The YouTube Premium student discount plan is a great deal. Normally it costs 1,280 yen per month, but you can use it for 780 yen per month. But what I'm curious about is, "What will happen after I graduate?" Will it suddenly become unusable? Will it automatically become the regular price? In this article, we have summarized the structure of the student discount plan, what to do after graduation, and all the necessary procedures.

How the YouTube Premium Student Discount Plan works

First, let's review the basics of YouTube Premium's student discount plan.

Student discount plans are discount plans available to students enrolled at eligible educational institutions. The features are exactly the same as regular YouTube Premium, including no ads, background playback, offline storage, and YouTube Music Premium. The only difference is the price.

Price comparison (as of 2025):

  • Normal plan: 1,280 yen per month
  • Student discount plan: 780 yen per month
  • Family plan: 2,280 yen per month

To subscribe to the student discount plan, you must authenticate as a student through a service called SheerID. Your university email address or student ID card will be used for authentication.

Important points:Student discount plans are valid for up to 4 years. You will need to re-verify your student status once each year. In other words, the system is such that you cannot continue using the student discount forever.

What happens after graduation?

This is what I'm most concerned about. In conclusion, It doesn't mean that you can't use it immediately after graduation.

Specifically, the flow is as follows.

1. You can use it until the end of your current billing period
Even after you graduate, you can continue to use the student discount rate for the period you have already paid. It doesn't suddenly stop in the middle of the month.

2. If the student cannot be confirmed during the annual re-verification, the student discount will be terminated.
SheerID will confirm the student status at the time of the annual re-verification. If you have graduated, you will not be able to pass the certification, so the student discount plan ends here.

3. Automatically switches to the regular plan (1,280 yen per month)
When the student discount ends, YouTube Premium itself will not be canceled, but will automatically switch to the regular plan. In other words, if you do nothing, you will be charged 1,280 yen per month.

The important thing is that you may be charged at the regular rate without permission. If you think that your contract will automatically be canceled because you graduate, you may end up continuing to pay the regular rate without realizing it.

What to do after graduation

What happens after you graduate depends on whether you want to continue with YouTube Premium.

Pattern 1: If you want to continue using YouTube Premium

  1. No need to do anything
  2. If the student discount revalidation fails, the plan will automatically switch to the regular plan
  3. If the family plan is more advantageous, consider changing your plan from YouTube Premium settings

Pattern 2: If you want to cancel YouTube Premium

  1. YouTube Paid MembershipsVisit page
  2. Tap "Manage Membership"
  3. Select “Disable” or “Cancel”
  4. Select the reason for cancellation and confirm

Even if you cancel, you can continue to use the features until the end of the paid period. When the period ends, you will return to regular YouTube (with ads).

Pattern 3: If you go on to graduate school

  1. If the graduate school is also an eligible educational institution, the student discount plan can be continued
  2. You can re-authenticate using your graduate school student information when re-authenticating.
  3. However, the maximum period for using the student discount is 4 years in total

Notes when subscribing from an iPhone

If you subscribe to a student discount plan from the YouTube app on your iPhone, the cancellation procedure is slightly different. Since you will be charged via Apple's subscription, you will need to cancel the subscription from your iPhone's settings, not from YouTube.

  1. Open "Settings" on iPhone
  2. Tap your name (Apple ID)
  3. Tap “Subscription”
  4. Select “YouTube Premium”
  5. Tap "Cancel Subscription"

Also, if you subscribe through Apple, the monthly fee may be slightly higher (based on Apple's fees). It is better to join directly from YouTube official website.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

When will I receive the re-certification for the student discount plan?

You will receive a recertification notification via email every year after joining. If you do not complete the procedure by the verification deadline, your student discount will end, so be sure to keep an eye on the email. Please note that the email may be sorted to the "Promotions" tab in Gmail.

Can I apply for student discount after becoming a working adult?

If you are enrolled in a university for working adults or a correspondence university, you can use the student discount plan if you pass SheerID authentication. However, as eligible educational institutions are managed by SheerID, not all schools are compatible.

Are there any YouTube Premium features that cannot be used with the student discount plan?

No. You can use the same features as the regular plan with the student discount plan. Ad-free, background playback, offline download, and YouTube Music Premium are all available.

Can my family also benefit from the student discount plan?

Student discount plans are individual plans and cannot be shared with family members. If you would like to use it with your family, please consider subscribing to the Family Plan (2,280 yen per month, up to 5 people). Many people switch to a family plan after graduation.

Is there a student discount plan only for YouTube Music?

Yes, there is. YouTube Music Premium also has a student discount plan. The student discount for YouTube Premium (video + music) is 780 yen per month, and the student discount for YouTube Music Premium alone is 480 yen per month.

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