OpenAI ChatGPT Edu FAQs | University IT

Below is a list of questions and answers for OpenAI ChatGPT Edu.

Using ChatGPT Edu

How do the features of ChatGPT Edu compare to other versions of ChatGPT?

ChatGPT Edu was created specifically for universities, with higher message limits and advanced features like data analytics, web browsing, document summarization, and Codex for software engineering tasks.

Who is eligible to use ChatGPT Edu at Stanford?

The Standard tier is available to Stanford faculty, staff, students, and postdocs with an active SUNet ID, at no cost.
Pro licenses are available to anyone with a SUNet ID and a valid PTA.

To access the the Standard tier, a SUNet ID must be a member of one of the following groups:
stanford:affiliate-fellow
stanford:faculty-active
stanford:faculty-emeritus
stanford:faculty-onleave
stanford:faculty-otherteaching
stanford:staff-academic
stanford:staff-active
stanford:staff-casual
stanford:staffcasual
stanford:staff-emeritus
stanford:staff-onleave
stanford:staff-student
stanford:stafftemp
stanford:staff-temporary
stanford:student-active
stanford:student-onleave
stanford:student-postdoc

What is the difference between the Standard and Premium tiers offered by Stanford University?

Both tiers have access to the same features and models, but the Pro tier has higher usage quotas.

ChatGPT EDU Standard is the best option for most eligible users. It offers no cost access to the same models and features, as the $20 per month Enterprise plan.
ChatGPT EDU Pro is for users who need higher usage limits. This is a paid offering that is comparable to the $200 per month Enterprise plan. Pro tier accounts are only available to SUNet IDs and require a valid PTA.

OpenAI doesn't publish exact rate limits, as they can vary throughout the day based on overall usage.

Can I request an account for a shared mailbox or service account?

No. Standard tier accounts are only available to Stanford faculty, staff, students, and postdocs.
Pro tier accounts are only available to SUNet IDs and require a valid PTA.

Is this service free for the Stanford community?

There are two tiers.
ChatGPT EDU Standard is the best option for most eligible users. It offers no cost access to the same models and features, as the $20 per month Enterprise plan.
ChatGPT EDU Pro is for users who need higher usage limits. This is a paid offering that is comparable to the $200 per month Enterprise plan.

Visit the OpenAI Edu Rates webpage to learn more.

How does the Stanford offering compare to what is commercially available from OpenAI?

What is the difference between the Standard and Pro tiers offered by Stanford University?

Both tiers have access to the same features, but the Pro tier has a higher usage quota.

What connectors, plugins, and addons are available?

View the Approved Connectors for AI Services webpage to learn more.

If you would like to use a connector that isn't on the list, please submit a ServiceNow ticket to have the connector reviewed.

I am having problems with my existing personal or business account. Can Stanford help me with that account?

The university has no access to or control over your personal account. If you encounter problems with it, you will need to work with the vendor to resolve those issues.

Can our Teams/Enterprise admin be given administrator access to the Stanford service?

No. Administrative access cannot be granted to other groups, even if they have existing accounts outside the Stanford provided service.

I have a personal or business account. Do I have to move to a Stanford account?

No. Per OpenAI documentation, if you do not request access to the Stanford workspace, you will still be able to access your personal account.

If you request access to the Stanford workspace, you do not have to migrate your data, but moving forward you cannot create a new personal account associated with a @stanford.edu email address.

If you currently have a personal account under a @stanford.edu email address and want to migrate that data to a different account, you will need to manually move that data to another account. There isn't an automatic way to migrate data to another personal account. You can recreate custom GPTs in the new account, copy/paste memories from the settings menu, and download then upload conversation data as reference in a new conversation.

Please note that the use of Stanford data is approved only when accessed through the Stanford-provided account.

I have a personal or business account under an email alias. Am I effected by this change?

Yes. This will apply to any variation of a stanford.edu email address including aliases and plus addresses.

OpenAI will not allow the creation of new accounts under any @stanford.edu domain. If you currently have a personal account under a @stanford.edu email address, you will continue to have access to that account, per OpenAI's documentation, even if you request an account under the Stanford workspace. See the FAQ item titled, "How do I migrate my personal ChatGPT account to the new Stanford offering?" for more information.

Please note that the use of Stanford data is approved only when accessed through the Stanford provided account.

I have a personal account under a Stanford subdomain like law.stanford.edu or cs.stanford.edu. Will I be forced to migrate to the new service?

No. Existing accounts created under subdomains do not appear to be in scope.

Please note that the use of Stanford data is approved only when accessed through the Stanford-provided account.

I would like to create a personal account under a Stanford.edu email address. Can I do that?

No. OpenAI will not allow the creation of new accounts under the @stanford.edu domain.

Please note that the use of Stanford data is approved only when accessed through the Stanford-provided account.

Is ChatGPT Edu approved for use with sensitive Stanford data?

