education, which sets age and enrollment rules. Eligible students aged 13 and older can apply on the GitHub Education application portal by submitting dated school enrollment proof. GitHub re-evaluates student eligibility on a monthly schedule.

Tools with No Individual AI Student Discounts

Neither Claude nor Cursor publishes an individual student discount.

On the Claude pricing page, Claude Pro costs $20 per month or $17 per month when billed annually at $200 upfront. Anthropic offers Claude for Education as a university-wide institutional plan, but students cannot buy this tier individually. The official Claude campus programs page states that the program is closed for Fall 2026.

Cursor does not currently provide a discounted student subscription. The Cursor pricing page offers a Hobby plan at no cost without requiring a credit card, while Cursor Pro costs $20 per month. On the Cursor student portal, Cursor instructs students to watch for promotional access distributed during on-campus and online events starting this fall.

Expired AI Promotions Still Circulating Online

Outdated student offers continue to appear across discussion forums and third-party discount blogs.

Perplexity's free Pro promotion for students, known as the Race to Infinity, expired on December 31, 2024, as confirmed on the Perplexity promotional page. Perplexity now charges students $10 monthly for Education Pro through SheerID verification instead of offering free access.

Third-party claims promoting a free year of Cursor Pro for students describe an expired 2025 promotion that is no longer active. Similarly, the 2025 OpenAI student campaign across the US and Canada has ended. The current OpenAI offer is four free months of Plus for US students. Online guides that promise students free Copilot Pro are wrong. Eligible students get the separate Copilot Student plan, and Copilot Pro costs $10 a month on the GitHub plans page.

Campus Plans Paid by Universities

Universities buy some AI plans on behalf of their students.

OpenAI sells ChatGPT Edu to universities. Claude for Education is a university-wide plan covering students, faculty and staff. Teachers have their own offer, covered in our ChatGPT for Teachers guide.

Students whose universities provide enterprise contracts should skip personal trials entirely. Our recommendation would flip if Anthropic launches an individual student tier or if OpenAI expands its four-month trial outside the US. Ask your university IT office whether it provides ChatGPT Edu or Claude for Education seats before you enter a card for personal AI student discounts.