UMS ChatGPT Edu Migration Overview

This guide helps you decide what should happen to your existing @maine.edu ChatGPT account before it moves into the University of Maine System (UMS) ChatGPT Edu workspace. You will choose one of three paths, save anything important, and then take the next step for the path you chose.

Three paths. Choose the one that fits your account.

All ChatGPT accounts associated with an @maine.edu email address will move to the UMS ChatGPT Edu workspace on October 1, 2026. Before that date you can keep your existing account personal by changing its email address, move supported content into UMS ChatGPT Edu, or start fresh with nothing carried over.

OPTION 1

Keep your personal account separate

Change the email address on your account to a personal address before October 1. Everything stays with you, including a Plus or Pro subscription.

Read the email change guide →

OPTION 2

Move some content to ChatGPT Edu

Transfer supported chats, Projects, and Custom GPTs into UMS ChatGPT Edu. Your existing account is deleted after the transfer.

Learn what may transfer →

OPTION 3

Start fresh in ChatGPT Edu

Download an archive of your existing content and begin with an empty workspace. Your existing account and its content are deleted.

Compare transfer and export →

Have a Plus or Pro subscription?

If you change your email address, your subscription stays active and no action is needed. If you transfer or export instead, subscriptions purchased directly through ChatGPT are canceled and refunded on a prorated basis. App Store and Google Play subscriptions must be canceled separately.

Review what to check after migration →

Before you begin: You will have a UMS ChatGPT Edu account either way. What you are choosing here is what happens to the personal ChatGPT account you already use with your @maine.edu address. Review and save anything important before you start. Once the migration prompt appears in ChatGPT, you may not be able to close it and return to your existing workspace.

Step 1: Understand Your Three Options

Review all three options before you do anything. Option 1 must be completed before your account is claimed by the UMS ChatGPT Edu workspace, so read it first even if you expect to transfer or export.

Option 1: Change your email address

Move your existing account to a personal, non-@maine.edu address. The account and everything in it stays with you, and it is never claimed by UMS ChatGPT Edu.

Best for: Accounts with personal content, a subscription you pay for yourself, or content that will not transfer.

Deadline: Do this before you request access to ChatGPT Edu. The option is no longer available once your account is claimed by the UMS workspace.

Read the email change guide →

Option 2: Transfer existing history and GPTs

Choose this option when you want supported chats, Projects, and Custom GPTs moved into UMS ChatGPT Edu. The existing account is deleted after the transfer.

Best for: Accounts used mainly for university work, where the content you want to keep is limited to chats, Projects, and Custom GPTs.

Know before you start: You cannot export your content out of ChatGPT Edu later.

Learn what may transfer →

Option 3: Export and delete history

Choose this option when you do not want your existing content moved into UMS ChatGPT Edu. ChatGPT creates an archive file and deletes the existing account.

Best for: Accounts with little you need to keep, or anyone who would rather begin with a clean workspace.

Know before you start: The archive does not restore your chats as normal conversations in any workspace.

Compare the two options →

Order matters: If there is any chance you want Option 1, change your email address before requesting access to ChatGPT Edu. Requesting access to ChatGPT Edu starts the process that claims your account for the UMS workspace, and once that happens you can no longer change your own email address in ChatGPT.

Reached a migration prompt before you meant to? Do not continue through the prompts. Contact UMS Information Technology at help@maine.edu or 1-800-696-4357 first.

Step 2: Save Content You Want to Keep

Before you start, save any content you may need to restore or recreate later. This matters most for Options 2 and 3, where your existing account is deleted at the end of the process.

Copy your Custom Instructions into a document or note.
Download any Library images you want to keep.
Save important Canvas documents outside ChatGPT.
Note any memories or personalization settings you may want to restore.
Record any sharing links or permissions you may need to recreate.

Choosing Option 1 instead? Your content stays in your account, so there is nothing to rescue. Save copies of anything that is university work, such as reference chats or Custom Instructions, so you can recreate it in UMS ChatGPT Edu.

If you have a Plus or Pro subscription, you can also ask ChatGPT to help bundle content before you begin. For example, ask it to summarize important conversations, consolidate your instructions into a single document, or collect key information from several chats.

Do not recreate content yet: Wait until the migration is complete before rebuilding Projects or Custom GPTs. Review what transferred first, then recreate only what is missing.

Step 3: Take the Next Step for Your Option

If you chose Option 1: Change your email address

Do not request access to ChatGPT Edu yet. Change your email address first, then tell UMS Information Technology so your @maine.edu address can be released for use with ChatGPT Edu.

Follow Change the Email on Your Personal ChatGPT Account to check your eligibility and complete the change in a web browser.
Submit the email release request form so UMS Information Technology knows your account has moved.
Wait to hear back before signing in to ChatGPT Edu. Allow about one week for this process.

If you chose Option 2 or Option 3: Transfer or export

Request access to begin the migration. After the request is processed, return to ChatGPT and follow the prompts to choose whether to transfer supported content or export your existing content.

Request access and start the migration

What happens next

Open the UMS ChatGPT Edu migration request page.
Look for "I am Ready to Move to ChatGPT EDU" and select the Request link.
Submit the request and allow up to one hour for it to process.
Visit chatgpt.com in your browser and sign in to the UMS workspace with your @maine.edu email address.
Follow the prompts on your screen to transfer or export.

If you have a Plus or Pro subscription: Subscriptions purchased directly through ChatGPT will be canceled and refunded on a prorated basis when your account moves. Subscriptions purchased through the Apple App Store or Google Play must be canceled separately.

Interactive walkthrough

For complete written instructions, including sign-in steps and what to review after the migration, see Complete Your Migration to UMS ChatGPT Edu.

Step 4: Check Your Subscription and Refund

If you had a Plus or Pro subscription, check your subscription status after you finish.

If you changed your email address, your subscription stays active under the new address. No action is needed.
If you transferred or exported and subscribed directly through ChatGPT, confirm that the subscription was canceled and check for the prorated refund.
- If you subscribed through the Apple App Store or Google Play, check the applicable app-store settings and cancel the subscription separately if needed.

Can I Still Have a Personal Account After I Migrate?

Yes. If you transfer or export, you can still create a new personal ChatGPT account using a personal email address. Your content does not move to that new account automatically, and a former address cannot be reused to create one. A personal account should not be used for university business or contain restricted UMS data. See the UMS AI policies and guidelines for details.

Use a ChatGPT Business Workspace?

A ChatGPT Business workspace and its content do not move into UMS ChatGPT Edu. Your conversations, Projects, Custom GPTs, and files stay in the Business workspace, which you can continue to use through its current renewal date. You can use UMS ChatGPT Edu at the same time. Before the Business workspace renews, decide whether you still need it and whether there is anything you want to move or save somewhere else.

The three options on this page apply to personal Free, Plus, and Pro accounts using an @maine.edu address. More than one may apply to you. For example, you might have both a personal Plus account and access to a Business workspace.