Will I be charged when the credits run out?

Depends on the platform. Azure for Students does not charge you after credits expire (your services just stop). AWS Free Tier can charge you if you exceed limits. Always set billing alerts and monitor usage. Vercel and Netlify free tiers do not require a credit card at all.

Do I need a credit card to sign up?

Azure for Students and AWS Educate do not require a credit card. The regular AWS Free Tier does. Vercel, Netlify, Railway, and Render free tiers do not. Check each platform before signing up.

Which cloud platform should I learn first?

For deploying student projects quickly, Vercel or Railway. For learning enterprise cloud skills that look good on a CV, AWS or Azure. Start with the easy option to get your project live, then explore the enterprise platforms when you are ready.

Free cloud and developer credits for Kenyan students | Campus

Free cloud and developer credits for Kenyan students

Google, Microsoft, and AWS all offer free cloud credits to students. Google Cloud gives credits through its student programme. Azure offers credits through the GitHub Student Developer Pack and Azure for Students. AWS has AWS Educate. These credits let you deploy projects, run databases, and experiment with cloud services without paying. Apply through each provider's education portal.

Google Cloud for Students

Google offers cloud credits through several programmes:

Google Cloud Skills Boost. Free hands-on labs and learning paths. Some labs include temporary cloud credits. Good for learning without commitment.

Google Cloud for Education. Available through participating universities. Check with your department or IT office whether your university has a Google Cloud education agreement.

GDG/GDSC events. Google Developer Student Club events sometimes distribute cloud credits as part of workshops and study jams. Another reason to join your campus GDSC.

What to build: Deploy a web app on Google Cloud Run, set up a database on Cloud SQL, or experiment with Google's AI APIs. Cloud Run is especially useful because it scales to zero, meaning you only pay (from your credits) when someone actually uses your app.

Microsoft Azure for Students

Azure for Students. Offers free credits (no credit card required) when you verify with a university email. Includes access to popular services like App Service, Azure Functions, and Cosmos DB.

GitHub Student Developer Pack. Also includes Azure credits. If you already have the GitHub Student Pack, check whether Azure credits are part of your bundle.

Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors. MLSA members get additional Azure credits and access to enterprise tools. The ambassador programmes guide covers how to apply.

What to build: Host a static website on Azure Static Web Apps (free tier, no credits needed), deploy an API with Azure Functions, or use Azure AI services for a student project.

AWS for Students

AWS Educate. Provides cloud credits and learning content for students. No credit card required. You verify with a student email or institution.

AWS Free Tier. Available to anyone (not student-specific). Includes 12 months of limited free usage for services like EC2, S3, and RDS. After 12 months, you pay for what you use. Set billing alerts to avoid surprise charges.

What to build: Host a website on S3, deploy a backend on EC2 or Lambda, or set up a PostgreSQL database on RDS. AWS is the most popular cloud platform in industry, so experience with it looks good on a CV.

Other free credits and tools

DigitalOcean. Included in the GitHub Student Developer Pack. Simple, affordable cloud hosting that is easier to learn than AWS or Azure. Good for deploying your first app.

Vercel and Netlify. Free tiers that are generous enough for student projects. No credits needed. Deploy frontend apps, Next.js sites, and static pages for free. Most students never outgrow the free tier.

Railway and Render. Free tiers for backend hosting. Good for deploying Node.js, Python, and PostgreSQL projects without touching AWS or Azure.

JetBrains. Free professional IDEs (IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm) through their educational licence. Apply at jetbrains.com/education with your student email.

The combined value of all these free credits and tools is substantial. As a student, you have access to infrastructure that would cost hundreds of dollars per month if you were paying full price. Use it.

What to do this week

Apply for the GitHub Student Developer Pack if you have not already.
Sign up for Azure for Students using your university email.
Deploy one project to a free-tier platform (Vercel, Netlify, or Railway) this week.
Set billing alerts on any cloud account where you used credits, to avoid surprise charges.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will I be charged when the credits run out?: Depends on the platform. Azure for Students does not charge you after credits expire (your services just stop). AWS Free Tier can charge you if you exceed limits. Always set billing alerts and monitor usage. Vercel and Netlify free tiers do not require a credit card at all.
Do I need a credit card to sign up?: Azure for Students and AWS Educate do not require a credit card. The regular AWS Free Tier does. Vercel, Netlify, Railway, and Render free tiers do not. Check each platform before signing up.
Which cloud platform should I learn first?: For deploying student projects quickly, Vercel or Railway. For learning enterprise cloud skills that look good on a CV, AWS or Azure. Start with the easy option to get your project live, then explore the enterprise platforms when you are ready.