Up to 450K Michigan college students eligible for free OpenAI credits

OpenAI announced that up to 450,000 Michigan college and trade school students aged 18 and older will be eligible for $100 in free credits to use its Codex coding assistant during the 2026-27 academic year. The total value of the credits offered is up to $45 million.

The credits can be used for Codex, an AI tool that generates code from natural language prompts. The initiative is open to students at eligible institutions across Michigan. The credits are valid for the 2026-27 academic year, after which any unused credits will expire.

The program was announced as part of a broader effort to make AI tools more accessible to students. It comes as many educational institutions are exploring how to integrate AI into their curricula to prepare students for a workforce increasingly influenced by automation and AI.