OpenAI has announced free access to ChatGPT for half a million teachers and students in India. The company has also released a $500,000 (around ₹4.5 crore) research grant to IIT-Madras.
The initiative is called the OpenAI Learning Accelerator. It was announced at the India Education Summit and is positioned as an India-first program designed to integrate AI into classrooms while supporting teachers and learners. This is quite obvious as India already represents ChatGPT’s largest student user base in the world, making the country a key focus for OpenAI’s education strategy.
Free ChatGPT Access for Teachers and Students
Over the next six months, OpenAI will distribute 5 lakh free ChatGPT licenses across schools and colleges in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, AICTE, and ARISE member schools. These licenses will include training sessions to help teachers plan lessons, engage students, and improve outcomes. Students will also get access to features like study mode, which acts as a personalized tutor by breaking down concepts step-by-step and encouraging interactive learning.
Along with the free licenses, the company is also partnering with IIT-Madras on long-term research into how AI can improve learning outcomes and support innovative teaching methods. As already mentioned, the collaboration will be backed by a $500,000 (around ₹4.5 crore) grant from OpenAI. Research will align with cognitive neuroscience insights, and findings will be shared publicly to inform future product development.
Interestingly, the announcement comes just a week after OpenAI confirmed plans to open its first India office in New Delhi later this year. Raghav Gupta, former India and Asia Pacific MD at Coursera, has been appointed as OpenAI’s Head of Education for India and Asia Pacific to lead these efforts.
Affordable AI Access: ChatGPT Go Plan
ChatGPT’s one of the biggest chunks of userbase is situated in India. However, the majority of the users had free accounts as the earlier prices were not India-focused. However, recently OpenAI launched ChatGPT Go, an India-exclusive subscription priced at $4 (which is ₹399) per month. The plan offers ten times higher usage limits than the free tier, expanded file uploads, double the memory for personalised conversations, and full access to the GPT-5 model with enhanced Indic language support.
This affordable plan from AI giant is tailored for students, independent creators, and regular users who want advanced features without the higher costs of Plus or Pro plans. The best part about the plan is that it now supports UPI and credit card payments.
