College students can get Google AI Pro for free, as company launches new guided learning mode

Google wants to get its AI tools into the hands of more students, following the lead of other industry giants as it attempts to retain its educational dominance. An easy way to do that? By making those tools free.

Starting today, students 18 years or older can sign up for one whole year of Google's AI Pro plan for no cost, which includes access to a suite of Google's most popular AI offerings. It's not just U.S. students, either, with the deal available to university-level students across Japan, Indonesia, Korea, and Brazil, too.

The Google AI Pro Plan includes an expanded Gemini 2.5 Pro, the company's latest chatbot model, as well as its Deep Research model and NotebookLM, an AI-powered teaching tool that can turn user-uploaded files into custom lessons and study guides. The plan also gives users access to advanced video generator Veo 3 and Google's coding assistant, Jules.

These offerings come alongside a $1 billion commitment to AI education and training programs, which the company will dole out over the next three years, and a brand new Google AI for Education Accelerator, providing free training and Google Career Certificates, in addition to access to AI tools, to every college student in America. The company will also announce new education-focused upgrades to its existing products.

A new learning mode for Gemini

One of those enhancements includes a new Guided Learning mode for Google's chatbot Gemini, or what the company describes as a "personal AI learning companion." With Guided Learning turned on, Gemini will skirt direct answers and instead provide open-ended conversations and step-by-step explanations, getting at the "how" and "why" rather than just spitting out the solution.

"Learners told us that they want to be able to go from quick answers to deep understanding, but don't always know how to. They also valued having a safe place to ask any question they might have," wrote Google. "We designed Guided Learning to help with this by creating a conversational, judgment-free space for anyone to explore topics in an enjoyable way at their own pace, putting the power of a great learning experience in their own hands."

In addition, Gemini will now be able to produce flashcards and study guides based on user-uploaded materials, and include "high-quality images, diagrams, and YouTube videos" in responses to complex questions.

A week earlier, OpenAI announced Study Mode, a new set of system prompts for the AI assistant that uses common teaching principles, like the Socratic method, to encourage users to learn with the chatbot rather than just take answers at face value. Many users had already theorized the company was working on a "ChatGPT Tutor" in addition to its existing partnerships with educational tech companies, like Canvas. OpenAI, Microsoft, and Anthropic also recently joined together with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) to launch the National Academy for AI Instruction.

Google has been developing its education offerings and AI tools for years, including a collaboration with the college admissions nonprofit College Board and recent AI-powered accessibility features.