Google has announced a second, consecutive year of free access to its premium artificial intelligence tools for students in Nigerian universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, as institutions resume for the new academic session.
Under the offer, eligible students will get 12 months of Google AI Plus at no cost, a subscription valued at ₦92,400 and normally billed monthly. To qualify, a student must be at least 18 years old and currently enrolled in an accredited higher institution in the country. Enrolment is verified through SheerID, an identity-verification platform.
Students who used the offer during the last academic year can renew for another free 12 months once they re-verify their student status.
The subscription unlocks a range of tools inside the Gemini app, including higher usage limits, Gemini Omni, voice-based conversations through Gemini Live, and Deep Research for term papers and academic projects. It also comes with custom practice quizzes, unlimited file uploads and 400GB of cloud storage. Nigeria is one of 27 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa covered by the offer.
Olumide Balogun, Google’s director for West and East Africa, said the initiative was designed to lower the cost barrier to AI adoption among young Nigerians and help them build digital skills for the global economy. He said offering the subscription free for a second year in a row would help students grasp difficult subjects and stay competitive internationally.
Google said the offer is built around learning rather than shortcuts, pointing to Gemini’s Guided Learning mode, which functions more like a tutor by asking guiding questions instead of supplying direct answers. Citing an internal study by Google DeepMind involving 1,763 students in West African schools, the company said users of Guided Learning showed progress equivalent to 1.2 to 1.7 years of learning within eight weeks, with more than 90 percent of interactions centred on understanding concepts rather than getting answers.
Teachers can restrict students to Guided Learning mode through Google Classroom, and the company said data from student and classroom use would not be used to train its AI models.
Google also referenced new safety features on YouTube, including break reminders, bedtime alerts and restrictions on Shorts, meant to help students limit distractions while studying.
Other eligible students who haven’t taken advantage of the offer can complete verification and activate the subscription through Google’s student offer page.
