Students, faculty and staff now have free access to ChatGPT EDU and Claude EDU, UT Enterprise Technology announced in an email. The new tools are part of the University’s artificial intelligence toolkit, which also includes Microsoft 365 Copilot, Google Gemini and UT Sage.
“As one of the first research universities to provide both leading platforms to its entire community at no cost, UT is committed to ensuring every Longhorn, including students, has access to the tools shaping the future of work and learning,” wrote Mario Guerra, associate vice president for AI platforms and innovation, in the email.
The University sent students an announcement about the access in Canvas and MyUT. To access the tools, students can sign in to ChatGPT and Claude with their UT EID emails, according to the announcement.
As education-specific versions, the tools are guarded under special agreements that protect student data and University intellectual property. This protection was originally provided by UT Spark, a free AI tool that the University launched in August of last year. UT Spark will be retired on July 1 as part of a move towards Anthropic’s Claude and OpenAI’s ChatGPT models.
“This transition is designed to strengthen UT Austin’s long-term commitment to AI and to build a strong, sustainable foundation,” Guerra wrote in the email. “The new tools and services offer enhanced functionality and flexibility for the entire campus community, while ensuring continued access to future-ready AI experiences.”