Using OpenAI Securely | For New Users | Resources for Current Users | FAQ | Restrictions for Use
OpenAI Edu
OpenAI Edu is now available to select members of WashU community as part of a pilot. The ChatGPT Edu workspace provides secure, private access to OpenAI’s most powerful models in an environment designed for academic work. Your conversations are not used to train the model, making it an appropriate environment when working with protected health information, student data, WashU or personal intellectual property, or when developing research, writing, or code that you that you wouldn’t want shared publicly.
Available to select faculty and staff along with WashU students who complete the AI Literacy Canvas module. Future phases will widen access to other community members.
Key Features:
- All-in-one expert for everyday tasks including data analysis, coding, studying, deep research, and collaborative workspaces for shared projects
- HIPAA-protected and FERPA-compliant
- Coding, data analysis, and visualization capabilities
- Context-aware image generation and interpretation
Using ChatGPT Securely
To verify that you are using WashU-Protected ChatGPT Edu, look for the “EDU” label at the lower left corner of your screen after signing in.
ChatGPT Edu
Your AI assistant for education. Engage with ChatGPT Edu to transform how you teach, learn, and work.
For New Users
Select faculty and staff and those students who completed the AI Literacy Canvas module will be invited to WashU’s ChatGPT Edu. Because many WashU community members currently have personal OpenAI accounts, the following section provides instructions for accepting WashU’s invitation & securely accessing OpenAI with your WashU Key.
NOTE: If you already have an OpenAI account registered to your WashU email, proceeding with these steps will require you to migrate your account into the WashU-managed workspace. Please click here for important information before proceeding.
Soon after completing the AI Literacy Canvas module*, students will receive an email welcoming them to WashU’s ChatGPT Edu. This email will introduce the platform and provide a link to access and accept the Appropriate Use Agreement.
*Faculty participating in the pilot will be invited separately and are not required to complete the module.
Before being granted access to WashU’s ChatGPT Edu workspace, you will be required to review and acknowledge expectations for safe and responsible use of ChatGPT Edu. The welcome email includes a link to the Appropriate Use Agreement.
After you accept the agreement, your account will be automatically created. This process typically takes 1-2 hours. You’ll know it’s ready when you receive an email from OpenAI inviting you to the WashU ChatGPT Edu workspace.
Once you receive the email from OpenAI, you can either use the link in the email or go directly to https://chatgpt.com and click the login button.
Enter your WashU email and click ‘Continue’.
Click the ‘Washington University in St. Louis’ button.
Enter your WashU Key details.
Please note that WashU Key login is bypassed if you already have a valid WashU Key session.
You are now logged into ChatGPT Edu using your WashU account and can securely interact with its features.
FAQ
Yes. WashU has executed a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with OpenAI, making this workspace appropriate for use with HIPAA & FERPA data.
In the normal course of operation, WashU does not monitor or read your individual chat histories. However, specific legal or administrative circumstances, such as a litigation hold or an investigation, may require access to data.
Yes. ChatGPT Edu supports multimodal input including text, images, files, and code — and can work across these formats seamlessly within a single conversation.
Almost all features available in the consumer version of ChatGPT are available for use within ChatGPT Edu.
Codex will be available later in Spring 2026. Once available, users will receive a communication with instructions to access and use.
The following features are not available: Canvas, Agent Mode, Record, Code on macOS
Yes, with limitations. Web access is controlled and filtered to support safe, compliant use in a HIPAA-protected environment. This means responses are grounded in your prompts and curated web results, not arbitrary live browsing.
Yes. You can upload multiple supported file types and reference them together.
All conversations are encrypted in transit using TLS 1.2 or higher and at rest using AES-256 encryption. This BAA-protected workspace is separate from standard ChatGPT plans, which do not carry HIPAA coverage.
No. Data in this workspace is never used to train OpenAI models.
Yes, using the Chat GPT mobile app on iOS and Android is secure, provided you are accessing using your WashU login. Click on your Chat GPT app’s profile and access using your @wustl.edu email address to ensure you are accessing the BAA-protected workspace and not a personal account.
Yes. You must access ChatGPT Edu through chatgpt.com and confirm you are signed in with your WashU Key. Do not use ChatGPT through personal accounts, browser extensions, or third-party integrations. Those sessions are outside the HIPAA-protected workspace and must not be used with any sensitive or protected data. See the “Using ChatGPT Securely” section at the top of this page for detailed instructions.
Your prompts and conversations are never used to train the OpenAI models. The ChatGPT Edu environment is fully HIPAA- and FERPA-compliant.
ChatGPT Edu retains chat history for 18 months.
Access is revoked upon graduation, end of employment, or at the conclusion of WashU’s contract with OpenAI Edu. Once access is revoked or the workspace is deactivated, content follows a 30-day deletion schedule. Deleted chats are not recoverable.
Resources for Current Users
Restrictions for Use
ChatGPT Edu is limited to University related activities, such as academic teaching or research. The use of WashU’s instance of OpenAI for ChatGPT for personal activities is prohibited.
Be sure to follow all legal, regulatory, and University policies when collecting or storing sensitive data. If unsure whether or not your tasks or documents contain sensitive data, contact the departments below for guidance.
- HIPAA Privacy Office for Protected Health Information (HIPAA)
- University Registrar for Protected Student Information (FERPA)
- Information Security, including Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
- Human Research Protection Office for the use in human research studies