Google Workspace for Education's licensing requirements ensure the product is deployed in a manner that aligns with our terms of service. Key requirements are outlined in detail in this article, providing clarity on current and future policies governing the use of Google Workspace for Education. By adhering to these licensing requirements, educational institutions can maximize the benefits of Google Workspace for Education while ensuring compliance with established guidelines.
Pricing and licensing guidelines
- Education Standard and Education Plus licenses—Institutions purchasing Education Plus or Education Standard receive 1 staff license at no cost for every 4 paid student licenses. Both license types access the same functionality.
- Minimum purchase thresholds—Education Standard and Education Plus subscriptions are intended to cover all students and staff in a domain. Customers must purchase the greater of 50 licenses or their total student enrollment, including full and part time. There is no minimum order quantity for Google Workspace for Education add-ons. We're updating our minimum purchase requirements to ensure our policies reflect this.
This updated information will be captured in a new version of the Student Enrollment Verification Letter, which is submitted to Google by resellers as part of the order process.
According to the timelines mentioned below, these respective purchase types will need to cover total student enrollment, including full-time and part-time students and a new Student Enrollment Verification Letter should be submitted with these orders.
Licensing scenario Date policy goes into effect Details New subscriptions January 1, 2025 Starting January 1, 2025, new Education Plus or Education Standard purchases will need to adhere to updated minimum purchase requirements. Upgrades from the Teaching and Learning Upgrade January 1, 2025 Starting January 1, 2025, upgrades from the Teaching and Learning Upgrade to either Education Standard or Education Plus will need to adhere to new minimum purchase requirements. Downgrades Starting January 1, 2025 Starting January 1, 2025, downgrades from Education Plus to Education Standard will need to adhere to new minimum purchase requirements. Renewals and upgrades on annual commitments January 1, 2026 We're giving customers with existing Education Standard or Education Plus subscriptions an additional year before the new policy goes into effect. Starting January 1, 2026, all Education Plus and Education Standard customers will need to adhere to new minimum purchase requirements. Renewals & upgrades on multi-year commitments July 1, 2025 We're giving customers with existing Education Standard or Education Plus subscriptions planning to renew on an Education Plus multi-year commitment until July 1, 2025 before the new policy goes into effect. At that time, you will need to adhere to new minimum purchase requirements. Note: We reserve the right to ask for additional information to verify student enrollment in cases where the number of active users exceeds the number of purchased licenses, which may require meeting the new minimum purchase requirements sooner than the respective dates mentioned above.
- Student enrollment verification letters are required for all Education Standard and Education Plus orders. Your reseller will ask you to complete a letter at time of first purchase to verify that your purchase is equal to or greater than your institution’s current total enrollment. Your reseller might also require a letter at renewal if your edition or license count changes. All customers renewing on or after Jan 1, 2026 will be required to license according to their total enrollment. You can access a template letter here.
- Compare Flexible and Annual/Fixed-Term payment plans—You can choose between 2 payment plans for your Google Workspace for Education subscription.
- Annual/Fixed-Term Plan
You commit to purchasing the edition for a full year or multiple years. Your price depends on the number of user licenses you purchase. If your institution grows, you can purchase more licenses for the remainder of your subscription period and your price would be adjusted on a prorated basis. You can reduce licenses only when renewing your plan at the end of the contract period. If you cancel your subscription before the subscription renewal date, you’ll be charged for the remaining balance (commitment cancellation fee) of your contract. No refunds are issued if you cancel during your commitment term.
Available for Education Plus, Education Standard, and Teaching and Learning Upgrade - Flexible Plan
You’re billed monthly for each user account. You can add and remove user accounts at any time. You pay only for the accounts that you have during a month. You can cancel your subscription at any time without penalty.Available for Teaching and Learning Upgrade
- Annual/Fixed-Term Plan
- Multi-year contracts and discounts—Google offers automatic discounts for customers who contractually commit to a multi-year purchase (two years or more) of Education Plus. Multi-year contracts are not offered for the Teaching and Learning Upgrade or Education Standard.
- Assigning licenses—Google Workspace for Education paid editions are licensed on a per user basis. Student and staff licenses need to be assigned to individual users in the Google domain to enable functionality. You can visit the Provisioning Guide for more information and best practices for license assignment.
- Adding licenses during Annual plans—User licenses that you purchase after the initial commitment are prorated. Speak with your reseller to order any additional licenses.
- Auto Renewal—At the end of each subscription term, your Google Workspace for Education paid subscription will automatically renew for an additional 12 months. If you want to cancel your subscription or if you choose not to renew, you must notify Google or your reseller at least 15 days before the end of the then-current term, and any changes will take effect at the end of the then-current term.
- Additional Storage renewals—To avoid disruption, customers and partners should submit renewal orders 90 days to 7 business days before the renewal date. Orders submitted after this window might result in a lapse of the Workspace Additional Storage add-on and a service disruption.
In the event of a reseller transfer at renewal, partners and customers should ensure that all Education Plus licenses are assigned to users in the domain. Failure to assign Education Plus licenses may result in storage overages and a service disruption. - Canceling your subscription—If you cancel your subscription before the contract ends, you’re still responsible for the full value of your original commitment. Termination or non renewal under any section of our Terms of Service will not oblige Google to refund any fees.
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