Back to school AI deals: Top discounts for college students

AI in schools has been a point of contention. On the one hand, some tools can definitely help get that mountain of homework done. On the other hand, some take it too far and help students cheat, which has befuddled college professors. If you’re ready to include AI in your studies in a responsible way, many companies are offering back-to-school specials on their tools. 

Per Google, universities such as Boise State, Wake Forest, and San Diego State have been using tools like Google’s NotebookLM and Gemini to help both students and faculty take more efficient notes and create more optimized lesson plans. Since AI is becoming so huge, many major colleges, like The Ohio State University, have lists of approved AI tools for student use, along with the college’s own generative AI models specifically designed for student use. 

So, as long as you’ve cleared it with your college and you plan to use these tools responsibly, here is a list of AI tools that you can get at a discount for being a student. More may pop up over time. For instance, OpenAI had a two-month free subscription for students that ran from March to May of 2025. The offer isn’t valid anymore, but OpenAI may bring it back someday. 

Most AI services have free tiers as well. They aren’t as strong as the pro models, but if all you need is some assistance with a math problem, the free tier can usually get you there. 

Google Gemini

Google is working overtime to attract college students away from ChatGPT. And to do that, Google recently announced that it’s offering the Google AI Pro Plan to college students for free for an entire year. Normally $19.99 per month, this plan unlocks access to Google’s most popular AI tools. As of Aug. 6, college students 18 years and older can sign up for free, and this deal isn’t limited to the United States, either.

Google’s AI Pro Plan includes:

• Expanded access to Gemini 2.5 Pro, the company’s latest AI chatbot model

• Try Google’s Deep Research model

• NotebookLM, which can create study guides, podcasts, and other content on specific subjects.

• Veo 3, Google’s AI video maker

• Jules, Google’s coding assistant

It’s a pretty generous offer. The two highlights for Gemini are using the chatbot to help with homework and Google’s NotebookLM, which is one of the most underrated AI tools available in 2025. It can help summarize documents and add them to your notes, and you can talk to it and ask it questions about the material. If you do get Google’s offer, it’s a good idea putting something in your calendar to cancel after a year because it will charge you once the trial ends, and a year is a long time to remember. 

Sign up at Google Gemini.

Grammarly

Grammarly does offer a student discount, although it is a pain in the rear end to find on the brand’s website. Per Grammarly, they offer a 40% discount to students, educators (K-12 and higher learning), and several other groups. To get it, you’ll need to use SheerID, which checks your name against your university’s Office of the Registrar to make sure you’re a student before giving you the discount. Once done, you’ll get your promo code. Plug it in and you’re good to go. 

It’s a good tool for students. The grammar and punctuation checking can help keep simple mistakes from invading essays and reports, while the brand’s plagiarism checker can help keep students honest. The AI portion of Grammarly can also help by summarizing notes and giving you feedback on your writing. Since there’s a lot of writing in college, it’s a good first choice. 

Adobe

For students in creative fields, Adobe has long been friendly to students and educators, although the company’s generosity has ebbed and flowed over the years. In any case, for 2025, Adobe is offering a 57% discount. You can get more than 20 Adobe tools and access to Creative Cloud for $29.99 per month, down from $69.99 per month. Some colleges may also offer some apps, like Photoshop, for free as part of the curriculum. You’ll need to email your school to find out those details. 

Adobe has spent the better part of the last two or three years peppering AI into its existing products. Photoshop has a bunch of AI tools, as do other tools like Lightroom and Acrobat. There is also Adobe Firefly, which is a generative AI model developed by Adobe that you can use to generate various things. Adobe’s AI implementation is quite nice since it works within existing tools that students are likely to use professionally as well. 

Otter.ai

Otter.ai is mostly sold as a business solution, but it also has student pricing. Per the company’s help center, discounted plans are available on Otter.ai Pro monthly and annual plans. It should apply to any nonprofit educational institutions, accredited colleges, and most school districts. The discount is 20%, which can reduce the plan by quite a lot, especially if you spring for the full year, which already discounts the monthly price. Click the link above for instructions on how to get it. 

For the most part, Otter.ai is marketed as a business solution to collaborate among coworkers, record and summarize meetings, and take notes during those meetings. However, all of that is also applicable in the educational space, especially if you take classes with a lot of lectures. Otter.ai can listen to those lectures, summarize them, and help you take notes so you can study more effectively.

Notion AI

Notion AI does have student discounts, although obtaining them is fairly complicated. Eligible students can get a 50% discount on Notion AI with the proper add-on, but based on stories I’ve read, it seems this can be easily confused with adding a different add-on that negates the discount. So, while it is available, I recommend contacting customer support to help you apply the discount so things don’t get messed up. 

Notion AI is much like Otter.ai in that it can be situational as to how useful it is in an educational context. It operates mostly as a workspace assistant where you input data, and the AI assistant helps you summarize, organize, and remember everything. You can find a full list of features on Notion AI’s website. There is some good stuff there and if Notion is on your radar, the 50% discount is quite excellent. 

Microsoft 365 (including Copilot)

When it comes to student discounts, Microsoft has long been one of the better options. Its Office 365 subscription gives you Office apps at a 50% discount that isn’t difficult to obtain. It turns out, you can get Copilot for the same discount. Once you get verified, you can get three months of Microsoft 365 Personal on the house, which includes Copilot. After that, students can continue to get a 50% discount. The free part isn’t available for students outside of the U.S., but those students may still be eligible for the 50% discount.

You already know what Microsoft is all about here. Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, along with 1TB of cloud storage and some other stuff. For Copilot, Microsoft says that Copilot is baked into many of its productivity apps, and you get access to Copilot itself, albeit not in its full capacity like Copilot Pro plans. The mixture of AI and productivity is a potent combo for students, and 50% is a hefty discount. 

Does OpenAI have any ChatGPT offers for college students?

In the past, OpenAI has offered free access to ChatGPT subscriptions for college students, but that discount is no longer available. However, OpenAI works directly with some universities to offer college students access to ChatGPT. In addition, OpenAI recently rolled out its most advanced model ever, GPT-5, and it’s currently free to use for everyone. You can also check out ChatGPT’s new “study mode” tool.

Using AI effectively

Sometimes it’s not what you have but how you use it, and AI certainly fits into that category. When using AI for educational purposes, it’s not much different from using it for work. If you’re in classes where lectures are infrequent, then you probably don’t need Otter.ai. Check and see if your school does Google for Education, you likely don’t need the Microsoft 365 Personal plan. Make sure you’re spending your money effectively and only getting the AI tools you actually need.