Are you a student or teacher wondering if you can really get AI tools like Copilot for free? It’s confusing because “Copilot” means two different things: the coding assistant from GitHub and the productivity helper in Microsoft Office. The good news is that you can often get both without paying, but the rules and steps are completely different for each.
How to get GitHub Copilot Pro free as a student or teacher? What is the difference between free Microsoft Copilot with a school account and the 1-year free Microsoft 365 Personal offer? Which Copilot option (or combination) is best for students vs. teachers?
The Key Takeaways
- GitHub Copilot Pro is 100% free for verified students, teachers, and open-source maintainers via GitHub Education.
- Microsoft Copilot Chat is included at no extra cost if your school has M365 A1/A3/A5 licenses and your IT admin enables it (usually for ages 13+).
- A separate promo recently gave eligible college students 1 year of Microsoft 365 Personal (with Copilot) free. That promotion allowed sign-ups through October 31, 2025, and similar offers may return.
- The GitHub offer (for coding) and Microsoft offers (for productivity) are completely separate.
TL;DR
You can get powerful AI tools for free as a student or teacher, but there are three different paths. Verified students and teachers can get GitHub Copilot Pro (for coding) 100% free. You can also get Microsoft Copilot (for writing and chat) at no extra cost through your school’s M365 account, or get a free 1-year subscription to Microsoft 365 Personal with Copilot when that promo is running.
| Feature | GitHub Copilot Pro (Edu) | Microsoft Copilot (School Account) | Microsoft 365 Personal (Past Promo / Future Deals) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Use | AI coding assistant in your IDE | General AI chat, writing, research | Full Office suite + AI features |
| Cost | Free (while verified) | No extra cost (with M365 A1/A3/A5) | When available: free for 1 year (then discounted) |
| Who | Verified students, teachers & OSS maintainers | Students & staff (13+) at eligible schools | Eligible college students (select regions) |
| Account | Personal GitHub account | School/Work M365 account | Personal Microsoft account |
How Students Get Copilot Pro
If you are a student, you can get GitHub Copilot Pro for free as part of the GitHub Student Developer Pack. This pack also includes access to other great developer tools.
Here’s a simple guide to get it:
- Sign in to GitHub: You’ll need a personal GitHub account.
- Apply for GitHub Education: Go to the GitHub Education website and apply for the Student Developer Pack.
- Verify Your Status: You will need to prove you are a student. This usually means:
- Using a school-issued email address (.edu or similar).
- Uploading a photo of your valid student ID card, transcript, or class schedule.
- Wait for Approval: Verification can take a few days, but is often very fast.
- Activate Copilot: Once approved, go to your GitHub Copilot settings. You should see an option to enable Copilot Pro for free because you are a verified student.
You keep this benefit as long as you stay verified. GitHub re-evaluates your eligibility regularly (they say monthly), and you’ll get an email when it’s time to re-verify your academic status.
How Teachers Get Copilot Pro
The process for teachers and faculty is almost identical.
- Sign in to GitHub: Use your personal GitHub account.
- Apply as a Teacher: Go to the GitHub Education portal and select the “Teachers” track.
- Verify Your Status: You’ll need to upload documents proving your employment, such as a faculty ID, employment letter, or relevant payslip.
- Activate Copilot: Once verified, you can go to your Copilot settings and enable the Pro plan at no cost.
Remember, for both students and teachers, this free access is tied directly to your verified status. If your verification expires, your free Pro access will also stop, so be sure to re-verify when GitHub prompts you.
Microsoft Copilot for Students & Teachers
This is where things get a bit more complex, as ‘Microsoft Copilot’ can mean a few different things. For students and teachers, there are two main ‘free’ paths for this productivity AI, and it’s important not to confuse them. The first path is the secure Copilot Chat that is included at no extra cost with your school’s Microsoft 365 account.
The second is a completely separate, limited-time personal promo for a Microsoft 365 Personal subscription. They have different features, different eligibility rules, and use different accounts, so let’s look at each one.
Using Copilot with a School Account
This is the “no extra cost” option that’s part of your school’s existing Microsoft 365 plan.
- What it is: This is Copilot Chat, a secure AI assistant you can access at copilot.microsoft.com or inside web apps like Word and PowerPoint when you sign in with your school email.
- Who gets it: Students (generally 13 or older) and teachers at schools that subscribe to Microsoft 365 A1, A3, or A5 licenses.
- The Catch: Your school’s IT administrator must manually enable it for students and staff.
How to check: The easiest way is to sign in to copilot.microsoft.com with your school email address. If it works, you have it! If it says you don’t have access, it’s not because you did anything wrong- it just means your school hasn’t turned it on for you.
Good to Know: Copilot Chat (the browser/app chat) is the no-extra-cost part. Copilot for Microsoft 365 – the deeper AI tools inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams – is a separate paid add-on for schools, announced at about $18/user/month.
Get 1 Year Free Microsoft 365 Personal
This is a completely separate, limited-time consumer promotion for college students. In 2025, Microsoft has ran a limited-time promotion offering a free 12-month subscription to Microsoft 365 Personal. This includes the full desktop Office apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), 1 TB of OneDrive storage, and Copilot features built-in.
- Who gets it: Eligible college students in select markets – including the US, UK and Canada – during the promo period (verification with a university email or equivalent is required). Availability and terms varied by country. This offer is not for K-12 students.
- How it works:
- You must use your personal Microsoft account (or create one).
- You go to the official Microsoft 365 student offer page and verify your college status (usually with a school email).
- You will need to add a payment method (like a credit card). You won’t be charged for the first year, but it will automatically renew at a 50% student discount after 12 months if you don’t cancel.
