ChatGPT Edu is the University of Maine System (UMS) managed ChatGPT workspace for employees and active students. This article explains what each group gets, how monthly credits work, and what to do if you already pay for ChatGPT with your @maine.edu address.
ChatGPT Edu at UMS
A UMS-managed ChatGPT workspace for employees and active students. Your conversations and data aren't used to train OpenAI's models.
ChatGPT Edu gives you ChatGPT in a workspace UMS manages, so UMS controls access, security, permissions, and usage.
Features for everyone
- Reasoning models
- Web search and deep research
- Projects, including creating, managing, and sharing projects
- Plugins
- Skills
- Image generation
- Voice
- ChatGPT for PowerPoint, and ChatGPT for Excel and Sheets (uses credits)
- Code execution, including internet access for supported code workflows
- Memory
- Sharing chats within the UMS workspace
Features by group
| Feature |
Students |
Faculty and staff |
Power and Technical Users |
| Work |
❌ No |
✅ Yes |
✅ Yes |
| Sites |
❌ No |
✅ Yes |
✅ Yes |
| Codex |
❌ No |
❌ No |
✅ Yes |
| Pro models |
❌ No |
❌ No |
✅ Yes |
Not available in ChatGPT Edu: early-access models and installing or uploading skills. UMS may adjust available features as the service evolves.
How credits work
UMS uses monthly credits to manage access to higher-cost features. Your role decides which features you can use, and your group decides how many credits you get each month.
| UMS group |
Monthly credits |
Annual cost |
| Students |
50 |
Included |
| Staff |
450 |
Included |
| Faculty |
650 |
Included |
| Power Users (employees only) |
2,200 |
$600 |
| Technical Users (employees only) |
4,400 |
$1,200 |
- If you belong to more than one group, you get the highest allocation, not the total. For example, someone who is both staff and faculty gets 650.
- Credits reset on the first of each month.
- Features and models use different amounts of credits, so how far your credits go depends on what you use.
Need more credits?
If you regularly run out of credits for your work, your department or unit can purchase a Power User or Technical User tier. Both include more credits each month, plus Codex and Pro models. A chartfield and a purchasing approver are required.
Students: Power User and Technical User tiers are for employees only. Students can't purchase a tier, and every student gets 50 credits a month.
Request additional usage
Personal accounts (Free, Plus, or Pro)
This covers personal accounts registered to your @maine.edu address, meaning accounts you signed up for yourself.
Your three options are covered in the UMS ChatGPT Edu Migration Overview: change the email address to keep your personal account, transfer supported content into ChatGPT Edu, or export a copy and start fresh. Review it before you request access.
Changing the email address is the only option that keeps your existing account. Transfer and export both end with that account deleted, and there's no undo.
What happens to the subscription depends on your choice. If you change the email address, the subscription stays active under the new address and you don't need to do anything. If you transfer or export, subscriptions bought directly through ChatGPT are canceled and refunded on a prorated basis, with eligibility and timing set by OpenAI. Subscriptions bought through the Apple App Store or Google Play must be canceled separately by you.
ChatGPT Business workspaces
A ChatGPT Business workspace is separate from a personal account. Business workspaces and their content don't move into ChatGPT Edu, and the three options don't apply to them. You can keep using a Business workspace through its current renewal date and use ChatGPT Edu at the same time. If you have both a personal Plus account and a Business workspace, each is handled separately.
How ChatGPT Edu compares with a paid plan
For many employees, ChatGPT Edu covers what they need for UMS work without paying for a personal subscription.
There are differences. ChatGPT Edu is managed by UMS, so the available models, features, permissions, and usage come from the UMS configuration. A personal paid plan is managed by you and may have different limits or features UMS hasn't turned on. ChatGPT Edu also keeps your UMS work in the UMS-managed workspace instead of your personal one.
OpenAI's personal plans change over time. Compare the features you rely on today with the tables above before deciding whether you still need your personal subscription.
Before you decide
If you pay for ChatGPT with an account tied to your @maine.edu address:
- Review the features included with ChatGPT Edu.
- Note any paid-plan features you depend on.
- Review your existing ChatGPT content and decide what you want to keep.
- Decide whether ChatGPT Edu meets your UMS work needs.
- If you want to keep the account and subscription you already pay for, change its email address before you request access to ChatGPT Edu.
- Complete the migration for any content you want in ChatGPT Edu.
- Check your important content after migration.
- If your credits aren't enough for your work, ask your department about a Power User or Technical User tier.
Related resources
Change the email on a personal account
Keep your personal account and subscription separate from UMS.
Change your email →
ChatGPT Edu FAQ
Privacy, eligibility, Business accounts, and the desktop app.
Read the FAQ →
Questions about ChatGPT Edu?
Environment
- University of Maine System (UMS) ChatGPT Edu workspace
- UMS employees and active students
- Sign in with UMS credentials (single sign-on)
- Web browser at chatgpt.com, plus the ChatGPT desktop and mobile apps