Google has announced a new offer giving eligible college and university students one year of free access to its premium AI tools, as the technology giant expands the use of artificial intelligence in education.
Under the new programme announced on August 19, 2026, eligible students outside the United States can access Google AI Plus for 12 months at no cost, while eligible students in the US can receive a free year of Google AI Pro.
The offer comes alongside the launch of a new Student Hub in Gemini, which brings together AI-powered tools designed to help students organise coursework, understand difficult concepts, conduct research and prepare for examinations.
Google said the new student offer is available to eligible college students in more than 140 markets where Google AI Plus is available, although some countries and territories are excluded.
Students outside the US will receive one year of Google AI Plus, which provides twice the usage limits available to non-AI subscribers, access to Gemini Omni and 400GB of cloud storage.
The storage can be used across services including Google Drive, Gmail and Google Photos.
In Kenya, Google currently lists Google AI Plus as a paid plan costing Sh900 per month, making the 12-month student offer potentially worth about Sh10,800 at the current listed price.
Google’s offer therefore gives eligible students access to features that would otherwise require a paid subscription.
The company has also set December 31, 2026 as the redemption deadline for the student offer. Students must provide a valid payment method when signing up, and the subscription will automatically move to the applicable paid rate after the free period unless the user cancels it.
Google has also introduced a dedicated Student Hub within the Gemini app, bringing several learning features together in one place.
The hub allows students to create study notebooks, generate flashcards and take practice quizzes based on their own academic materials.
Google said students can upload materials such as lecture notes and syllabi to create personalised study resources.
The AI can then help break down topics into smaller sections and create a study plan based on the student’s materials.
Students can also take a diagnostic quiz to identify areas where they have knowledge gaps.
Gemini can use those results to create customised lessons and quizzes aimed at helping them strengthen weaker areas.
Google described the tools as a way of giving students a personalised learning companion while keeping their own course materials at the centre of the experience.
The company is also working on an additional feature that can extract important dates from a syllabus and add examination and assignment deadlines to Google Calendar, with the student’s permission.
That could allow students to use Gemini not only for answering questions but also for managing their academic schedules.
Another feature Google is rolling out is interactive visualisation, which allows Gemini to produce visual explanations of complicated subjects.
Instead of relying solely on text, students can ask Gemini to explain a concept through tables, grids and interactive simulations.
The feature could prove useful for students studying subjects that involve complex structures, processes or systems that are difficult to understand through written explanations alone.
Google is also expanding Deep Research in Gemini Live, allowing students to conduct research and then discuss the findings through a conversational interaction with Gemini.
This gives students another way to explore research topics, ask follow-up questions and work through information.
The latest announcement is particularly relevant to Kenyan university students because Google has previously identified Kenya among the African countries where it has made advanced Gemini tools available to students.
In October 2025, Google announced a separate initiative providing eligible university students aged 18 and above in Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa and Zimbabwe with a free 12-month Google AI Pro plan.
That programme included advanced Gemini access, Deep Research, NotebookLM, Veo and 2TB of storage.
The new 2026 announcement represents a broader student offer and should not automatically be confused with the earlier African promotion.
For the current programme, students should check their eligibility through Google’s official student portal before assuming that they qualify.
Students can access the dedicated student hub through Gemini for Students and check the available offer for their account and location.
