Existing ChatGPT Accounts

Cal Poly, as part of the CSU's AI Strategy, will be rolling out ChatGPT Edu to current Students, Staff, and Faculty. ChatGPT Edu is a version of ChatGPT designed specifically for universities with privacy and security in mind.

Based on our records, some individuals already have a ChatGPT subscription or paid OpenAI account linked to their campus email address. We want to ensure a smooth transition to ChatGPT Edu for those who are eligible and have already signed up.

Accounts using campus email addresses for eligible campus community members will be migrated to the Cal Poly ChatGPT Edu workspace.

ChatGPT Edu licensing was purchased by the Chancellor’s Office to cover current CSU students, faculty, and staff. Licensing was not purchased to cover alumni, Extended Education, Cal Poly Partners, ASI, admits, continuing education or non-matriculated students, or other campus community members. Emeritus faculty are not covered unless they are sponsored by a department for active work or projects.

What Actions Do I Need to Take?

There is no action required to continue using the account. After entering your email address, continue to select the password option you normally use when you see the prompt. You will be logged into your pre-existing workspace which is used to train OpenAI’s larger language models.

The first time you log into ChatGPT after ChatGPT Edu is enabled for Cal Poly, you will be prompted to decide how you want to transition your existing workspace. You will have two options:

NOTE: Custom GPTs won’t carry over during the account transition. They can’t be merged or exported, and access will be permanently lost. Please document any important content you'd like to keep before selecting an option.

Transfer existing chat history and GPTs. This option will merge your existing chat history into the new Cal Poly workspace.

OR

Export and delete your existing chat history. This option will remove your current workspace and allow you to download a file which includes your existing chat history.

Current Paid License Holders

As part of this migration, your paid account will receive a prorated refund.

If this was a personal-use account (one not used for official university purposes) you may wish to keep a personal ChatGPT subscription separate from the campus plan. If so, we recommend creating a new OpenAI account with a personal email address and exporting, rather than transferring, your chat history.

If you have questions or require additional support, please submit a General Help request.