ChatGPT Goes Free for 5 Lakh Students, Teachers in India with OpenAI’s New Initiative

OpenAI seems to be very keen on India. The country is now OpenAI's second-largest market after the United States, with weekly active users growing more than four times in the past year. After launching ChatGPT Go, a cheaper, India-specific AI plan at just Rs 399 per month with UPI payments, OpenAI has now announced something even bigger – the OpenAI Learning Accelerator.

This is a new India-first education program that will give free access to ChatGPT for 5 lakh students and teachers across the country. OpenAI says this move is to help improve learning, support teachers, and make AI more useful in classrooms.

“The popularity of ChatGPT in learning also presents new challenges: how to ensure AI deepens rather than shortcuts learning, and how to help students build critical thinking skills when answers are instantly available. OpenAI Learning Accelerator is designed to address these challenges and empower educators and learners—to ensure AI strengthens learning, supports teachers, and addresses the unique needs of India’s education system,” the company said in a blog post. 

OpenAI has partnered with some of India’s top educational bodies like IIT Madras, AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education), The Ministry of Education and ARISE member schools to help the company bring ChatGPT to government schools (Classes 1–12), technical colleges, and K–12 schools across India.

Rs 4 Crore Funding for AI Research at IIT Madras

The AI company is also giving $500,000 (around Rs 4 crore) to IIT Madras to support the centre in its research on how AI can improve learning, teaching, and critical thinking among students. OpenAI and its partners will also train teachers and students on how to use AI safely and smartly. The company will offer a “study mode” in ChatGPT, designed to act like a personal tutor. With the new initiative, OpenAI aims to make AI tools easier to use in Indian languages. 

To lead this mission, OpenAI has appointed Raghav Gupta, former MD of Coursera India & Asia Pacific, as the new Head of Education for India and APAC. This big education push comes right after other OpenAI announced its new office in New Delhi opening soon. The company also has AI literacy programs with the Ministry of Electronics and IT and offers better support for Indic languages in the new GPT-5 model. 

Read More: Google Will Now Check Who Made Apps You Install Outside the Play Store