How Students Can Get NotebookLM Premium Free for One Year (If Eligible)

I’ve been using NotebookLM a lot lately, and I noticed something interesting: students in certain places can get the premium version (called NotebookLM Plus) for free for a full year. It’s not a standalone offer—it’s part of Google’s AI Pro plan for students, which includes a bunch of other tools. Since I’m under 18 and can’t sign up myself, I looked into how it works, who qualifies, and what to do if you hit the same roadblocks I did. Here’s the real deal, no hype.

What You Actually Get

The free year is tied to the Google AI Pro plan, which normally costs money. When you activate the student offer, you get:

• NotebookLM upgrades: 5× more Audio Overviews, larger notebooks, and more sources per project.

• Gemini 2.5 Pro access: Better answers, image analysis (e.g., upload a photo of a math problem), and Deep Research reports with citations.

• 2 TB Google Drive storage: Useful if you’re always running out of space.

• AI in Google apps: Help in Docs, Gmail, Slides, etc.

• Other extras like video generation (Veo) and voice chat (Gemini Live).

It’s a bundle. You don’t get NotebookLM Premium by itself—you get the whole Pro package.

Who Can Sign Up (and When It Ends)

You need:

• To be actively enrolled in a college or university in an eligible country.

• To be 18 or older.

• A personal Google account (not your school email).

• A way to verify enrollment (usually through SheerID—upload ID, transcript, or enrollment letter).

The deadline changes by country:

Check your local version of the page: gemini.google/students — use the country selector at the bottom.

How to Apply (Step by Step)

1. Go to your country’s student offer page.

2. Click “Get it” or “Verify with SheerID.”

3. Upload proof of enrollment.

4. Add a payment method (required, but you won’t be charged during the year).

5. Finish the signup through Google Play or the web.

It usually takes a few minutes. If SheerID needs manual review, it can take up to 72 hours.

I’m Under 18 — What Now?

I can’t sign up because of the age limit. If you’re in the same situation, here are the options that actually work:

• Use regular NotebookLM: It’s free, has no age restriction, and still does summaries, Audio Overviews, quizzes, etc. Just go to notebooklm.google with your personal Gmail.

• Check your school account: Many universities turn on free Gemini and NotebookLM for all students through Google Workspace for Education. Log in with your .edu or associated school email and look for the Gemini icon in Gmail or Docs. Only works for schools that use Google Workspace for Education. Unfortunately my school is more of “Team Microsoft” than “Team Google"

  Honestly the free version is mostly enough for any schoolwork, but I still pray there's an opportunity like this when I turn 18 🤧

A Few Things to Know

• After the year, it auto-renews at full price (~£18.99/month in the UK) unless you cancel.

• If your school already gives you AI tools, this might overlap—check first.

• Your data in NotebookLM stays private either way; Google says it doesn’t use uploaded files to train models.

Bottom Line

If you’re 18+, enrolled in a supported country, and the deadline hasn’t passed—go verify now. It’s free and useful. If not, the regular NotebookLM is still one of the best free study tools out there. No need to overcomplicate it.

Let me know if you got it working🙂.
Is your school more “Team Google” or “Team Microsoft”?👀