OpenAI is offering free ChatGPT Plus for college students

You must live in two specific countries to qualify, though.
By
Chase DiBenedetto
 on 
A phone home screen showing the ChatGPT app surrounded by ChatGPT logos.
Students can experience ChatGPT Plus for free. Credit: Mashable composite by Rene Ramos / Photography by Joseph Maldonado

OpenAI is offering two months of free ChatGPT Plus to all college students, as CEO Sam Altman recently announced ahead of a much-anticipated update to the AI chatbot.

The offer is available through May for U.S. and Canadian students only, and can be claimed on the ChatGPT student landing page. According to the site, Existing ChatGPT Plus subscribers and new students will be verified through a system called SheerID to confirm current enrollment. Make note: the subscription will automatically renew at the ChatGPT Plus monthly rate ($20) if not cancelled before the two months are up.

The paid version of ChatGPT includes extended limits on chatting, file uploads, and image generation, as well as advanced voice mode with video and screen sharing, limited Sora access, and new GPT‑4o and o3‑mini models.

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The use of ChatGPT and other generative AI tools by students has stirred widespread debate, as tech giants and AI developers increasingly invest in AI technologies for the classroom. Google, for example, released a teen-specific version of its chatbot Gemini that was later offered at no cost to educational institutions — the chatbot is available to all students with Google Workspace for Education accounts who are approved by administrators.

This week, OpenAI also announced free access to its new native image generator for both the paid and free versions of ChatGPT and Sora, ahead of a proposed rate limit for users of just three image generators per day. Altman and co. are ramping up excitement around the revamped GPT-4o, as well as upcoming mini models and GPT-5, amid a renewed backlash to AI-generated art and greater concerns about generative AI's takeover.

Chase sits in front of a green framed window, wearing a cheetah print shirt and looking to her right. On the window's glass pane reads "Ricas's Tostadas" in red lettering.
Chase DiBenedetto
Social Good Reporter

Chase joined Mashable's Social Good team in 2020, covering online stories about digital activism, climate justice, accessibility, and media representation. Her work also touches on how these conversations manifest in politics, popular culture, and fandom. Sometimes she's very funny.


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