Google Gives Nigerian Students 12 Months of AI Plus for Free

Google is offering students at accredited Nigerian higher institutions 12 months of its AI Plus plan for free.

The offer is available to students aged 18 and above at universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education. The company values the subscription at ₦92,400.

Eligible students can access advanced Gemini features for research, studying and other academic tasks. These include Gemini Live, Deep Research, Guided Learning, custom practice quizzes and unlimited file uploads.

The plan also provides 400GB of Google Cloud storage and higher usage limits for Gemini. Students can verify their enrolment through SheerID to claim the offer.

Students who received the offer during the previous academic year can renew it. However, they must verify their student status again.

Google says Nigeria is one of 27 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa where the offer is available. The company is extending the initiative as AI tools become more common in education.

“AI is the defining technological shift of our generation,” said Olumide Balogun, Google’s director for West and East Africa.

He said the free subscription removes financial barriers and can help Nigerian students build digital skills and compete globally.

Google is also highlighting Guided Learning as a way to support students without simply completing their work. The feature uses hints and questions to help users understand academic concepts.

Google DeepMind tested the approach in a study involving 1,763 students in West Africa. After eight weeks, students using Guided Learning recorded learning gains equivalent to 1.2 to 1.7 years of typical progress.

More than 90% of their interactions focused on understanding concepts, according to Google. Gemini provided a direct solution in only 2% of interactions.

The company has also introduced controls for teachers through Google Classroom. Lecturers can lock Gemini into Guided Learning mode to limit shortcuts during study sessions.

Google has increased its focus on AI education in Nigeria. In November 2025, its philanthropic arm Google.org committed $2.1 million to five Nigerian organisations for advanced AI training and innovation.

That initiative aimed to support at least 10 higher institutions and train 50 lecturers and 50 teaching assistants. It also targeted more than 11,000 students over two to three years.

The latest student offer gives Nigerian students another route to access Google’s premium AI tools without paying for the subscription.