Carnegie Mellon University
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How to Use ChatGPT Edu

ChatGPT Edu is a paid AI option that is available to faculty and staff. It supports drafting text, brainstorming, coding help, summarizing meeting notes, and more. It also includes advanced features like data analysis and file uploads.

Note: Faculty or Staff can sponsor a student's subscription.

Log In

  1. Visit auth.openai.com/log-in.
  2. Enter your CMU email address.
  3. Log in using your Andrew userID and password, then authenticate with Duo when prompted.

IMPORTANT: You’ll see a CMU profile icon (upper right) if you're logged in correctly. This ensures that enterprise-grade data protection is in place. When you log in with your CMU account, OpenAI does not use your prompts and responses for AI training, and uploaded documents are not retained beyond your session.

Note: CMU's Data Classification Guidelines still apply—do not enter sensitive, private, or restricted data.

Get Started

  1. Click New chat in the left sidebar to start a conversation.
  2. Type a prompt (e.g., writing request, coding task, or file question) and press Enter.

    Note: Include “Do not search the web” in your prompt if you’ve pasted or attached highly sensitive resources.
  3. Upload files by dragging and dropping into the chat window or using the paperclip icon.
  4. Review the response and continue the conversation to refine output or request follow-ups.


Work with Chat GPT Edu

Frequently Asked Questions

CMU faculty and staff with an active Andrew account can access ChatGPT Edu with the purchase of an annual subscription. Faculty or Staff can sponsor a student’s subscription.

Like other generative AI tools offered at CMU, OpenAI offers other versions (e.g., free, ChatGPT Plus, and Team) not covered by CMU's enterprise agreement. ChatGPT Edu is provisioned under a CMU-specific agreement ensuring data security and responsible use. It includes:

  • Access to the latest GPT model and advanced tools like code interpreter, and custom GPTs

  • Strong security features such as single sign-on (SSO) and SCIM provisioning.

  • Ensures conversations and content are not used to train models.

ChatGPT Edu offers all the capabilities of the Plus plan—access to the latest model, fast performance, and advanced tools—along with additional features built for institutions, like higher usage limits, secure campus-wide deployment, and admin controls. It’s the best option for institutions like CMU looking to support research, learning, and collaboration at scale.

Yes. As long as you are logged into Chat GPT Edu with your Andrew userID and password, CMU’s contract ensures that your data is not used to train OpenAI’s public models and remains private to your account. If you are logged in with your Andrew account, you’ll see a CMU profile icon (upper right). This ensures that enterprise-grade data protection is in place.

If you’re working with private or protected data in ChatGPT, note the following guidance:

  • Include “Do not search the web” in your prompt.
  • When creating Custom GPTs, ensure that the “Web search” capability is disabled.
  • When ChatGPT searches the web, the information you share leaves OpenAI’s protected environment.
  • If you create a Custom GPT with private or protected data sources, the Access setting should be “Invite only”.
  • If you use private or protected information to create a GPT, anyone you share that GPT with will have access to that information. Similarly, if you include sensitive information in a chat and share it with a group, anyone in that group will see it.

To use the CMU-protected version of ChatGPT Edu, you must log in with your Andrew account at chat.openai.com.

To verify you're in the correct environment:

  • Go to chat.openai.com.
  • Click Log In with Google.
  • Select your CMU Google Account or enter your Andrew userID and password, then authenticate with DUO.
  • You’ll see a CMU profile icon (upper right). This ensures that enterprise-grade data protection is in place.
If you sign in with a personal OpenAI account (e.g., personal Gmail or non-CMU email), you’ll be using the public version of ChatGPT, which does not include CMU’s security protections.

Always confirm you're using the CMU-authorized version before sharing any institutional or sensitive data. Using the wrong login method could put university information at risk.

Yes. ChatGPT Edu allows you to create and manage custom GPTs tailored to your needs.

Many campus community members may already have a ChatGPT account using their @andrew.cmu.edu email address. If you do not purchase a ChatGPT Edu license, your existing account will not change.

If you’re considering purchasing ChatGPT Edu license, review Using ChatGPT Edu with an Existing OpenAI Account to learn how your existing account may change.

If you use an alias (e.g. cmu.edu, cs.cmu.edu, etc.) for your existing account, you will create a separate account using your @andrew.cmu.edu email address.

No. If you have an existing Free or Plus account that you created with your Andrew email address, and you choose to purchase a ChatGPT Edu license, your accounts will merge. You cannot maintain both a Free/Plus account and an Edu account simultaneously using the same email address.

When you leave the ChatGPT Edu workspace, you will transition to a Free account and lose access to all of the data created within it, including chats and GPTs.

If you have particular chats you would like to keep, copy and paste them into a document.

Currently, there is no option to purchase ChatGPT licenses for less than a year or at a discounted group rate for courses. We understand that classroom use cases require more flexible licensing options, and we are actively working with OpenAI to explore alternative licensing options. Also, be sure to review the Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation’s position on AI for teaching and learning.

Check out our beginner guides and sample prompts to try today. Then, when you're ready, explore advanced tools, prompt techniques, and community learning opportunities.