OpenAI Plans 1-Year Free ChatGPT Plus for US Students at 220 Campuses

3 articles · Updated · TestingCatalog · Aug 11

OpenAI is preparing a back-to-school offer that would give U.S. college students 12 months of ChatGPT Plus free, though the promotion has not gone live and terms are still unpublished.
More than 220 campuses appear to be on an allowlist, with eligibility expected to be verified through SheerID, signaling a targeted U.S.-only acquisition push rather than a universal student discount.
The campaign pitches ChatGPT as an academic operating layer for exam prep, voice rehearsal, website building and email-calendar planning across a semester, not just as a homework assistant.
That 12-month window would cover a full academic year and extend OpenAI's education push after ChatGPT Edu deals, free access for verified K-12 teachers, and new educator and student plugins released this month.
The move lands in a crowded student-AI market: Google now offers a free year of AI Plus to U.S. and Canadian students, Perplexity charges $10 a month, and Anthropic leans on institutional campus agreements.