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Google has announced a series of new AI-powered education tools and student offers for the 2026 academic year, including a 12-month free Google AI Plus plan for eligible college students outside the US, a move that could benefit students in India, including those preparing for competitive examinations such as the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE).
The announcement was made as part of Google's "Back to School 2026" initiative, which brings new learning features across Google Search, Gemini and other products to help students understand complex concepts, organise their studies and prepare for examinations. For students in India, the initiative is particularly relevant as Google has made its Google AI Plus plan available free of charge for 12 months to eligible college students outside the US. The plan offers increased Gemini usage limits and 400 GB of storage, potentially giving Indian college students additional AI-powered tools for academic work and research. The new features could also be useful for students at institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), particularly those preparing for JEE and other competitive examinations. Google Search is introducing tools that can generate interactive visuals for difficult concepts, create practice quizzes and provide step-by-step learning assistance through Google Lens. Google CEO Sundar Pichai highlighted the India-specific relevance of the new capabilities in a post on social media platform X. In his post, Pichai asked users to fill in the blank on the examinations for which Google Search can now help with test preparation, listing SAT, ACT, AP, ENEM, GRE, JEE, LSAT, MCAT and NEET, before offering "All of the above" as the answer. The inclusion of JEE and NEET is significant for Indian students, as the tools could assist aspirants in practising questions, revising concepts and building structured study routines. The new Search capabilities are designed to support learning rather than merely provide links to information. Google is also introducing a dedicated Student Hub within Gemini, allowing students to organise their academic work and access learning-focused tools. Its study notebooks can use diagnostic quizzes to identify strengths and knowledge gaps and create bite-sized study plans tailored to individual learning goals. Students can also use Gemini Live to discuss Deep Research reports while on the go. Google said its education tools are designed with safety in mind and are rooted in learning science, with the aim of supporting personalised study while keeping teachers in the lead. The company is also adding teacher-focused capabilities through Google Classroom, enabling educators to tailor students' AI experiences to their curriculum and monitor progress in real time. The new initiatives come as AI increasingly becomes part of education and examination preparation. For Indian students, the combination of free access to Google AI Plus for eligible college students and new Search and Gemini learning features could provide additional resources for academic research, concept building and competitive-exam preparation. (ANI)
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