Students, faculty members and administrators at some institutions that are members of the law library consortium NELLCO will soon be able to read The New York Times for free, the media organization announced on Wednesday.

As part of the deal, participating institutions will subsidize one-year subscriptions to the Times's digital products. The institutions can choose to renew the agreement on an annual basis. NELLCO has 122 members worldwide, but the deal only applies to U.S. institutions. About one-third of NELLCO's U.S. members have signed up so far, which means more than 26,000 law students may take advantage of the offer.

Representatives from the Times did not disclose the price tag, but described the deal as the largest ever signed -- even when compared to similar agreements with corporations and nonprofits.

"I feel like we’re at a point where we’re meeting a different level of demand," said Hannah Yang, executive director for education and corporate marketing at the Times. "Not only do we have the content to meet that kind of demand -- we also have the technology."

This article has been updated to clarify that institutions will subsidize the subscriptions.