AI Perks curates and provides access to exclusive discounts, credits, and deals on AI tools, cloud services, and APIs to help startups and developers save money.
Is there still a DigitalOcean student credit?
No. The $200 student credit closed to new redemptions after July 31, 2026, and everything expired August 1. A much larger offer sits in the catalogue: $100,000 in DigitalOcean credits. Its card shows who qualifies and how to claim.
DigitalOcean is leaving the GitHub pack, and GitHub says its student credit offer for $200 of platform credit is no longer available. It is now 2 November 2026, so every date in that notice is in the past. If you are searching for a DigitalOcean student credit today, the old route is gone.
The rest of this article covers what happened, what limits the old credit had, what is still free for CS students, and where bigger credits come from. AI Perks also tracks more student offers beyond the ones named here.
Top AI Credits for Startups
Apply directly through these verified programs.
DigitalOcean $100,000
Eligible for early-stage startups
ChatGPT $80
Eligible for early-stage startups
Google Gemini $240
Eligible for early-stage startups
GitHub Up to $120
Eligible for early-stage startups
Notion $120
Eligible for early-stage startups
Figma $1,080
Eligible for early-stage startups
What happened to the $200 student credit?
The pack listed the offer as $200 in platform credit for 1 year. Before the exit, the listing showed the credit running only through 7/31/26. The pack changelog records the sunsetting on July 7, 2026.
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| July 7, 2026 | Pack changelog records the DigitalOcean sunsetting |
| July 31, 2026 | Last day to redeem the $200 offer |
| August 1, 2026 | All credits expired, whenever they were redeemed |
Students who had already redeemed could keep using credits only until August 1, 2026. After that, any remaining balance expired. DigitalOcean did not formally announce the removal either: students found out when they tried to redeem and no credit arrived.
What did the old credit not cover?
Even while it lasted, the credit had limits that mattered for AI and ML projects. As of June 8, 2026, it worked on any DigitalOcean service except a short list.
- GPU Droplets
- NVIDIA H100 GPU Kubernetes
- Bare Metal GPUs
- Third-party AI models hosted outside DigitalOcean, including Anthropic and OpenAI models
So a student planning to fine-tune a model on a GPU could not have used the $200 for that anyway. Check the exclusions on any credit before you design a project around it.
Top AI Credits for Startups
Apply directly through these verified programs.
DigitalOcean $100,000
Eligible for early-stage startups
ChatGPT $80
Eligible for early-stage startups
Google Gemini $240
Eligible for early-stage startups
GitHub Up to $120
Eligible for early-stage startups
Notion $120
Eligible for early-stage startups
Figma $1,080
Eligible for early-stage startups
Can students get any DigitalOcean credit now?
Possibly, but the figures conflict, so treat them with care. Costgoat, updated October 30, 2026, lists a $200 signup credit for new accounts, valid for 60 days. It's FOSS says DigitalOcean offers $100 to every new user, so the general signup amount is unverified.
If the $200 figure holds, you would have to spend it inside that 60-day window. Costgoat also reports that a credit card or PayPal must be on file before it activates, and that unused credit disappears at day 60 with no rollover or extension. That suits a short sprint such as a hackathon or a demo, not a semester-long project.
Do not count on the Open Source Credits Program either. DigitalOcean sunset it, so it is not a student route.
GitHub suggests watching for future DigitalOcean opportunities through Major League Hacking collaborations. Nothing specific has been published, so there is no date or amount to plan around.
Where do bigger cloud credits come from?
The catalogue lists far larger amounts than any student offer ever did. These are separate perks with their own cards, and each card shows who qualifies and how to claim.
| Company | Free credits | How to get |
|---|---|---|
| DigitalOcean | $100,000 | Get this perk |
| Render | $2,500 | Get this perk |
| Heroku | $2,000 | Get this perk |
| Vercel | $850,000 | Get this perk |
Total across these four perks: $100,000 + $2,500 + $2,000 + $850,000 = $954,500 in listed credits.
The first useful move is to open the card, not guess. A card opens in place, and it is where you sign up and start a trial. If you are building a deployable project, $2,500 in Render credits and $850,000 in Vercel credits are worth comparing next to DigitalOcean.
Top AI Credits for Startups
Apply directly through these verified programs.
DigitalOcean $100,000
Eligible for early-stage startups
ChatGPT $80
Eligible for early-stage startups
Google Gemini $240
Eligible for early-stage startups
GitHub Up to $120
Eligible for early-stage startups
Notion $120
Eligible for early-stage startups
Figma $1,080
Eligible for early-stage startups
What free cloud is still left in the student pack?
