How to Claim a Free Year of Google AI Plus as a College Student in the Philippines

Google confirmed on September 4 that college and university students in the Philippines can claim a full year of its AI Plus plan without paying for it. The move comes out of a bigger announcement Google made back on August 19, when it opened up free student plans in over 140 markets. Not everyone gets the same deal, though. Students in the US were handed the pricier AI Pro plan, while the Philippines and most other markets get AI Plus.

So what’s actually in it. Study Notebooks is the headline feature, and it does something genuinely useful: upload your lecture notes, slide decks, or reading packets, and it builds a study plan around them instead of a generic one. Gemini turns the same materials into learning guides and practice tests, then tracks how you’re doing as you go. Upload a syllabus and, with your go ahead, it’ll drop your exam dates and deadlines into Google Calendar.

There’s more sitting under the hood too. The plan includes Gemini Omni, Google’s video generation and editing model, plus interactive 3D visualizations for topics that are easier to grasp visually than in text. Gemini Live lets you talk through material instead of typing, and usage limits double compared to the free tier. Storage jumps to 400 GB across Drive, Gmail, and Photos, which covers a lot of research papers and half finished group projects.

Step by Step: How to Claim It

1. Go to the student hub. Open it through a browser or the Gemini app.
2. Sign in with your Google account. Use the account you check regularly, since your study materials and notebooks will live here.
3. Verify your enrollment. You’ll need to confirm you’re actively enrolled at an eligible Philippine college or university.
4. Add a payment method. This is required to activate the offer, but nothing gets charged during the 12 month free period.
5. Confirm your plan. Once verified, your Google AI Plus subscription activates at no cost for a full year.
6. Mark your calendar. The free period ends automatically unless you cancel first, so note the date now instead of relying on Google to remind you later.

The window to start this process closes December 31, 2026. After that, eligible students who haven’t claimed the offer miss out.

One thing worth flagging: this renews automatically at the standard rate once the free year is up, unless you cancel first. Set a reminder now. You will not remember this in eleven months.