ASU and OpenAI expand collaboration, scaling AI to advance student success, research and innovation

Tina Miller

September 15, 2025

Arizona State University today announced an expansion of its collaboration with OpenAI, bringing ChatGPT Edu with GPT-5 to every student, faculty member, researcher and staff member at no cost to the individual. The expanded collaboration focuses on scaling AI innovations to advance student success, accelerate research and transform collaboration across the university enterprise.

Through this collaboration, ASU and OpenAI will:

Advance learning outcomes research by leveraging ChatGPT 5 to study how AI can support deeper learning, assessment and student success
Enable scientific discovery by equipping faculty and researchers with advanced AI to accelerate experimentation, data analysis and knowledge creation.
Design new AI experiences to reimagine collaboration, teaching, and enterprise work at scale.

“Ensuring access to advanced AI tools like GPT-5 is not simply about technology deployment - it's about democratizing innovation and expanding the capacity for every member of our university community to learn, discover, and lead,” said Lev Gonick, chief information officer at ASU. “By scaling AI responsibly and embedding it into the fabric of our academic and enterprise systems, ASU reaffirms its role as a national testbed for digital transformation in higher education. We are not just users of emerging technologies — we are co-creators of their application, impact, and future.”

“We’re excited to work with Arizona State University as they demonstrate what innovation at scale looks like in higher education,” said Leah Belsky, vice president of education at OpenAI. “By making ChatGPT Edu available to every student, faculty member, and researcher, ASU is showing how AI can be integrated thoughtfully into teaching, learning and discovery.”

This announcement builds on a relationship that made global headlines in January 2024, when ASU became the first university to collaborate with the company behind ChatGPT. Since its launch, ChatGPT Edu has powered the AI Innovation Challenge, activating over 500 projects across the ASU community — from an on-demand study buddy for language learning to an AI patient for behavioral health practice, to simulations that allow students to debate history’s most influential philosophers.

How the ASU community will use ChatGPT Edu:

To support this effort, access to ChatGPT 5 will be available across the university to:

Support courses and programs that enhance student learning.
Enable faculty in teaching and research.
Empower work teams to collaborate and identify efficiencies

Getting started:

Licenses will be available beginning Oct. 1, 2025.
ASU community members can request ChatGPT Edu and other AI tools at ai.asu.edu/ai-tools.
ASU’s enterprise agreement ensures data privacy: conversations and files remain separate and are not used to train OpenAI models.

ChatGPT Edu joins a growing suite of AI tools at ASU, including Google Gemini for Education with Gemini Chat and NotebookLM, Microsoft Copilot Chat, and CreateAI — the university’s own toolkit that enables faculty and staff to build secure, tailored AI experiences.