THE IDEA
Here’s what you need to know.
OpenAI's 2026 Back to School offer gives eligible U.S. college and graduate students four free monthly billing periods of ChatGPT Plus—an $80 value at the stated $20 monthly renewal price. Full-time and part-time students can qualify, but the offer must be claimed by October 31, 2026 and verified through SheerID.
See the visual breakdown
- 1
Check eligibility
- 2
Sign in to ChatGPT
- 3
Open the official offer
- 4
Verify with SheerID
- 5
Confirm activation
Four months
Four free monthly billing periods from the claim date.
$80 value
Based on the current $20 monthly Plus price.
October 31
The final claim date for the 2026 offer.
U.S. students
Eligible full-time and part-time college students.
10 of 10 items
Official links
What students can do with it
Connect course material
Connect files and supported tools so ChatGPT can help you work with course content.
Create study material
Turn notes, readings, and data into study guides, presentations, quizzes, and visuals.
Build websites
Create a club site, portfolio, side project, or startup website with ChatGPT Sites.
Practise out loud
Use voice conversations to rehearse an interview, presentation, or important explanation.
Important eligibility details
Full-time or part-time
Both study loads can qualify when the institution and enrollment are eligible.
Undergraduate or graduate
The offer covers eligible current college and graduate students.
Existing Plus subscriber
You may qualify if your monthly subscription is billed directly by ChatGPT.
App-store billing
Apple App Store and Google Play subscriptions are not supported while store-billed.
PUT IT INTO PRACTICE
Follow the steps.
Tick off each step as you go. Your progress is saved on this browser.
- STEP 01
You must be a current full-time or part-time undergraduate or graduate student at an eligible U.S. degree-granting institution. This is not a worldwide student offer, and SheerID makes the final eligibility decision.
- STEP 02
Use OpenAI's official student page only: https://chatgpt.com/students/2026/
- STEP 03
Sign in to the ChatGPT account where you want the offer applied before starting verification. Your ChatGPT email does not have to match your school email.
- STEP 04
Follow the SheerID prompts and have your school-issued email ready. Depending on your school, verification may use enrollment records, school single sign-on, or supporting documentation.
- STEP 05
Return to the offer after verification and complete activation. A valid payment method is required. You will not be charged during the four free monthly billing periods, but check that the offer appears on the intended account before finishing.
- STEP 06
After the promotional period, Plus renews at $20 per month unless you cancel. Cancelling early can forfeit unused promotional months once the current billing period ends.
A FEW THINGS THAT HELP
Get more out of it.
- Claim by October 31, 2026. Do not rely on an old repost or unofficial link.
- Start the claim while signed in to the ChatGPT account that should receive the offer.
- Have your school email, single sign-on, or enrollment documentation ready in case SheerID requests it.
- New users and existing monthly Plus subscribers billed directly by ChatGPT can qualify. Apple App Store and Google Play subscriptions are not supported while they remain store-billed.
- Add a calendar reminder before the four free billing periods end if you do not want the $20 monthly renewal.
- Do not cancel early just to avoid renewal: once cancellation takes effect, any unused promotional months are forfeited.