Turns out, "free" had an expiration date.
Google is retiring its 4:1 student-to-staff license ratio and the impact lands on every institution still running the old math. Under the new model – effective October 1, 2025, for new orders and February 1, 2026, for renewals – every seat counts. Students, staff, full-time, part-time, no exceptions. What changed beneath the surface is equally significant: Google is moving to a single, unified license type, eliminating the feature distinction between staff and student tiers entirely. This isn't a pricing tweak. It's an architectural reset and the institutions that understand what's inside it will be the ones that negotiate it best.
