Last Update: 7/7/2025
Google has announced changes to its pricing structure during the ISTE conference. As we continue to review the details and gain clarity, we will actively update this article with the latest information as we understand it. This article will help you stay informed and navigate the changes effectively.Â
Register for a webinar
If you have questions, please join us at one of our Google Workspace for Education (GWfE) Licensing Changes webinars.
In this article, you will learn about:
Key Updates
Here is a summary of key updates of the upcoming changes. Full details are provided below this section.
- Licensing Model Changes: Google is transitioning to a single license type for Education Standard and Education Plus. Under the current model, institutions receive one staff license for every four student licenses purchased. Starting in late 2025, this 4:1 ratio will be retired. Schools will instead need to purchase licenses for all enrolled students (full- and part-time) and all staff requiring access to Education Fundamentals.
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Effective Dates:
- New purchases: No sooner than October 1, 2025
- Renewals: No sooner than February 1, 2026
- If your renewal falls between October 2025 and February 2026, you may still qualify for the current licensing model.
- Multi-Year Contracts: During the transition period (Q4 2025), only annual renewals will be available. Multi-year commitments will resume for renewals beginning February 2026.
- Transition Discounts: To ease the transition, Google is offering a 10% discount in Year 1 for customers who adopt the new licensing model and increase their paid license count by 10% or more. This discount can be combined with existing multi-year discounts.
- Gmail Only and Archived Licenses: These licenses remain free and can be requested through self-service in the Admin console.
Workspace Pricing
How will Google Workspace for Education pricing change?
- Google Workspace for Education Plus (annual plan) is increasing from $5 to $6 per user per year.
- Teaching and Learning Add-on (annual plan) is increasing from $48 to $60 per user per year.
How is the licensing model for Education Standard and Education Plus changing?
- The Education Standard and Education Plus licensing models are being consolidated into a single license type.
- Current Model: You purchase 4 Education Standard or Education Plus Student Licenses and receive 1 Staff license at no cost.
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Future Model (effective October 1, 2025, for new orders; February 1, 2026, for renewals): You will be required to purchase licenses equal to or greater than the sum of your total student enrollment (including full and part-time students) and all staff requiring an Education Fundamentals license.
- This means the previous 4:1 student-to-staff license ratio will no longer apply, and you will need to purchase licenses for all relevant staff, in addition to all full- and part-time students.
When will these changes take effect?
- New Purchases: No sooner than October 1, 2025
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Renewals: No sooner than February 1, 2026
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During October 1, 2025 - January 31, 2026Â
Renewals can leverage the CURRENT licensing and pricing model for a 1-year agreement.OR
Plus edition renewals have the option of a 3-year agreement on the NEW licensing and pricing model.
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What if my renewal is before February 1, 2026?
- If your renewal falls between October 2025 and February 2026 (Q4 2025), you will still qualify for the current model where you purchase 4 student licenses and receive 1 staff license at no cost.
How will multi-year contracts be impacted?
- Education Plus Renewals Before October 1, 2025: You have the opportunity to renew under the current (legacy) pricing and licensing structure. This allows you to lock in the lower price (e.g., $5/license) and the existing faculty licensing model for the entire multi-year term.
- Education Plus Renewing On or After October 1, 2025: Any new multi-year agreements will be based on the new pricing structure, which includes the price increase to $6 per license.
- If you are currently on a multi-year commitment, your price and licensing structure will not be impacted until after your agreement ends.
Are there any discounts available for transitioning to the new licensing model?
- Yes, to support the transition, Google is offering a flat 10% discount for Year 1 to customers who transition to the new streamlined licensing model and increase their paid license count by 10% or more.
- For customers renewing on multi-year commitments, this 10% discount will be applied to Year 1 on top of any pre-approved multi-year discounts. For example, a multi-year renewal could receive a 20% discount in Year 1 (10% offset + 10% multi-year) and a 10% multi-year discount in Years 2 and 3.
Are Gmail-only and Archived licenses still free and requested via Google?
- Yes, via self-service in the admin console.
My existing subscription ends after February. Can I cancel to re-purchase under the current license model?
- Google is not allowing early renewals to change subscription term dates in order to renew in advance under the current licensing model.
Workspace Licensing
What are the storage implications with the licensing changes?
Storage limitations are not affected. Emails and files owned by users with Gmail Only or Archived User licenses impact storage quotas the same as any other user.Â
Refer to Google's support article Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals licensing model & available license types for more information.
Can I really leverage a Gmail Only License to save on PLUS licenses?
The biggest limitation of the Gmail Only license is that it disables Drive for all users with that license. What that means for everyday use is that files shared with the domain (but not publicly) will no longer be accessible by Gmail-only users. So all those internal Docs, Forms, and other Drive files, even Shared Drives, will all be blocked for Gmail-only users.Â
Gmail Only is not particularly practical for K-12 active staff, but it is very practical for HE alumni. Gmail Only users can only access Drive files that have been shared publicly. Google recommends that all active students and staff should all be on Fundamentals, stating: Â
Education Fundamentals licenses should be used for users who are actively engaged in or supporting teaching and learning. This can include, but is not limited to full or part-time students, teachers, and staff.Â
Refer to Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals licensing model & available license types for more information.
