Application fee waived, course fees covered, a listed university — then Google hands over 12 months of AI Plus
Application fee waived, course fees covered, a listed university — then Google hands over 12 months of AI Plus
Google is giving away 12 months of Google AI Plus. 400 GB storage, Gemini Omni, unlimited uploads, 2× usage limits, Study Notebooks.
Then the eligibility line lands: university students, 18–24.
That line is where most people close the tab. The check sitting behind it is a database lookup — and there is a $0 way to become a row in it, from 213 countries.
Do this first — 2 seconds, zero install
Do this first — 2 seconds, zero installEvery student offer runs through one company: SheerID. Google, Adobe, Autodesk, Spotify, Amazon — same checker. Ask it whether your school sits in its database before you do anything else:
curl -s "https://orgsearch.sheerid.net/rest/organization/search?country=US&type=UNIVERSITY&name=University%20of%20the%20People"
Swap the name and the country= code for your own school.
4078799 University of the People (Pasadena, CA)
12433602 University of the People (Wilmington, DE)
12427776 University of the People (Boulder, CO)
That is the free university, answering live from the database Google’s checker reads.
The search runs fuzzy. Read the name that comes back rather than trusting that something came back — a close-sounding stranger means your school landed nowhere.
Which key is yours
Which key is yours ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ already enrolled somewhere -> check the school │
│ no university, no money -> the $0 lane │
│ in India / South Asia -> the IGNOU lane │
│ want it this week, can pay -> the fast lane │
│ curious how the check works -> the machine │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
🚪 The machine — how the check actually decides
SheerID runs a waterfall. It stops at the first step that answers yes:
| # | Step | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Registrar database | Looks you up in the school’s own enrolment records |
| 2 | School SSO | You log into your school portal |
| 3 | Zero-knowledge login | Same portal, shares only your name and an encrypted proof |
| 4 | Email loop | Link sent to an address on the school’s domain |
| 5 | Document review | A human plus automation reads what you upload |
All five start by resolving your school to an ID in SheerID’s organisation database. No ID, no verification — by any route. That is why the check at the top of this post comes first.
💀 What stopped working — the tricks still floating around
“Just use any .edu email.” That was the 2023–24 answer. Step 1 now hits the registrar first, so an address with no matching enrolment record drops straight to document review, where there is nothing real to upload.
“Get accepted somewhere and send the acceptance letter.” Same line appears word for word across Adobe, Autodesk, Amazon Music, TIDAL and Pandora:
Being admitted is not being enrolled. Platform-wide, deliberate.
Rejected on their own: undated IDs · email screenshots · Totum card · financial aid letter · entrance exam card.
✅ What the check accepts — SheerID's own list
School-issued, showing your first name + last name + school name + a date inside the current term:
- Class schedule
- Registration receipt
- Tuition receipt
- Transcript showing classes currently in progress
- Dated, unexpired student ID card
- Official enrolment letter carrying the current term date
- F-1 or other student visa
The phrase doing the work is currently in progress. That is the whole difference between a document that clears and one that bounces.
🎓 The $0 lane — become a real student, from anywhere, for nothing
University of the People. Accredited US nonprofit, 100% online, 213 countries, no visa, no SSN, no entrance exam. Listed in SheerID as type=UNIVERSITY — the exact segment this offer targets.
Both fees are waivable, written into their own Financial Aid Policy:
| Fee | Sticker | The line that removes it |
|---|---|---|
| Application | $60 | §I.a — hardship grant, requested through your Admissions Advisor |
| Course assessment | $180/course | §II.c.iii — “Foundations Grants cover fully two (2) Foundations courses” |
The policy states its own intent outright: fees must “not serve as a barrier.”
Total: $0. Every document real, nothing bought, nothing forged.
The timing, straight: admission runs 6–10 weeks on rolling decisions, five intake terms a year. Anyone selling this as same-day is selling something else. Assessment fees land only after week 5 of a term, so your registration record exists well before any money is due.
The policy: https://www.uopeople.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Financial-Aid-Policy-Jan-2025.pdf
Apply: https://www.uopeople.edu/become-student/admissions/how-to-apply/
🪷 The IGNOU lane — India and South Asia
Indira Gandhi National Open University. Open admission, no entrance exam, roughly ₹3,000. Sitting in SheerID’s database with 25+ regional centre entries under country=IN — Delhi, Patna, Kolkata, Chandigarh, Nagpur, Bhubaneswar, Madurai, Aizawl, Gangtok and more.
curl -s "https://orgsearch.sheerid.net/rest/organization/search?country=IN&type=UNIVERSITY&name=Indira%20Gandhi%20National%20Open"
Faster and cheaper than the $0 lane for that region.
