Student offers · OpenAI
Updated · By llmwise, AI-assisted.
ChatGPT's student offer: the terms and the dates
Eligible US college and graduate students get 4 free monthly billing periods of ChatGPT Plus if they claim by October 31, 2026, verified by SheerID; it then renews at $20 a month unless cancelled. A payment method is required, the offer can be redeemed once, and it's for students at US institutions only.
ChatGPT's student offer, region by region
OpenAI's terms, checked September 28, 2026. Offers like these end and come back each school year.
| Where | What you get | Claim by | Then | First year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | ChatGPT Plus for 4 monthly billing periods | October 31, 2026 | $20 a month | $160 |
Who qualifies, in OpenAI's words
“The offer is available to current full-time and part-time college and graduate students enrolled at eligible U.S. degree-granting institutions.”
Source: OpenAI Help Center: ChatGPT Back to School offer for students
“Claim the offer by October 31, 2026.”
Source: OpenAI Help Center: ChatGPT Back to School offer for students
“Continue at $20 per month after the promotional period unless you cancel.”
Source: OpenAI Help Center: ChatGPT Back to School offer for students
“A valid payment method is required to activate the offer.”
Source: OpenAI Help Center: ChatGPT Back to School offer for students
“Subscriptions billed through the Apple App Store or Google Play are not supported while they remain store-billed.”
Source: OpenAI Help Center: ChatGPT Back to School offer for students
What does a student budget buy, per message?
llmwise has no student price: Pro is $20 a month, $240 a year. Here's what one message costs on it if the month goes to that model, and 60 everyday messages a day on top.
| Model | On llmwise Pro | A message at the lowest |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Sonnet 5 | Up to 125 a month | $0.16 |
| GPT-6 Sol | Up to 125 a month | $0.16 |
| Gemini 3.1 Pro (preview) | Up to 125 a month | $0.16 |
| Claude Fable 5.1 | Up to 31 a month | $0.65 |
| GPT-6 Astra | Up to 31 a month | $0.65 |
Every limit is published. Paid plans also have a monthly fair-use limit on AI cost: Plus $3.75, Pro $7.50, Max $20, Ultra $42, Studio $85. Using every message on your plan at typical sizes stays under it; very large messages and heavy research use it faster. Every limit, explained.
Does OpenAI use your chats for training?
These are OpenAI's terms for personal accounts, read September 28, 2026. A school-managed account may have its own. llmwise, for its part, doesn't train on anyone's chats, and keeps each until you remove it.
| App | Trains on them | To stop it | Kept for |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | Yes, until you switch it off | Turn off “Improve the model for everyone”, or use Temporary Chat | Temporary Chats up to 30 days; the page gives no period for saved chats |
“Data controls let you choose whether your conversations help train OpenAI models.”
Quoted from OpenAI Help Center: Data controls in ChatGPT
“When Improve the model for everyone is off, your new conversations won’t be used to train OpenAI models.”
Quoted from OpenAI Help Center: Data controls in ChatGPT
“may be retained for up to 30 days for safety purposes”
Quoted from OpenAI Help Center: Data controls in ChatGPT
“Turning off Improve the model for everyone does not delete or hide saved chats.”
Quoted from OpenAI Help Center: Data controls in ChatGPT
How did these models do on our test prompts?
The budget table's models, each given 50 test prompts: writing, math, summarizing, data analysis and coding among them.
| Job type | Claude Sonnet 5 | GPT-6 Sol | Gemini 3.1 Pro | Claude Fable 5.1 | GPT-6 Astra |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Writing | 4 of 5 | 4 of 5 | 4 of 5 | 3 of 5 | 5 of 5 |
| Summarization | 3 of 5 | 4 of 5 | 5 of 5 | 3 of 5 | 5 of 5 |
| Data analysis | 4 of 5 | 5 of 5 | 5 of 5 | 5 of 5 | 5 of 5 |
| Support replies | 5 of 5 | 3 of 5 | 5 of 5 | 4 of 5 | 3 of 5 |
| Translation | 5 of 5 | 4 of 5 | 5 of 5 | 5 of 5 | 5 of 5 |
| Total | 46 of 50 | 45 of 50 | 49 of 50 | 45 of 50 | 48 of 50 |
Every one of them passed in full on coding, math, SQL, answering from documents, and tool use. From our test runs of September 27, 28, 29 and October 2, 7, 8, 9, 15, 2026: 5 prompts per job. Every prompt, with the replies.
Other student offers
Also from primary sources: OpenAI's student offer page (four free months of ChatGPT Plus). Read .
ChatGPT for students: questions
Who is eligible for the ChatGPT student offer?
Current full-time and part-time college and graduate students at eligible US degree-granting institutions, verified by SheerID (checked September 28, 2026). The ChatGPT account doesn't need a school email.
What happens after the free months?
It renews at $20 a month unless you cancel. Cancel early and Plus runs to the end of that billing period, but the free months left are lost.
Can I claim it if I already pay for ChatGPT Plus?
Yes, if your Plus is billed directly by ChatGPT: OpenAI says existing monthly subscribers can claim it. Subscriptions billed through Apple or Google Play aren't supported while they stay store-billed.
When ChatGPT's student offer ends
llmwise has no student price: Pro is $20, with up to 125 GPT-6 Sol messages a month. The 5-message trial needs no card and no student ID.