This guide explains how YouTube content can be used in educational environments through the Player for Education and how creators can earn revenue from it.
What is Player for Education?
Player for Education is an embedded YouTube player designed for use in schools and other learning platforms. It allows teachers and educational institutions to include YouTube videos and Shorts in their teaching materials in a more controlled and privacy-focused environment.
When your videos are used in this system, they are shown through an educational version of the YouTube player that is optimized for learning contexts.
Eligibility and embedding requirements
To be eligible for inclusion in Player for Education, your videos must allow embedding. If embedding is disabled, educational partners will not be able to use your content within their learning tools.
You do not need to opt into monetization or accept payment terms for your videos to be included. However, if you prefer not to have your content used in educational embedding environments, you can disable or restrict embedding in your video settings.
Earning money from educational usage
Educational institutions and partners pay licensing fees to use Player for Education. While this version of the player does not show ads, creators can still earn revenue based on how much watch time their content receives within the system.
Once you accept the required payment terms, you become eligible to earn money based on your share of monthly watch time across educational usage.
These payments are distributed from the licensing fees paid by educational partners.
How to get started and accept payment terms
If you are eligible to monetize educational usage, YouTube may provide you with a contract to sign.
To begin:
- Sign in to YouTube Studio
- Go to the Earn section
- Under “More ways to earn,” select Player for Education
- Click Get started and follow the setup steps
Contracts are typically sent on a monthly basis to creators who qualify.
Once accepted, the terms apply across all channels connected to your account.
Viewing earnings
Revenue earned from Player for Education is processed through AdSense and appears in your YouTube payments and analytics reports. These earnings are usually updated once per month.
You can also track performance in YouTube Analytics, where metrics like watch time and views from educational usage are included in reporting.
Tracking performance
To analyze how your content performs in educational settings:
- Sign in to YouTube Studio on desktop
- Open Analytics from the left menu
- Select Advanced Mode or See More
- Filter results by Player Type and choose Player for Education
This allows you to see how much of your content is being watched through educational platforms.
Access requirements for schools
Some schools or institutions may need to adjust network or content filters to allow access to the educational player. Administrators may need to permit or allowlist youtubeeducation.com to ensure proper playback in their systems.
