OpenAI Makes ChatGPT Plus Free for College Students in the US and Canada Until May

OpenAI has just made ChatGPT Plus free for all college students in the US and Canada until the end of May. Eligible students have until May 31, 2025, to claim two free months of ChatGPT Plus, which is regularly priced at $20/month.

ChatGPT Plus offers higher usage limits on messaging, file uploads, data analysis, and image generation. It also provides access to an extended choice of AI models, including the research preview of GPT-4.5 that launched last month. The subscription also includes access to standard and advanced voice mode with video and screensharing, the ability to create custom GPTs, and limited access to Sora video generation.

These student discounts for ChatGPT Plus are available for full and part-time students at degree-granting schools in the US and Canada, and OpenAI will check for eligibility using the SheerID verification system. Existing ChatGPT Plus users in the US and Canada will also be able to claim this limited-time offer if they can prove that they’re in the intended student audience.

OpenAI announced these student discounts right after AI startup Anthropic announced Claude for Education, a specialized version of the competing chatbot designed for higher education institutions. As part of the announcement, Anthropic also made Claude available to all students at Northeastern University, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), and Champlain College.

While Anthropic has started courting students, OpenAI did launch ChatGPT Edu in May 2024. In February of this year, the company also teamed up with the California State University system (CSU) to make the education version of the chatbot available for 460,000 students and over 63,000 staff and faculty members.

As for its new student discounts for ChatGPT Plus in the US and Canada, OpenAI said yesterday that “this is an experimental consumer program and we may or may not expand this to more schools and countries over time.”