Google Makes Its Most Powerful AI Tools Free for All U.S. College Students
Credit: NurPhoto / NurPhoto / Getty Images- College students can now sign up for free access to Google AI Pro.
- Google is providing students 12 months of access to Gemini 2.5 Pro, Deep Research, Veo 3, and more.
- Google also announced plans to invest $1 billion over the next three years for AI education and training in the U.S.
- The free AI Pro access is available for college students in the U.S., Japan, Indonesia, Korea, and Brazil.
Google’s most powerful AI tools are now free for college students.
Students can now sign up for a year of free Google AI Pro access, according to an announcement from Google CEO Sundar Pichai. He said that one of Google’s goals is to upskill the workforce for AI.
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“Knowing how to use this technology will also serve these students well as they transition to the world of work,” Pichai wrote in that announcement. “That’s why we are building on our years of experience with the Google Career Certificates to offer AI training free for all college students.”
That suite of AI tools would normally cost $200 for a year of access and includes:
- Its Gemini 2.5 Pro model, Google’s most advanced large language model, capable of “quick homework and writing help:”
- Deep Research, which can write custom research reports.
- NotebookLM, a research-focused AI tool that helps you organize your documents.
- Veo 3, which can turn text or photos into short videos.
- Expanded limits to the AI coding agent Jules
- And two terabytes of storage space.
Gemini also has a new Guided Learning mode, which helps students through problems with step-by-step assistance rather than just giving them the answer.
That mode was built in collaboration with students and teachers to function as a learning assistant rather than an instant problem solver.
Students can sign up for the AI suite through Oct. 6.
This isn’t the first time this year Google has announced free AI access for college students. The company announced this spring that students with a .edu email could sign up for a year of free AI access. However, the new initiative represents a broader rollout and a deeper investment in AI education.
Free AI Training and Google Career Certificates
In addition to access to AI tools, Google is offering free AI training and Google Career Certificates to all college students in the U.S.
More than 100 public universities have already joined the Google AI for Education Accelerator Program, part of a $1 billion commitment by the company to advance AI training nationwide.
“Getting our most powerful technology into students’ hands — while supporting them with training and infrastructure — is how they’ll shape the AI platform shift and make sure it benefits everyone,” Pichai said. “We can’t wait to see what the next generation of builders, artists and thinkers will do.”
Higher Education Embraces AI
College students have rapidly adopted AI tools in their academic lives.
Earlier this year, OpenAI reported that one-third of college-aged adults said they were using ChatGPT.
That number is likely higher when other models are taken into account: BestColleges’ 2025 Online Education Trends report found that 6 in 10 online college students reported using AI.
In the past year, colleges have partnered with tech companies in a bid to bring AI education to students. That includes ChatGPT Edu and OpenAI’s college partnerships along with efforts by Google and other tech companies to partner with higher education institutions.
The U.S. Department of Education has also prioritized AI learning. BestColleges previously reported that the department will give preference to grant proposals focusing on AI education.
“This priority is designed to support efforts that expand student understanding of AI and its real-world applications,” the department wrote. “The priority will also promote the appropriate integration of AI into education, providing AI training for educators, and fostering early exposure to AI concepts and technology to develop an AI-ready workforce and the next generation of American AI innovators.”