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Free AI credits for students

Student status unlocks a real AI budget: Microsoft's $100 Azure credit, Copilot Student and JetBrains' AI tier, all without a card. Here is what is verified and claimable today.

The short answer

The anchor offer is Microsoft’s $100 Azure credit. Azure for Students is the direct route: a school email, an affirmation that you are 18 or over and a full-time student at an accredited degree-granting institution, and no credit card — Microsoft states that outright, and the credit renews each year you are a student. The GitHub Student Developer Pack carries a $100 Azure benefit, with no card, alongside Copilot Student. It links to Azure for Students; do not count it as a second $100 grant.

Two further offers, with honest caveats. JetBrains’ educational licence carries the AI Free tier — 3 AI Credits per 30 days, which JetBrains values at a dollar each, plus unlimited code completion and unlimited use of your own local models. AI Pro is explicitly not included for students. And Google AI Pro for students is a genuinely valuable free year, but read what it is: the consumer Gemini app, not the Gemini API, with a payment method required at sign-up and a $19.99/month charge when the year ends. If you want Gemini’s API, use the Gemini API free tier instead, which is open to everyone aged 18 or over.

Do not overlook the obvious: general API free tiers may also be available to students, subject to each provider’s age, region and account rules. The step-by-step version is how to get free AI credits as a student, and if you are also building a company, check the startup AI credits pillar.

  • Microsoft Azure Student & education
    Open

    Azure for Students

    Verified students get $100 in Azure credits for 12 months with no credit card, usable on Azure OpenAI in Foundry Models — and renewable each year you are still a student.

    Free value
    $100
    Card required
    No card
    Application deadline
    No deadline stated
    Credit validity
    12 months after signup
    Who
    You must affirm you are age 18 or older and attend an accredited, degree-granting two-year or four-year institution as a full-time student, and verify academic status through your institution's email address. One subscription per eligible customer, non-transferable, and not combinable with other offers. Microsoft states activations are in limited supply and the offer runs only while supplies last.

    Available subject to the provider eligibility and usage conditions.

    Check eligibility & claim Azure for Students (opens in a new tab) Details
  • GitHub Student & education
    Open

    GitHub Student Developer Pack — Azure credit & AI offers

    Verified students get $100 in Azure credit plus 25+ free Azure services through the GitHub Student Developer Pack — and the bundled Copilot Student plan is available again after the 2026 pause.

    Free value
    $100
    Card required
    No card
    Application deadline
    No deadline stated
    Credit validity
    12 months after activation — The $100 benefit is Azure for Students; other Pack benefits have their own terms.
    Who
    Verified students (school email + proof of enrollment) via GitHub Education. The $100 Azure credit requires being 18 or older; students aged 13–17 get Azure service access without the credit.

    Available subject to the provider eligibility and usage conditions.

    Check eligibility & claim GitHub Student Developer Pack — Azure credit & AI offers (opens in a new tab) Details
  • Google AI (Gemini) Student & education
    Open

    Google AI Pro student offer

    Eligible US college students get 12 months of Google AI Pro free. Read the terms: it is consumer Gemini app access rather than API credits, a payment method is required at sign-up, and it auto-charges $19.99/month afterwards.

    Free value
    No fixed amount
    Card required
    Card: conditional A valid form of payment is required to redeem the subscription; the terms do not require a card specifically for every supported payment route.
    Application deadline
    31 Dec 2026
    Credit validity
    12 months after activation — The period begins when the offer is redeemed.
    Who
    "The free Google AI Pro student offer is available to eligible U.S. college students ages 18+." Both new users and students whose 2025 AI Pro trial has expired can qualify. You verify student status through SheerID, use a personal Google Account, and "Eligibility must be verified each year to maintain access." The offer must be redeemed by 31 December 2026.

    Available subject to the provider eligibility and usage conditions.

    Check eligibility & claim Google AI Pro student offer (opens in a new tab) Details
  • JetBrains Student & education
    Open

    JetBrains educational licence with AI Free

    Eligible JetBrains educational licences include AI Free: 3 AI Credits every 30 days, unlimited code completion and local-model use. AI Pro may be offered as a separate trial; it is not the ongoing free entitlement.

    Free value
    3 AI credits
    Card required
    No card
    Application deadline
    No deadline stated
    Allowance resets
    See provider terms · Every 30 days from first activation of the JetBrains AI licence · timezone not stated — No timezone is stated; 30 days is not a calendar month.
    Who
    Full-time students "in a program lasting one year or more" (the Student Pack requirements box; the same page's FAQ says "longer than one year"), verified with a university email address. JetBrains states that "JetBrains educational licenses are issued to accredited academic institutions (high schools, colleges, and universities)".

    Available subject to the provider eligibility and usage conditions.

    Check eligibility & claim JetBrains educational licence with AI Free (opens in a new tab) Details

Frequently asked questions

What free AI credits can students get?
Four verified routes, and one of them is not what it looks like. Microsoft gives verified students “$100 in Azure credits to be used within the first 12 months” with, in its own words, no credit card required. The GitHub Student Developer Pack carries “$100 in Azure credit” for students aged 18+, also with no credit card required, plus Copilot Student. A free JetBrains educational licence carries the AI Free tier: 3 AI Credits per 30 days, plus unlimited code completion and unlimited use of your own local models. Google gives eligible US college students 12 months of Google AI Pro, but that is the consumer Gemini app rather than API access, it needs a valid form of payment at sign-up, and it auto-charges $19.99/month afterwards.
Is GitHub Copilot still free for students?
Yes. GitHub paused new sign-ups for Copilot Student in April 2026; that pause has ended, and the Student Developer Pack page states “GitHub Copilot Student is available to verified students”. We publish no figure for it, because GitHub describes the benefit as “an allowance of GitHub AI Credits” without saying how large that allowance is.
Do I need a credit card for student AI offers?
It depends which one. Azure for Students needs no card — Microsoft states “A credit card is not required for the Azure for Students offer” — and GitHub labels its Azure benefit “no credit card required”. JetBrains’ Student Pack page says “No card required”. Google’s AI Pro student offer is the opposite: “Valid form of payment required at sign-up”, and it charges $19.99/month once the free year ends unless you cancel.
Can I claim both $100 Azure credits?
The GitHub Pack links to the Azure for Students benefit; do not count it as a separate additional $100 grant. Note also that a Microsoft account used for Azure for Students cannot later be used for Microsoft for Startups.