- This promo has a deadline. For the original 12-month free offer, students could claim it by November 30, 2025. Future offers may have different dates, so always check the latest terms on the Microsoft 365 student page.
Important Data Tip: Use your school account Copilot for any sensitive schoolwork or data. Use your personal M365 subscription for personal projects, as it is not governed by your school’s privacy rules.
Which Free Copilot Is Right for You
Confused? Here’s a simple breakdown of the three free offers, who they’re for, and what they do.
| GitHub Copilot Pro | MS Copilot (School) | MS 365 Personal (Past Promo / Future Deals) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who is it for? | Coders, developers, CS students | All students & teachers (13+) | College students (select regions) |
| What does it do? | Helps you write code | Helps you write essays, chat, research | Full Office suite + AI features |
| How do you get it? | GitHub Education verification | School IT enables it (with A1/A3/A5) | Personal promo, needs credit card |
| My advice: | Get this if you write code. | Check if you have this for schoolwork. | Get this if you are eligible and want the full Office apps for personal use. |
You can-and many students should-get all three! They don’t conflict with each other as they are tied to different accounts and serve different purposes.
Interesting offerfor students and teachers has also Perplexity AI or Google Gemini.
Conclusion
As a student or teacher, you have access to some of the best AI tools available today, completely for free. The key is knowing which “Copilot” to get and where to go. You don’t have to choose between a world-class coding assistant and a powerful productivity helper- you can get both.
To recap, your access comes in three separate ways:
- GitHub Copilot Pro: This is a 100% free benefit for all verified students, teachers, and open-source maintainers through GitHub Education. It’s a must-have if you write any code.
- Microsoft Copilot (School): This is the secure chat assistant included at no extra cost if your school has the right M365 licenses (like A1, A3, or A5) and your IT admin turns it on.
- Microsoft 365 Personal (Promo): This is a separate, limited-time offer for eligible college students in select regions that gave them the full Office apps, 1TB of storage, and Copilot features free for one year on a personal account.
Don’t leave these benefits on the table. The single best thing you can do right now is take five minutes to apply for the GitHub Student Developer Pack. From there, check your school account to see if Copilot is enabled, and if you’re a college student, go to the Microsoft 365 student page to see if a similar 1-year free promo is available.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is GitHub Copilot Pro free for students and teachers?
Yes, 100%. As long as you are a verified student or teacher through the GitHub Education program, you get the full Copilot Pro plan at no cost. You just need to re-verify your academic status when GitHub asks you to.
Why don’t I see Microsoft Copilot with my school account?
This almost always means your school’s IT administrator has not enabled it for you. Your school might not have the right license (like M365 A1, A3, or A5), or they may have chosen to keep it turned off for privacy or for students under 13.
How do I get Microsoft 365 Personal with Copilot free for one year?
In 2025, Microsoft ran a limited-time promo giving eligible college students 12 months of Microsoft 365 Personal with Copilot for free, followed by a 50% student discount. To claim it, students had to sign up on the official Microsoft 365 student offer page with a personal Microsoft account, verify their status with a college email, and add a payment method.
The original offer allowed sign-ups through November 30, 2025. If you’re reading this later, check the current Microsoft 365 student pricing page to see if a similar offer is available in your country.
What happens after the 1-year free trial of Microsoft 365 Personal with Copilot?
Your subscription will automatically renew at a discounted student price (usually 50% off the regular M365 Personal price). If you don’t want to be charged, you must cancel the subscription in your Microsoft account settings before the 12 months are up.
Can I use both my school Copilot and the personal M365 Copilot?
Yes! They are tied to two different accounts. It’s smart to use your school account’s Copilot for school data and your personal account’s Copilot for your personal files.
Which is better for students: GitHub Copilot or Microsoft Copilot?
They do completely different things. GitHub Copilot Pro is a coding sidekick; Microsoft Copilot is a general writing, research, and productivity assistant. Most students will benefit from using both.
- If you write code, get GitHub Copilot Pro.
- If you write essays, emails, or presentations, get Microsoft Copilot.
Can K-12 students use Microsoft Copilot?
Yes, if they are 13 or older and their school enables Copilot Chat for them. Students under 13 are not eligible. The 1-year free Microsoft 365 Personal promo, however, is generally for college students only.
Which countries get the 1-year free Microsoft 365 Personal offer?
Microsoft initially launched the 12-month free Microsoft 365 Personal offer for college students in the US, and later rolled out the same student pricing promo in other markets such as the UK and Canada. The official terms described it as a limited-time promotion with a finite sign-up window (for example, the US offer mentioned sign-ups through November 30, 2025).
Because the offer was time-limited and region-specific, whether you can still get 12 months free today depends on your local Microsoft Store and current student deals.
Does GitHub Copilot use my student code for training?
For individual users (including students and teachers with free Copilot Pro), GitHub says that by default it does not use your prompts, suggestions, or code snippets for AI model training, and this can’t be turned on. Copilot still has to send your code to GitHub’s servers to generate suggestions, but that data isn’t used to train future models. You can review and adjust other privacy options in your Copilot settings at any time.
Methodology & Sources
This guide is based on a review of official documentation and product pages from GitHub and Microsoft, as well as tech reporting on student offers, all accessed in mid-November 2025.
We analyzed the eligibility rules and application steps from the official GitHub Education portal. Also reviewed Microsoft’s documentation for Copilot in Education to distinguish between the “no extra cost” chat and the paid “Microsoft 365 Copilot” add-on.
We cross-referenced the terms of the “Microsoft 365 Personal” 1-year free student promotion.
Details like pricing, regions, and deadlines can change, especially for promotional offers. Readers should always confirm the latest terms on the official GitHub and Microsoft pages
Sources
