T-Mobile Offers Free Internet for Students (Really!)

T-Mobile is giving free internet to millions of K-12 students nationwide through their Project 10Million initiative. And it doesn’t stop with internet access and free hotspots for students. From discounted computers and more, the wireless giant is making it easier for everyone to have free internet.

Who all is eligible? How do you sign up? What’s included? We’ve got the details on how to get access to a free hotspot.

Here’s what you need to know:

To qualify for T-Mobile free internet for students, your child must be enrolled in the National School Lunch Program.

Project 10Million was created to help low-income families get internet access when otherwise it could be too expensive.

Any student in the 50 United States (plus Puerto Rico) qualifies for Project 10Million if they’re enrolled in the National School Lunch Program, and they also accept verification letters from these programs:

• National School Lunch Program
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
• Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR)
• Community Eligibility Provision (CEP)
• Medicaid
• Headstart
• Foster care

Apply to the Project 10Million program via the website — where you put in your child’s information, and upload your qualifying program’s acceptance letter. You can also get help in person at your local T-Mobile store and an employee will walk you through exactly what it takes to apply for free internet or a free hotspot for your student.

Project 10Million offers 100 GB of T-Mobile free internet and a free hotspot, plus discounts.

Program participants get a free mobile hotspot device, plus 100 GB of internet data per year for five years. Need more data? There’s an optional 30-day 4GB data pass for $15.

Project 10Million also offers discounts on tablets and laptops that you will be able to access as soon as you activate your hotspot.

Also: When you activate your free hotspot and set up your T-Mobile ID, you will have access to the discounted Project 10Million store, where laptops and tablets are up to 50% off. We found a Lenovo 100e Chromebook 2nd Gen for $159.88, which usually retails for around $250.

The program is available to both T-Mobile customers and people who aren’t customers.

Anyone eligible can apply to get free internet for students, whether or not they’re T-Mobile subscribers.

TIP: If you’re not eligible for Project 10Million, you still don’t have to pay full price for internet access; check out our 8 Tips to Get Cheap Home Internet.

You won’t have to wait long to find out if you’ve been accepted into the Project 10Million program.

The entire process from application to shipment shouldn’t take more than a week.

If you meet the criteria for the program, you will receive an acceptance email from T-Mobile within 24 hours of your application.

After you accept the terms and conditions, you’ll receive a confirmation email within 24 hours with a confirmation saying that you will get your free hotspot in 3-5 days.

Once you’re accepted into the five-year program, you won’t need to re-enroll.

Once you and your student activate your free mobile hotspot, you can expect the 100 GB of data to automatically renew on the same date each year for five years. Free internet for students is totally possible!