What changes will I need to make with my assigned licenses when this goes into effect?
Existing users should not notice any changes. However, admins should review all suspended users and create a plan for transitioning them to the Archived User license. Most domains should already be under the new licensing scheme by now. Gopher for Users supports changing users to Archived, so even a Gopher trial would be a huge help for admins.
Is Archived User a license or a status?
Technically it is both. It will show as a license in the Subscriptions section of the Admin console, but the only way to assign or remove an Archived User license is to change the user’s status to Archived, similar to how we suspend users. The management of those licenses happens automatically based on the user’s status. While the license has a SKU, it cannot be managed by any tools as other licenses can.Â
Refer to Google's support article Archive users in Education editions for more information.
If my organization gives Google Licenses to Alumni, what is my best option to keep PLUS license numbers down/accurate?
Alumni should be given Gmail-only licenses.
If I leverage the CDW Licensing tool, what steps or actions will I need to take given these changes?
Open a ticket with CDW Amplified Support to review your configuration for the licensing tool. The licensing tool cannot archive or un-archive users, but it can automate removing paid licenses from archived users. Admins will need to find a separate process for archiving users, but our tool will take care of removing the paid licenses once the user is archived. Contact the support to request changes to the licensing tool or to review licensing (email support@amplifiedit.cdw.com or Submit a Ticket).
What is CDW’s best practice recommendation to keep licensing up to date and accurate in the Admin Console?
Admins should review user accounts regularly (throughout the school year and especially during summer rollover) to ensure inactive user accounts are archived. Additionally, admins should create an Archived OU in their domain to contain all archived users. Admins can use GCDS, GAM, Admin console CSV bulk update, Gopher for Users, or other automations to archive users in bulk. GCDS, GAM, and the CDW Licensing Tool support removing automating paid licenses from archived users. If admins use other tools like Clever, check the support/documentation for those tools to find out what they can provide.Â
Refer to Google's support article Archive users in Education editions for more information.
When will I see the changes in the license types in my Google Admin Console?
By July 2025, most domains should have already transitioned to the new licenses. Admins can check to see if their domain has transitioned to the new licenses by going to Billing > Subscriptions in the Admin console. The new licenses are named:
- Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals
- Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals - Archived User
- Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals Gmail Only User
Additionally, admins will see the ability to archive users after their domain has transitioned to the new model. Refer to Google Support Article Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals licensing model & available license types for more information.
Gemini Changes
How is Gemini licensing changing?
- Gemini will be included for all editions in Google Classroom, no additional licenses needed.
- Gemini will combine into one SKU.
- The new Gemini SKU will be at the price point of the current lower Gemini SKU.
How will the Gemini app be impacted (gemini.google.com)?
- This will function the same for the time being.
- Apps will still be accessible to all.
- Gems will still be accessible to all.
- Vault will still retain data.
- Conversations can be deleted after 3, 18, 36 Months.
- Gem sharing and prompt sharing are coming in the coming months; under-18 users will not be able to create Gems on their own.
When will these changes go into effect?
- September 1, 2025 for new purchases.
- Feature parity will be completed.
- Naming Change will take effect at plan renewal, no earlier than February 1, 2026.
Gemini will combine into 1 SKU:Â
- Google AI Pro for Education. All premium features previously included will now be included for all Gemini Add-Ons:
- Take Notes for Me
- Translated Live Captions
- Vids
- Generative AI features:
- Preset voice-overs
- Image background replacement
- Generated supers
- Slides to Vids
- Text to image and video
- Image to Video
- AI Avatars
- Generative AI features:
- New Naming: Gemini integration in Workspace Apps is now Google Workspace with Gemini
When will the Gemini for all and NotebookLM for all changes take place?
- Gemini for all users of all ages is already in effect.
- NotebookLM for all users of all ages will take place on August 13, 2025.
What is our recommendation for opting out of Gemini and NotebookLM being turned on for all users? When does this take place?
- August 1, 2025, is the deadline.
- We recommend opting out.
- Change takes place on August 13, 2025, for domains that have Gemini and/or NotebookLM off at the root OU and have not opted out.
- More information: Visit this CDW for Education article, Gemini and NotebookLM Enablement for All Education Users—What Admins Need to Know
Class Tools
Who can access Class Tools?
Class Tools will be available to users with Education Plus or Teaching & Learning.
What devices support Class Tools?
Class Tools will be supported only on managed ChromeOS and managed ChromeOS Flex devices. Windows, Mac, iPads and Android tablets will not be supported. To use Class Tools, all users in a class (teachers included) must be using managed ChromeOS and managed ChromeOS Flex devices.
Does Class Tools require Google Classroom?
No. Students can use a join code to join a class session. The advantage of using Classroom is that the teacher can launch a session much faster from Classroom and not need a join code.
Can Class Tools replace our expensive Chromebook monitoring and management product?
Not completely. Class Tools doesn’t have any of the 24/7/365 filtering, monitoring or reporting features of products like GoGuardian or Securly. Class Tools is designed for class “orchestration,” where the teacher can place limits on what students can do on their devices while they are in class.
Additional Resources
CDW Education Google Workspace Pricing
CDW Gemini Education Features and Resources
CDW Google Workspace for Education Features List
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