Have questions about ChatGPT Edu? This article answers the questions the University of Maine System (UMS) receives most often about the move to the University's ChatGPT Edu workspace, eligibility, privacy, and training resources.
Common Questions
- Will my chats automatically move to ChatGPT Edu?
- What happens if I do nothing?
- What if I pay for ChatGPT Plus?
- Can I change the email address on my existing account so I can keep it as a personal account?
- What happens to my account when I graduate or leave the University?
- Can I use the ChatGPT desktop application to complete the migration?
- Do I need to uninstall the ChatGPT desktop application?
- Can I switch back and forth between workspaces in the desktop application?
- Who is eligible for the University of Maine System ChatGPT Edu workspace?
- Is my data safe?
- Will my information be used to train OpenAI's large language models?
- Will the University of Maine System track usage? What data will the University collect?
- How private are my conversations?
- How do I delete my chats?
- Can each user create custom GPTs? Can those custom GPTs be shared?
- Where can I get help learning how to use ChatGPT Edu?
Migration and Transition
Not necessarily. Because ChatGPT Edu is a separate workspace, some content from your current account may not transfer automatically. Review your account before October 1 and preserve any information you want to keep.
After October 1, your @maine.edu ChatGPT account will transition to the University's ChatGPT Edu workspace. Content that is not migrated or transferred beforehand may no longer be available in your previous account.
If your personal ChatGPT Plus subscription is tied to your @maine.edu address, that account is part of the transition on October 1. The email address on it cannot be changed to a personal address. See the answer about changing the email address on an existing account.
No. The email address on an existing @maine.edu ChatGPT account cannot be changed to a personal address, and attempts to change it will end in an error message.
At this time, users in the University of Maine System (UMS) secure ChatGPT Edu workspace are not able to directly transfer their full chat history or the intellectual property they own to a personal ChatGPT account upon leaving the institution. This restriction reflects the University's commitment to privacy, data security, and appropriate stewardship of institutional environments.
Desktop Application
No. Complete the migration in a web browser at chatgpt.com. The migration steps are not available in the ChatGPT desktop application for Windows or macOS. Once the migration is complete, you can sign in to the desktop application and use it as usual.
No. You do not need to uninstall the desktop application. Sign out of your current account in the desktop application, then sign back in with your University of Maine System credentials to reach the University's ChatGPT Edu workspace.
Yes, but only by signing out and signing back in. The desktop application displays one workspace at a time, so your personal account and the University of Maine System ChatGPT Edu workspace will not appear in a list together. To move from one to the other, sign out of the workspace you are in, then sign in to the workspace you want to use.
Eligibility
Enrolled full time and part time students, faculty, and staff of all University of Maine System campuses and the System Office are eligible to use the tool. Licenses are not intended for alumni or other community members such as volunteers or guests.
Privacy and Data Security
Yes. The University of Maine System (UMS) has taken steps to protect your data, including secure sign-on using your University credentials and data encryption. OpenAI also meets recognized security and privacy standards.
No. The University's agreement with OpenAI prohibits the company from using any University of Maine System environment to train its large language models. A large language model (LLM) is the type of artificial intelligence system that powers ChatGPT.
The University of Maine System (UMS) will not monitor individual users' interactions with ChatGPT Edu. The University will collect basic use statistics to better understand adoption and use patterns. This data will only be reported publicly in the aggregate.
The University retains the right to audit individual user interactions in isolated and limited cases. While the University respects user privacy and will not actively monitor day-to-day interactions, as a public institution the University may need to access or disclose records in response to legal requests, court orders, or specific investigations involving potential policy violations.
The University of Maine System ChatGPT Edu workspace is designed for institutional use, with enhanced privacy and security controls compared to consumer accounts. Your conversations are private to you by default, are not monitored by University of Maine System Information Technology staff, and are not used to train OpenAI's models. Access to content in the University's ChatGPT Edu environment by OpenAI personnel is restricted and is generally limited to specific cases such as incident resolution, user-authorized recovery, or legal requirements.
You can delete individual chats or all chats from within ChatGPT Edu. When you delete a chat, it is removed from your view immediately and scheduled for permanent deletion from OpenAI systems within 30 days, with limited exceptions such as legal or security obligations. Deleted chats are not recoverable.
Note: Archiving is not deletion. Archiving only hides chats from your main view.
Custom GPTs
Yes. Users can build custom GPTs tailored to specific courses, academic needs, or administrative functions. Custom GPTs can be shared with individual users or multiple users within the University of Maine System ChatGPT Edu workspace using the invite feature. Custom GPTs cannot be shared with users outside the University of Maine System ChatGPT Edu environment.
Getting Help and Training
Self-paced basic learning resources are available from OpenAI. Each title below links to a video, with the running time listed after the title.
Environment
- ChatGPT Edu, University of Maine System workspace
- Web browser at chatgpt.com, plus the ChatGPT desktop applications for Windows and macOS
- ChatGPT mobile applications for iOS and Android
- Sign-in with University of Maine System credentials (single sign-on)
- Eligible users: students, faculty, and staff at all University of Maine System campuses and the System Office