Google announced on August 20 a large-scale AI learning service promotion for college and university students worldwide. Eligible university students in the United States can use Google AI Pro—normally priced at $19.99 per month (approximately NT$640)—free for one year, while students in more than 140 markets, including Taiwan, can get Google AI Plus free for one year. The application deadline for this back-to-school offer is December 31, 2026.

Google stated that eligible Taiwanese college and university students can activate Google AI Plus free for one year simply by completing verification through their school-issued email address. The plan includes the Gemini Omni model, which features advanced logical reasoning and multimodal processing capabilities, along with double the usage limits to accommodate daily coursework, research paper organization, and project discussions. Students also receive 400GB of cloud storage for storing lecture notes, presentations, and personal files.

The U.S. market offering is even more generous. According to information published on Google’s official Gemini blog, U.S. university students can use Google AI Pro free for one year, which includes four times the Gemini usage quota compared to standard accounts, Gemini Spark, Gemini built into Gmail and Google Docs, 5TB of cloud storage, and Google Health Premium. Google AI Pro is normally priced at $19.99 per month, and if not canceled in advance, it will automatically convert to a paid subscription after the promotional period ends.

Google AI Plus is normally priced at $4.99 per month or the local currency equivalent in markets outside the U.S., and it will also auto-renew after the free period ends. Notably, Canada, Hong Kong, Macau, Albania, Bolivia, and Tunisia are not included in the Google AI Plus free offer list. Students must complete identity verification through SheerID and have a valid payment method on file in their account.

Beyond pricing incentives, Google is simultaneously rolling out a series of learning-science-based features on the Gemini platform. The “Study Notebook” feature first uses interactive diagnostic quizzes to help students identify knowledge gaps, then generates a step-by-step learning plan based on individual learning goals and continuously tracks progress. Students can upload lecture notes, course syllabi, and other materials, allowing Gemini to break down content into different topics and use quizzes to identify weaknesses, then generate learning content and test questions.

To address the pain point of students juggling multiple courses with materials scattered across different platforms, Gemini has also launched “Student Hub,” a centralized portal for managing course content that helps organize study materials across subjects and track progress. Once authorized, Study Notebook can also automatically import exam dates into Google Calendar.

Gemini Live has also been upgraded, allowing students to engage in deep discussions with AI through voice. With Deep Research integrated into Gemini Live, students can initiate research reports directly through voice commands. Gemini will complete the research in the background, and users can then discuss results via voice and request further modifications, lowering the barrier to comprehending large volumes of research material.

The new “Interactive Visualizations” feature can generate rotatable, zoomable 3D dynamic models and interactive charts based on user prompts, presenting abstract academic concepts in a visual format. For example, students can create a rotatable and zoomable DNA structure, or use interactive simulations to understand how a pendulum transfers energy.

Google Search and Google Lens have also added more learning tools. When students encounter difficult homework problems, they can use Google Search to generate practice questions for specific subjects, take quizzes on the spot, and review their learning outcomes. AI Overviews and AI Mode can generate interactive learning tools and practice quizzes based on student requests, covering math, science, foreign languages, and humanities, with answer explanations and further reading suggestions.

For problems students can’t solve, they can use Google Lens to photograph the question. The AI not only provides the answer but also explains the solution process step by step, pointing out where mistakes might occur and guiding students to clarify problem-solving concepts and reasoning. Google has also integrated Gemini Notebook into AI Mode, allowing students to create separate notebooks for different courses or projects, adding lecture notes, syllabi, web articles, and past AI conversations, then asking the search service to answer questions based on the specified materials.

Google is making a comprehensive push across AI models, usage quotas, and cloud storage, targeting students’ AI learning needs and further capturing the college student AI usage market during back-to-school season. The new features will be gradually rolled out to Taiwanese students. Google also reminds students that they should still verify AI-generated information themselves, especially for research and complex assignments.