Google Offers Nigerian Students Free 12-Month AI Plus Subscription

Google has announced a new initiative offering eligible students in Nigerian higher institutions free access to Google AI Plus for 12 months ahead of the new academic session.

The offer, known as the Gemini Student Offer, is valued at ₦92,400 per student and is available to individuals aged 18 and above who are currently enrolled in accredited universities, polytechnics and colleges of education across Nigeria.

Students who benefited from the programme during the previous academic year are also eligible to renew the subscription for another year after verifying their student status.

The subscription provides access to advanced artificial intelligence tools through the Gemini app, including higher usage limits, Gemini Omni, Gemini Live for real-time voice conversations, Deep Research for academic projects, custom practice quizzes, unlimited file uploads and 400GB of cloud storage.

Nigeria is among 27 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa where the initiative has been launched.

Speaking on the initiative, Google’s Director for West and East Africa, Olumide Balogun, said the company aims to make AI-powered learning more accessible to students by removing financial barriers.

“AI is the defining technological shift of our generation, and for Nigeria, with one of the youngest and most entrepreneurial populations in the world, it is an immediate leapfrog opportunity,” Balogun said.

“By offering 12 months of free Google AI Plus for the second consecutive year, we are removing financial barriers so that Nigerian students can master complex subjects, build in-demand digital skills, and compete confidently in the global economy.”

Google said the programme is designed to support learning rather than encourage academic dishonesty.

According to the company, Gemini’s Guided Learning mode acts as a tutor by providing hints and guiding questions instead of direct answers to academic tasks.

The approach was tested in a Google DeepMind study involving 1,763 students in West African schools, where participants using Guided Learning recorded learning gains equivalent to between 1.2 and 1.7 years within eight weeks. Google added that more than 90 per cent of interactions focused on understanding concepts, while only two per cent resulted in direct solutions.

The technology can also be integrated into Google Classroom, allowing lecturers to keep Gemini in Guided Learning mode while ensuring student and classroom data is not used to train Google’s AI models.

The free subscription includes study tools such as Gemini Study Notebooks, which convert lecture notes and course materials into quizzes and lesson plans, Gemini Live and Deep Research for brainstorming and research, interactive 3D visualisations within chats, and Google Lens Homework Helper for solving equations and interpreting diagrams.

Eligible students can verify their enrolment through SheerID and claim the free 12-month Google AI Plus subscription via Google’s student offer portal.