At this time, products like Codex Cloud Claude Code for mobile are not covered by the Stanford agreement. Once that product is fully released by Anthropic, it will likely be included in the Stanford plan..

Will Codex Cloud be available in Stanford's ChatGPT Edu offering?

At this time, Codex Cloud does not meet the requirements for the Stanford agreements and cannot be enabled. Once that product is made fully compliant with the university's agreement by OpenAI, it will likely be included in the Stanford plan.

Can I build custom GPTs in ChatGPT Edu?

Yes! You can build custom GPTs for your custom needs and workflows.

Can I share custom GPTs I've built?

No. Due to security and privacy concerns, sharing of agents/GPTs is restricted.

Is ChatGPT Edu suitable for coding projects?

Yes. ChatGPT Edu includes access to Codex, OpenAI's tool designed specifically for software engineering tasks like writing, reviewing, and debugging code.

Will OpenAI use my inputs to train their models?

No. Stanford has negotiated service agreements to protect Stanford data. OpenAI will not inputs or outputs from the Stanford provided accounts to train models in any of their products.

How do I migrate my personal ChatGPT account to the new Stanford offering?

If your personal account uses the @stanford.edu domain, the invitation to the Stanford ChatGPT Edu will trigger the migration process immediately. Please select the migrate option, do not select the export option. The migration process will likely fail, as OpenAI's migration does not seem to be working. In all cases, the old account is still accessible to switch to and the information is still within the old account. At this time, the best guidance we have is to go through the migration process and, if necessary, manually migrate data to the Stanford account. In order to manually migrate the data from your old account, you can recreate custom GPTs in the new account, copy/paste memories from the settings menu, and download then upload conversation data as reference in a new conversation. UIT will post recommendations for migrating data in the near future, but these will be provided as is, since OpenAI does not support migrating data.

If you have questions or problems with your personal account, you would have to work with OpenAI at support@openai.com about the issue. UIT does not have any access to personal accounts created outside of the Stanford provided accounts.

Should I select the migrate option or the export option when moving my personal ChatGPT account to the new Stanford offering?

Please select the migrate option, do not select the export option. The migration process will likely fail, as OpenAI's migration does not seem to be working. In all cases, the old account is still accessible to switch to and the information is still within the old account. At this time, the best guidance we have is to go through the migration process with the expectation that it will fail. Selecting export may result in your data being deleted by OpenAI. If you have questions about this, you would have to work with OpenAI at support@openai.com about the issue.

Billing

How will billing work in the new ChatGPT Edu plan?

There are two tiers:

Standard: Free to students, postdocs, faculty, and staff, and is equivalent to OpenAI's $20 per month plan.
Pro: Has a monthly charge that requires a PTA and is equivalent to OpenAI's $200 per month plan.

Can I pay month to month, instead of for the duration of the contract term?

No. Rates are charged based on contract terms, and purchase of a license requires a commitment to the remainder of the term at the prorated rate. Licenses cannot be charged monthly and cannot be terminated once purchased.

Can I get a refund for my personal subscription when I migrate to the university offering?

If you had a paid, individual subscription under the @stanford.edu domain, you may be eligible for a prorated refund from OpenAI.

You will need to work directly with OpenAI support for refunds. More information can be found on their support page, How can I cancel my ChatGPT subscription once I have migrated to ChatGPT Enterprise or reach out to support@openai.com.

What payment methods are required for the Pro tier?

A valid PTA is required to purchase the Pro tier. STAP funds cannot be used for this upgrade.

You can learn more about PTAs on Stanford's Admin Guide 3.1.3 Expenditure Accounts (PTAs) or through Stanford's Fingate page about PTA Manager system. The UIT AI Team will not be able to help you find or create a PTA.

Do I always need to provide PTA billing information for the Pro tier?

Yes. A valid PTA is required to purchase the Pro tier.

What does "Project Task Award" refer to on the Add ChatGPT Edu Premium form?

A PTA is a method of labeling and tracking expenditure accounts in the university's financial systems. It consists of three segments: Project (P), Task (T), and Award (A), which help organize and allocate funds for various academic and research initiatives. You enter the corresponding sections into the fields in the request form.

(In the above example, let's use the fake PTA 5555555-000-APIGW. The first section of the PTA is the project, the second is the task, and the last is the award.)

Why are the listed approvers for the PTA not correct?

They are correct. What you are seeing is expected behavior. The approver list for UIT billable services may be different than those listed in the PTA authority or other systems.

The UIT Billable system prioritizes the lower ORG level first. A user with access to a top level org code, would need to request the UIT Billable Service Approver (University) privilege under the specific ORG code to be included in the approvers list. The approvers you see listed when filling out the API request form, will have the "UIT Billable Service Approver" role in Authority Manager for the lower ORG code.

Please see the How to Request Authority for Ordering and Reporting page for more information.