Google Back-to-School Offer: Free 12-Month AI Plus Plan, Not for Canada [Update]

Google is offering post-secondary students a full year of Google AI features at no extra cost to help kick off the new school year, but it doesn’t apply to Canada.

As part of a worldwide back-to-school push, Google is rolling out free subscriptions to its premium AI tier for post-secondary students, but freebies vary by location.

Eligible post-secondary students in Canada can sign up for a free 12-month Google AI Plus plan (worth $6.99 CAD per month). The international offer includes access to the Gemini Omni model, double the usual usage limits inside the Gemini app, and 400 GB of cloud storage.

Along with the free plan, students gain access to new updated study features inside the Gemini app. Google says there’s also a dedicated student hub at gemini.google.com/students that pulls study tools into one spot. Students can organize class materials into study notebooks that automatically create step-by-step learning plans, practice quizzes, and progress trackers.

Gemini can also scan course syllabi to add assignment due dates and exam schedules directly into Google Calendar, provided the user gives permission. Man, talk about the life of a student being easier than ever before.

Google is also adding a Deep Research tool to Gemini Live, letting students run multi-step research reports hands-free while chatting through their study notes or Drive files.

Unfortunately, students in Canada don’t get this offer of free AI Plus (US students get AI Pro). The fine print says it’s only for “Eligible students in over 140 markets where Google AI Plus is available, except for in the U.S., Bolivia, Albania, Canada, Macau, Hong Kong, and Tunisia.”

Update August 20, 2026: This offer does not apply to Canada and the story has been updated.