The pack is free verification that unlocks more than 80 student offers. Its current value excludes the DigitalOcean $200 because that offer ended. For cheap cloud hosting now, the live substitutes are the Azure student credit and the Heroku monthly credit.
| Pack offer | What it gives |
|---|---|
| Azure (18+) | 25+ cloud services plus $100 in credit |
| Azure (13-17) | Cloud services and learning resources, no credit card required |
| Heroku credit | $312 first-year face value, the biggest durable one in the pack's table |
| Camber Student plan | Free while enrolled: 40 CPU hours, 5 GPU hours, 50 GB storage, 50 agent messages per month |
| GitHub Codespaces | Free Pro-level access |
| Name.com domain | Free domain with over 25 extensions |
The Camber limits come from an update dated August 20, 2026. For a small ML experiment, 5 GPU hours a month is the number that decides what fits. GitHub also names LocalStack as another cloud offer that may help fill the gap.
Some offers shifted recently, so check current terms before relying on them.
- Appwrite changed on October 2, 2026 to 6 months of its Education plan (2 projects, worth $40/month), where it was previously for as long as a student was active.
- 1Password expanded its verified-student offer to 2 years on October 2, 2026, up from 1.
- The Codédex benefit dropped from 6 months to 1 month starting November 1, 2026.
For a fuller rundown, see GitHub Student Developer Pack 2026: What Is Inside.
How do you replace the DigitalOcean credit step by step?
Step 1: Get credits via AI Perks
Open the catalogue at getaiperks.com and filter for student and education perk cards. Start with the $100,000 DigitalOcean card, then compare the Render, Heroku and Vercel cards. Each card shows who qualifies and how to claim.
Step 2: Match the credit to your project
Pick the platform your project needs. A web app, a database and a GPU experiment each need different things, and the credit has to cover them. Check exclusions first, since the old DigitalOcean credit skipped GPU products and outside AI models.
Step 3: Redeem timed credits when you are ready
Partner clocks start at redemption, not at verification. If an offer has a fixed term, redeem it the week you start building, not the week you sign up.
Step 4: Plan around graduation
Graduation ends pack access at the next scheduled re-check, not on graduation day. Move anything important off pack-only offers before you reach that point.
Step 5: Keep watching for new offers
GitHub points to Major League Hacking collaborations for future DigitalOcean opportunities. Also check the catalogue periodically, because student offers change often, as the October and November updates above show.
Top AI Credits for Startups
Apply directly through these verified programs.
DigitalOcean $100,000
Eligible for early-stage startups
ChatGPT $80
Eligible for early-stage startups
Google Gemini $240
Eligible for early-stage startups
GitHub Up to $120
Eligible for early-stage startups
Notion $120
Eligible for early-stage startups
Figma $1,080
Eligible for early-stage startups
FAQ
Is the DigitalOcean student credit gone for good?
The $200 offer through the GitHub pack was unavailable after July 31, 2026, and all credits expired August 1, 2026. No replacement has been published. For other cloud credits students can compare, browse the cards at getaiperks.com.
Can I still use DigitalOcean credits I redeemed earlier?
No. Students who had redeemed could use existing credits only until August 1, 2026. After that date, any remaining credits expired, regardless of when they were redeemed. Since today is 2 November 2026, that window has closed and no balance carries over.
Did the credit work for GPU or OpenAI projects?
No. As of June 8, 2026, it excluded GPU Droplets, NVIDIA H100 GPU Kubernetes and Bare Metal GPUs. It also excluded third-party models hosted outside DigitalOcean, including Anthropic and OpenAI. For larger offers, see the DigitalOcean perk card.
What is the best free cloud option for students now?
Inside the pack, the live substitutes are the Azure student credit and the Heroku monthly credit, which is $312 in first-year face value. Outside it, the catalogue lists credits up to $850,000 at getaiperks.com, and each card shows who qualifies.
Does a new DigitalOcean account get free credit?
Reports conflict. Costgoat lists $200 valid for 60 days, with a card or PayPal on file, while It's FOSS says $100 for every new user. The amount is unverified, so check the signup page before building around it.
Where can I compare more student AI and cloud offers?
Start with Free AI Credits for Students 2026: Every Program Compared and AI Student Discount 2026: Every Verified Offer Listed. The full catalogue at getaiperks.com lists free credits and API keys across many companies.
Ready to find your next student credit?
The DigitalOcean $200 is over, but the catalogue lists credits from $2,000 to $850,000 for builders. Open a card, check who qualifies, and claim before your next project starts.
Get free AI credits at getaiperks.com →
Browse every free AI credit and API key perk at getaiperks.com, and pick your student credit before the next deadline passes.
