Student status unlocks a handful of genuinely useful AI offers. This guide covers how to claim them, what each actually pays for, and the one that is not what it looks like.
Before you start, set expectations honestly: much of what a student uses is not student-specific. The free AI API tiers — Gemini, Groq, OpenRouter, Cloudflare, Mistral, Cohere — are open to everyone and need no student verification. Claim those too.
1. Azure for Students — the cleanest student credit
Azure for Students gives verified students $100 in Azure credits “to be used within the first 12 months”, and Microsoft says you can “renew each year that you’re an active student”. Microsoft states plainly: “A credit card is not required for the Azure for Students offer.” You must be 18 or over and a full-time student at an accredited, degree-granting institution, and you verify with your school email. Microsoft’s student page lists Azure OpenAI among the services students can access. To renew, sign up for the offer again on the Azure for Students website — Microsoft emails a reminder before your anniversary.
One rule worth knowing in advance: a Microsoft account you have used for Azure for Students cannot later be used for Microsoft for Startups.
2. GitHub Student Developer Pack — Azure benefit and Copilot
Apply to the GitHub Student Developer Pack with proof of enrolment. Its Azure listing is not evidence of a second, stackable $100 grant; do not count the same benefit twice. Its AI-relevant benefits:
- Azure: “Free access to 25+ Microsoft Azure cloud services plus $100 in Azure credit”, for students aged 18+, with “no credit card required”. Students aged 13–17 get a set of Azure services without the credit.
- Copilot Student: the April 2026 sign-up pause is over — the pack page says “GitHub Copilot Student is available to verified students”, with “unlimited code completions and an allowance of GitHub AI Credits”. GitHub publishes no number for that allowance. Activate it from your education benefits page once approved; GitHub says approval and Copilot activation are separate steps.
3. JetBrains educational licence — AI inside the IDE
A free JetBrains educational licence carries the AI Free tier: 3 AI Credits every 30 days from first licence activation (JetBrains values a credit at USD 1.00), plus unlimited code completion and unlimited use of your own local models. JetBrains’ Student Pack page says “No card required”; it is for full-time students “in a program lasting one year or more”, verified with a university email. AI Pro is not included for students.
4. Google AI Pro for students — read the terms first
Eligible US college students aged 18+ can get 12 months of Google AI Pro free if they redeem by 31 December 2026. Three things to know: it is a consumer Gemini subscription, not API access; Google requires “Valid form of payment required at sign-up”; and “Unless cancelled earlier, Google AI Pro will automatically charge $19.99/month after the trial ends.” If you want the Gemini API, use the separate Gemini API free tier.
Spend the credit without wasting it
- Set a budget alert in the Azure portal on day one. It takes two minutes.
- Prototype on a free tier, not on the credit. Iterate on prompts with the Gemini free tier or Groq, and spend Azure credit on the work that needs it.
- Know what happens at zero. Microsoft’s terms say an Azure for Students subscription whose credit is exhausted is disabled until you upgrade.
- Do not create second accounts to multiply anything. Student programmes verify, and revoked credits cost more than they were worth. See combining free AI tiers legitimately.
If you are also building a company alongside your studies, check the startup AI credits pillar — Google’s Start tier requires no equity funding, while Anthropic’s general Claude Startups cohort is currently closed.
For the live, dated list of everything a student can claim, see the student AI credits pillar.