Get started with Google Apps for Education

Google Apps for Education provides the features included in Google Apps Unlimited to nonprofit K-12 schools and nonprofit higher education institutions in the U.S. and other countries. To qualify for Google Apps for Education, your organization must be one of the following:

  • K-12 or higher educational institution, nonprofit, accredited by a generally accepted accreditation body.

    Student/alumni/parent groups, religious organizations, or government bodies that are not registered 501(c)(3)s do not qualify for the Google Apps for Education. See additional examples.

  • Registered nonprofit organization.

    Registered nonprofit organizations may qualify for Google Apps for Education. See the eligibility guidelines to determine if your organization qualifies and learn how to apply here.

If you already have a Google Apps account and you think your organization meets the above criteria, please follow the steps listed below in the order they are presented.

  1. If you haven't signed up your organization's domain with any of the Google Apps services, please complete the Google Apps for Education signup form. If you have already signed up your domain for Google Apps and want to upgrade it to Google Apps for education, proceed to the upgrade to Google Apps for Education form to provide additional information. Once you have submitted your request, we will review your organization's eligibility and contact you via email about the status of your upgrade within 1-2 weeks.
  2. Have you verified domain ownership?

    We will not review your application for Google Apps for Education until domain ownership has been verified. If you need help verifying domain ownership, then please visit domain verification instructions.

Once you have completed these steps, we will review your organization's eligibility and contact you via email about the status of your application within 1-2 weeks.

Please follow these steps to get your institution started with Google Apps for Education.

1. Sign up for Google Apps for Education.
  1. Go to Google Apps for Education.
  2. Click Get Apps today.
  3. On the page that appears, provide information about you and your institution.
  4. Click Next.
  5. On the page that appears, provide the domain for your institution. Or you can purchase a new domain. Learn more.
  6. Click Next.
  7. Create a user account for yourself. This is the account that you'll use to sign in to your Google Apps for Education account.
  8. Read over and understand the terms of service.
  9. Click Accept and sign up.

You will receive an email that includes information about your new account.

After you sign up, you have access to a 30-day free trial of Google Apps for Education. You will receive an email confirming that your application for the full version of Google Apps for Education is under review. Note that Google can take up to 2 weeks to verify your eligibility for Google Apps for Education.

2. Confirm that your domain belongs to you.

You have to confirm domain ownership only if you signed up for Google Apps with a domain that you are already using. If you purchased a domain through Google when you signed up, you don't have to confirm.

  1. Sign in to the Google Admin console. 
  2. Click Confirm that you own your domain. There are a couple of ways to confirm domain ownership. Learn more. 
Confirming your domain will ensure a smooth upgrade to Google Apps for Education.

After you complete these steps, you can add users to your domain, configure apps, and access advanced features, like mail migration.

Visit the Google Apps Help Center to learn how to set up and deploy Google Apps.

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