🚀 The fast lane — days instead of weeks
California community colleges running study-online-from-your-home-country programmes: Diablo Valley · Pierce Global · San Mateo · Foothill · Rio Salado.
- $0 to apply, no application fee
- Decision in 24 hours to 3 business days
- 100% acceptance on completed applications
- No visa, no SSN, no F-1 needed while you study from home
The cost arrives at registration: $377–$486 per unit for non-residents. Speed and reach, paid for in tuition.
🧰 The tool — check any school, any offer
The one-liner up top answers the general question. This answers the binding one: whether your school counts for that specific offer, since an offer can be configured narrower than the full database.
#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""school-check - ask SheerID whether a school counts, before you enrol anywhere."""
import json, sys, urllib.parse, urllib.request
ORG = "https://orgsearch.sheerid.net/rest/organization/search"
ADD = "https://services.sheerid.com/rest/v2/organization/addSchool/search/name"
H = {"User-Agent": "school-check", "Content-Type": "application/json"}
def get(u):
return json.loads(urllib.request.urlopen(
urllib.request.Request(u, headers=H), timeout=30).read())
def post(u, d):
return json.loads(urllib.request.urlopen(urllib.request.Request(
u, data=json.dumps(d).encode(), headers=H), timeout=30).read())
name = sys.argv[1]
country = sys.argv[2] if len(sys.argv) > 2 else "US"
program = sys.argv[3] if len(sys.argv) > 3 else None
if program:
r = post(ADD, {"programId": program, "schoolName": name, "schoolCountry": country})
for o in r.get("eligible", []):
print(f"COUNTS {o['id']:>10} {o['name']}")
for o in r.get("ineligible", []):
print(f"listed, not eligible {o['id']:>10} {o['name']}")
if not r.get("eligible") and not r.get("ineligible"):
print("not in the database - use the offer's 'request to add school' form")
else:
q = urllib.parse.urlencode({"country": country, "type": "UNIVERSITY", "name": name})
rows = get(f"{ORG}?{q}")
for o in rows:
print(f"{o['id']:>10} {o['name']}")
if not rows:
print("nothing listed for that country - check the spelling and country code")
python3 school-check.py "University of the People"
python3 school-check.py "Indira Gandhi National Open" IN
python3 school-check.py "Your College" US <PROGRAM_ID>
Public endpoints, read-only, no key, no account:
| Endpoint | Gives you |
|---|---|
GET /rest/v2/program/{programId}/theme |
that offer’s orgSearchUrl |
GET orgsearch.sheerid.net/rest/organization/search |
schools and their IDs |
POST /rest/v2/organization/addSchool/search/name |
eligible / ineligible split for the offer |
Grab a programId from the brand’s verification page URL or its network calls.
School missing from the list? Every offer carries a request to add school form. Manual vetting, typically added within 7 days. Built for exactly this.
What you actually get
What you actually get
Study with Gemini and get unlimited uploads of your own class materials, study notebooks, interactive visualisations and Gemini Live. With the free-of-charge student plan, you unlock higher usage limits, 400 GB storage and video generation with Gemini Omni for 1 year.
Where to claim:
https://gemini.google/students/
https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/products/gemini-app/student-offer-google-ai/
Google One Plans
Two things to set a reminder for. A valid payment method is required at signup. The plan renews at £4.49 per month once month 12 closes — cancel before then to keep it at zero. The promotion runs until December 31st.
❓ Frequently asked questions
1. Who is eligible for the free-of-charge student offer?
The free of charge Google AI Plus student offer is available to eligible university students aged 18–24. Both new users and students whose 2025 AI Pro trial has expired can qualify. Eligibility must be verified each year to maintain access.
2. What is included in the free of charge Google AI Plus student plan?
Achieve more flexibility for researching, creating and studying throughout the semester. The plan includes 2× higher usage limits, 400 GB of cloud storage, access to Gemini Omni, plus unlimited uploads for Study Notebooks, Visuals and Live.
3. How is Gemini different from other AI tools for school?
Gemini is designed to help you study more effectively, not just generate answers. Study notebooks turn your uploaded syllabi, lecture notes and course materials into personalised tools — study guides, quizzes and summaries that adapt to what you’re learning right now.
More details at https://one.google.com/ai-student?g1_landing_page=75
Check the school first, pick your lane, start the clock before December 31st.
This post was just upgraded with AI by the Core-Community.
Just took a minute to get the offer.
!