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Microsoft Copilot for Students: eligibility, ways to access, pricing, and admin enablement

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“Copilot” spans a few different products in the Microsoft ecosystem. For students, access typically arrives through three avenues: (1) Copilot Chat at no additional cost when your school licenses eligible Microsoft 365 Education plans and enables it for students; (2) individual consumer offers (e.g., Microsoft 365 Personal student promo that includes Copilot features/credits); and (3) GitHub Copilot Pro for coding, free with verified student status. Below is a clear, current map of what students can use, who qualifies, and how schools turn it on.

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What students can get for free (through school)

Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat (the work/school version) is now available at no additional cost for users signed in with an Entra ID (school account) if the tenant has an eligible Microsoft 365 Education license (A1/A3/A5, among others). This is a chat experience that can reason over your files and support tasks, and it’s distinct from the paid “Copilot for Microsoft 365” add-on that lights up full in-app copilots across Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams.

In May 2025, Microsoft publicly confirmed that students aged 13+ can use Copilot Chat when the school enables it (admins must follow specific student enablement steps).

Key points:

  • No extra cost for Copilot Chat if your tenant has eligible Education licenses and your admin turns it on for students.

  • Age requirement: generally 13+, with regional minimums that can be higher.

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What requires a paid add-on (school/tenant)

Copilot for Microsoft 365 (the in-app copilots for Word/Excel/PowerPoint/Outlook/Teams plus Graph grounding) is a separate add-on license that sits on top of Microsoft 365. For Education, Microsoft is introducing an academic offering at $18 per user/month (availability beginning December 2025), which institutions may purchase for faculty and/or students per their policy.

Capability

Copilot Chat (no add-on)

Copilot for Microsoft 365 (paid add-on)

Chat in a browser/app to summarize, answer, transform

Included for eligible A1/A3/A5 tenants (admin enablement required)

Included

Work-grounded copilots inside Word/Excel/PowerPoint/Outlook/Teams

—

Yes

Admin controls, auditability via tenant

Yes

Yes

Price (education)

Included with eligible licenses

$18/user/mo academic offer (from Dec 2025)


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Individual route for students (consumer plan promo)

If your institution hasn’t enabled tenant features, you can still use Microsoft 365 Personal under the college student promotion: 12 months free, then 50% off (U.S. offer; availability varies), which includes Microsoft Copilot features and higher AI usage limits within the consumer suite. Requires a college email; terms apply.

When to choose this: personal work on a private account, or when your school hasn’t rolled out Copilot Chat or the paid add-on yet.

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GitHub Copilot Pro for students (coding) — free

Separate from Microsoft 365, GitHub Copilot Pro is free for verified students through GitHub Education, with additional student benefits like exam vouchers. Verification requires proof of enrollment and age 13+.

Good fit when: you need an AI coding pair-programmer inside VS Code/JetBrains or GitHub.com.

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Age, data protection, and policy controls

  • Age: Copilot access is typically 18+, but has been expanded to 13–18 with regional minimums. Schools enabling Copilot for students must follow the student-enablement guidance; under 13 are not eligible.

  • Tenant governance: School accounts sit inside Microsoft 365 Education with Entra ID, so Copilot Chat and Copilot for Microsoft 365 operate under tenant data boundaries, permissions, and audit.

  • No-trial note (work add-on): Microsoft doesn’t offer a trial for the Copilot for Microsoft 365 add-on; institutions can try Copilot Chat (the included experience) first.

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Quick decision guide (students & schools)

Situation

Best path

Why

Your school has A1/A3/A5 and is willing to enable Copilot for students

Use Copilot Chat (no extra cost)

Fastest way to get AI help governed by school policies.

You need copilots inside Word/Excel/PowerPoint/Outlook/Teams

Copilot for Microsoft 365 (edu add-on)

Full in-app experiences; edu price $18/user/mo from Dec 2025.

Your school hasn’t rolled out anything yet

Microsoft 365 Personal student promo

12 months free + 50% off; includes Copilot features/credits.

You’re a CS/engineering student needing coding help

GitHub Copilot Pro (student free)

Verified students get Copilot Pro at no charge.

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How IT can enable Copilot Chat for students (high level)

  1. Confirm licensing (A1/A3/A5 or other eligible SKUs) and age policy (13+). 2) In the Copilot admin guidance, enable Copilot Chat for students and apply appropriate safety/content settings. 3) Pilot with a small cohort; gather feedback on prompts and usage limits; expand in phases. (Microsoft’s admin docs outline eligibility and rollout steps.)

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Pricing snapshot (today)

Product

Student cost

Notes

Copilot Chat (work/school)

Included with eligible M365 Education licenses (admin enablement)

No extra fee; age 13+.

Copilot for Microsoft 365 (Education add-on)

$18/user/month (academic offer, from Dec 2025)

Full in-app copilots for Word/Excel/PowerPoint/Outlook/Teams.

Microsoft 365 Personal (student promo)

$0 for 12 months, then 50% off

Includes Copilot features and higher AI usage limits (consumer).

GitHub Copilot Pro (student)

Free with verification

Coding assistant in editors and on GitHub.

Institutional purchasing and regional availability can vary; always check your tenant’s admin center and the current education pricing page.

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FAQs

Can K–12 students use Copilot?Yes, if they’re 13+ (or higher if the region mandates) and the school enables Copilot Chat for students. Under-13 students are not eligible.

Is Copilot “in the apps” free for students?No. That requires the Copilot for Microsoft 365 add-on (paid). Copilot Chat can be no-cost if your tenant is eligible.

Does the student promo of Microsoft 365 Personal cover school compliance?It’s a consumer subscription tied to a personal Microsoft account. For governed school data, prefer school-account access in your tenant.

What about government/sovereign clouds?Copilot Chat has specific availability timelines for GCC-M and DoD tenants; check Microsoft’s government cloud notes for rollout timing.

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The bottom line.

  • Copilot Chat: students 13+ can use it at no additional cost when the school’s tenant has eligible Education licenses and admins enable it.

  • Copilot for Microsoft 365: paid edu add-on (announced at $18/user/month starting Dec 2025) for full in-app copilots.

  • Consumer fallback: Microsoft 365 Personal’s student promo includes Copilot features/credits for individual use.

  • For coding: GitHub Copilot Pro is free for verified students.

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