The Office of Research and Innovation (OORI) is pleased to share a new opportunity for the USC research community. OpenAI has announced ChatGPT for Academic Researchers, a program offering qualifying researchers free access to advanced OpenAI models and research capabilities.
Interested USC researchers are encouraged to review the program details and application requirements. The deadline to apply is August 31, 2026.
Please see the important communication below from Midhat Asghar, Interim Chief Information Officer, Information Technology Services (ITS), for additional details.
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August 13, 2026
Dear USC Researchers,
OpenAI recently announced ChatGPT for Academic Researchers, a program that will provide qualifying researchers at selected academic institutions with free access to OpenAI’s frontier models and research capabilities.
In its announcement, OpenAI states, “The program will help researchers across the sciences, mathematics, and engineering take on advanced problems, accelerate discovery, and improve productivity, from preparing grant applications to testing hypotheses.”
More information about the program, including eligibility criteria, how to apply, and current application timelines, is available on OpenAI’s program page.
Applications are submitted directly to OpenAI, and OpenAI is responsible for reviewing and selecting participants. Applicants will need to verify their institutional affiliation and provide information about their active research and intended scientific use.
Once USC researcher(s) are approved by OpenAI, Information Technology Services (ITS) will work with OpenAI to coordinate the enhanced access through USC’s existing ChatGPT Edu environment. OpenAI specifically notes that for institutions with ChatGPT Edu, access granted through this program will be coordinated through the institution’s workspace.
We encourage interested researchers to review the program details and application requirements here: https://openai.com/index/chatgpt-for-academic-researchers/
Sincerely,
Midhat Asghar
Interim Chief Information Officer | Office of the CIO
Information Technology Services