Google Offers Indian College Students A Free Year Of AI Plus, New Gemini Study Tools

Google has rolled out a fresh set of student-focused offers on its AI subscription plans in India, giving eligible college students free access to Google AI Plus for a year while introducing a suite of new Gemini-powered learning tools aimed at classroom and exam preparation.

What's on offer

Under the new programme, college students in India who are currently enrolled at an accredited, degree- or certificate-granting institution can claim a Google AI Plus subscription free for 12 months, a plan that normally costs around Rs 399 a month in the country. Google AI Plus includes access to Gemini with higher usage limits than the free tier, Google's AI-powered image, video and music generation tools, 400 GB of Google One cloud storage, and expanded access to NotebookLM along with Google's AI-driven study and research features.

Students who want more advanced capabilities can also opt for Google AI Pro at a discounted student rate of Rs 489 a month, or a bundled plan with YouTube Premium for Rs 550 a month, both valid for up to four years. The AI Pro tier offers higher usage limits across Gemini and Google's more advanced reasoning models, larger caps for image, video and music generation, expanded NotebookLM access, and 5 TB of Google One storage, along with YouTube Premium Lite bundled into the base subscription.

The offer is part of a global student push by Google; in markets where AI Plus is not available, such as the US, Canada and Hong Kong, eligible students instead get free access to AI Pro.

New Gemini features built for studying

Alongside the subscription offers, Google is rolling out a set of features specifically designed for coursework. A new "study notebooks" tool in Gemini lets students input a learning goal or upload course material, after which Gemini can run a diagnostic quiz to identify weak areas and build a personalised study plan of shorter, interactive lessons that adjust based on quiz performance. These notebooks sync with NotebookLM, letting students generate flashcards and other revision material from the same source content.

Google is also extending "Deep Research" to Gemini Live, allowing students to kick off multi-step research tasks that continue running in the background — even while the phone is locked — with a notification once the report is ready. In Search, the AI Mode feature can now generate study guides and interactive quizzes through Canvas, drawing on both web sources and material uploaded by the student.

To bring these tools together, Google has launched a dedicated Student Hub, accessible at gemini.google.com/students, which centralises study notebooks, flashcards and practice quizzes in one place.

How students can claim it

To access the free AI Plus offer, students need to visit Google's student offer page through Google One, sign in with a personal Google account, select their preferred plan and click "Get student offer." Eligibility is verified through SheerID, a third-party verification service, which requires students to confirm their enrolment details before the offer is activated. The promotion can reportedly be redeemed until the end of this year.

Why it matters

The move lands amid intensifying competition among AI companies to win over student users early, a demographic that tends to build long-term habits around whichever tools they adopt during their studies. It also follows similar aggressive positioning from rivals in the AI assistant space targeting India's large student population, as companies look to convert free users into paying subscribers once they enter the workforce.

This article is an original editorial summary based on publicly reported information. It has been independently written for publication and does not reproduce content from any single source.