ChatGPT Edu is in the final stages of set up and is nearly ready for release. A firm release date is not yet set; but we hope to start provisioning licenses in the next one to two weeks. Updates will appear on the AI Tools and the AI tools comparison chart pages.
What it is
ChatGPT Edu is OpenAI’s education-focused offering designed for institutional use. It provides enterprise data protection and is appropriate for use in teaching, research, and operational work. Visit the AI guidelines and use cases page for additional information. This AI tool will provide access to GPT-5 as well as the ability to create custom GPTs. Web documentation that includes how-to guides and other helpful resources will be available soon.
Pricing and access
ChatGPT Edu has a license cost of $156/user annually and is available to faculty and staff. ChatGPT Edu licenses can be pre-ordered by contacting your IT leader or ETS consultant. If you’ve already spoken with your IT leadership and have pre-ordered a ChatGPT Edu license, please know that we will reach out to you before one is provisioned. ChatGPT Edu is currently not HIPAA compliant and is not approved for use with patient data. Please contact the Joint Office for Compliance with any questions at 319-384-8282 or compliance@uiowa.edu. For additional information on this and other available AI tools at Iowa, explore the AI Tool Comparison Chart and review the AI Tools page to understand what types of data are appropriate for each tool and to find the right option for your work.
How it fits with current tools
ChatGPT Edu will complement, not replace, existing University-supported options such as Copilot Chat, which is available to all faculty, staff, and students, and Microsoft 365 Copilot, which is an additional Copilot license that is connected to your Microsoft data and is $420/user/year. Copilot remains the best fit for work that takes place inside Microsoft 365 apps such as Word, Outlook, Teams, and SharePoint. ChatGPT Edu adds a separate, enterprise-protected environment for generative AI scenarios where ChatGPT’s capabilities are preferred. Similar to Microsoft’s agents, ChatGPT Edu allows users to create custom GPTs, which can be tailored to your use case. Training on these features will be available soon in the Learning & Development My Training portal.
Resources
As ITS completes the setup for ChatGPT Edu, explore existing resources:
AI Tools: Directory of approved tools and access details.
AI Tool Comparison Chart: Side-by-side features and data considerations.
Copilot Chat: available to all faculty, staff, and students.
Microsoft 365 Copilot: Learn how Copilot works with your university data and applications.
Visit the AI guidelines and use cases page for additional information on AI at Iowa. See the AI Tools page to explore supported options and compare features. Want more stories like this? Subscribe to the AI at Iowa newsletter for updates.