Important
Starting April 20, 2026, new sign-ups for Copilot Pro, Copilot Pro+, Copilot Max, and student plans are temporarily paused. However, existing plans can be upgraded.
About free GitHub Copilot Pro access
There are two ways to qualify for free access to Copilot Pro:
- As a verified teacher on GitHub Education. To become a verified teacher, see Apply to GitHub Education as a teacher.
- As a maintainer of a popular open-source repository. To check your eligibility, see Accessing Copilot Pro for free.
GitHub reevaluates your eligibility every month.
What if I don't qualify for free access to Copilot Pro?
If you do not meet the previous criteria, you can do one of the following:
- Subscribe to Copilot Pro, Copilot Pro+, or Copilot Max for a paid plan with access to premium models.
- Set up Copilot Free to get a limited experience of Copilot without a paid plan. See About individual GitHub Copilot plans and benefits.
Accessing Copilot Pro for free
- In the upper-right corner of any page, click your profile picture, then click Copilot settings.
- If you qualify for free access to Copilot, you will see a page titled "GitHub Copilot Pro" informing you that you are eligible. Click Get access to GitHub Copilot.
- On the page that appears, configure the Copilot use policies to meet your needs, then click Save and complete.