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.
What do you get with Heroku for students?
Heroku for students is $13 per month in platform credits for 24 months, $312 in total, through the GitHub Student Developer Pack. The $2,000 in Heroku credits listing on AI Perks is the bigger number.
The perk card shows who qualifies and how to claim, so this article sticks to what the credit is worth and where it stops. AI Perks also tracks more student offers across the catalogue, so you can compare before you build.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Monthly credit | $13 |
| Length | 24 months |
| Total value | $312 (24 x $13) |
| GitHub Education pack listing | $13 USD per month for 24 months |
One warning on length. One Heroku student-page blurb and a Heroku Help sign-up article still say 12 months, while the FAQ and other help articles say 24. Check the current terms before you plan a project around either figure.
Top AI Credits for Startups
Apply directly through these verified programs.
Heroku $2,000
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 does $13 a month actually cover?
Heroku describes the $13 as enough for one month of a small starter stack. That is an Eco Dynos plan, one Mini Postgres database and one Mini Key-Value Store database.
| Product | Monthly price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Eco Dynos plan | $5 | 1000 dyno hours per month |
| Mini Heroku Postgres | $5 | One database |
| Mini Heroku Key-Value Store | $3 | One database |
| Total | $13 | Matches the monthly credit |
For a class project, that is a web app, a relational database and a cache or queue. The credits apply to Heroku's own products, such as Dynos, data services and Heroku CI. If your project needs more than that stack, the extra cost lands on you.
What are the real limits?
The $13 is generous for a first deployment, but it is a fixed monthly allowance, not a pot of $312 you can draw down freely. These are the limits that catch students out:
- No front-loading. Even if your spend is $312 in a month, only $13 of credit applies.
- No rollover. Unused credit does not carry over from month to month.
- Deducted regardless. Up to $13 is deducted each month whether or not you run a paid product.
- Overage hits your card. If an invoice is above $13, the $13 credit applies and the remainder is charged to the card on file.
- Not card-free. A valid credit or debit card is required to redeem the offer.
- No paid third-party add-ons. The credit does not extend to them.
- One run only. You can take part in the new program for one 24-month period, and credits expire after it and cannot be renewed.
The practical lesson: start your project early enough to use each month's $13, because idle months are wasted credit.
Top AI Credits for Startups
Apply directly through these verified programs.
Heroku $2,000
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
Where do bigger credits come from?
If a $13 allowance is too small for your project, the catalogue lists much larger amounts for hosting and cloud. These are separate perks with their own cards, and each card shows who qualifies and how to claim.
| Company | Free credits | How to get |
|---|---|---|
| Heroku | $2,000 | Get this perk |
| Render | $2,500 | Get this perk |
| Vercel | $850,000 | Get this perk |
| DigitalOcean | $100,000 | Get this perk |
Total across these four perks: $954,500 in listed credits ($2,000 + $2,500 + $850,000 + $100,000).
Those amounts are far above the student $312, so it is worth opening each card to see what the perk is and whether it fits you. For a side-by-side view of student options, see Free AI Credits for Students 2026: Every Program Compared.
What else is in the student pack besides Heroku?
The GitHub pack lists several other cloud and developer offers that pair well with a Heroku app. Microsoft Azure appears with 25+ services and $100 in credit for students aged 18+, and the listing states no credit card is required, unlike the Heroku offer.
For data science work, Camber offers a free student plan while you are enrolled: 40 CPU hours, 5 GPU hours, 50 GB of storage and 50 agent messages per month. New Relic is free for students and listed at a $300/month value, and GitHub Pro is free while you are a student.
For the full list, read GitHub Student Developer Pack 2026: What Is Inside. AI Student Discount 2026: Every Verified Offer Listed shows which student offers are open now.
Top AI Credits for Startups
Apply directly through these verified programs.
Heroku $2,000
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
How do you get started? Step by step
- Get credits via AI Perks. Open the Student and education perk cards at getaiperks.com and start with the Heroku card, which shows who qualifies and how to claim.
- Check the current terms. Heroku's pages disagree on 12 versus 24 months, so confirm the length before you plan.
- Size your project to $13. Aim for one Eco Dynos plan, one Mini Postgres and one Mini Key-Value Store, so nothing spills onto your card.
- Deploy early. Credit does not roll over, so each unused month is lost.
- Compare bigger credits. If you outgrow the allowance, check the Render card or the DigitalOcean card.
FAQ
Is Heroku free for students?
Not entirely. Students in the GitHub Student Developer Pack get $13 per month in platform credits for 24 months, worth $312. Anything above $13 on an invoice is charged to your card on file. See the Heroku card for who qualifies and how to claim.
How long do Heroku student credits last?
Most Heroku pages say 24 months, totaling $312, and credits expire after that period and cannot be renewed. However, one student-page blurb and a help sign-up article still say 12 months. Check the current terms before relying on either figure.
Can I use the credits on any add-on?
No. The credits apply only to Heroku's own products, such as Dynos, Postgres, Key-Value Store, data services or Heroku CI. They do not cover paid third-party add-ons. If your project depends on one, you pay for it yourself.
Do I need a credit card for the Heroku student offer?
Yes. A valid credit or debit card is required to redeem the offer, and any invoice amount above the $13 credit is charged to it. If you want a cloud perk without a card, the Azure listing in the pack states no credit card is required.
Are there bigger student credits than Heroku's $312?
Yes. The catalogue lists Render at $2,500, DigitalOcean at $100,000 and Vercel at $850,000, plus a $2,000 Heroku listing. Each is its own perk. Browse them on getaiperks.com and open the cards for details.
Where can I find more student perks?
The AI Perks catalogue lists free credits from many companies, including student and education cards. Each card shows who qualifies and how to claim, so you can compare offers in one place rather than checking vendor pages one by one.
Top AI Credits for Startups
Apply directly through these verified programs.
Heroku $2,000
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
Ready to build for free?
Heroku's $13 a month is a solid start for a first deployment, but the catalogue has far larger credits when your project grows.
Get free AI credits at getaiperks.com →
Browse every student and education perk card at getaiperks.com and claim what fits your project.
