ChatGPT is OpenAI's generative AI tool. This information is accurate as of September 2025, but functionality and access are likely to continue to change in the upcoming weeks and months.

Wesleyan does not have an institutional license. Users wishing to acquire a ChatGPT license must do so with their own funds.

ChatGPT available in several pricing tiers:

• Free. Free provides users with access to GPT‑5; real-time data from the web with search; limited access to file uploads, data analysis, image generation, and voice mode; code edits with the ChatGPT desktop app for macOS; and use custom GPTs
• Plus. Everything in Free and Extended access to GPT‑5, our flagship model; Extended limits on messaging, file uploads, data analysis, and image generation; Standard and advanced voice mode with video and screensharing; Access to ChatGPT agent; Create and use tasks and custom GPTs; Limited access to Sora video generation; Opportunities to test new features. The cost is $20 (not including taxes) and is billed monthly. 
• Pro. Pro provides users with everything in Plus, along with unlimited access to GPT‑5; Access to GPT‑5 pro, which uses more compute for the best answers to the hardest questions; Unlimited access to advanced voice, with higher limits for video and screensharing; Access to OpenAI o3‑pro, which uses more compute for the best answers to the hardest questions; Extended access to ChatGPT agent; Extended access to Sora video generation; Access to research preview of Codex agent. The cost is $200 a month.
• Business. Requires a minimum of two licenses, and is centrally managed through an admin console. The admin must be a licensed user of the Business. Business provides users with unlimited GPT‑5 messages, with generous access to GPT‑5 thinking, and access to GPT‑5 pro—plus the flexibility to add credits as needed; a secure, dedicated workspace with essential admin controls, SAML SSO, and MFA; Data is excluded from training by default, with encryption at rest and in transit; Support for compliance with GDPR, CCPA, and other privacy laws. Aligned with CSA STAR⁠, SOC 2 Type 2, and ISO/IEC 27001, 27017, 27018, 27701; Connectors to apps for more personalized answers—Google Drive, SharePoint, GitHub, Notion, and more; Business features like data analysis, record mode, canvas, projects, tasks, custom workspace GPTs, and deep research; Includes access to Codex and ChatGPT agent for reasoning and taking action across your documents, tools, and codebases. The cost is $25 per user / month billed annually or $30per user / month billed monthly.

Users are more than welcome to buy their own individual Plus or Pro license or set up their own Business license for their department, lab, group, etc..

Wesleyan ITS manages a Business license, but does not pay for licenses. Wesleyan faculty/staff can join the ITS-managed Business license at their own cost on an annual basis; ITS will not manage monthly licenses. Those wishing to join the ITS-managed Business license should open a ticket with the name(s) and email(s) of the user(s) wishing to join the license, as well as a complete cost center (including designation/designee if applicable) to charge. Users should expect to pay around $320 per license and cannot cancel their license until the time of the annual renewal, which is in January. 

Please note, in addition to different pricing, the tiers also offer different levels of data privacy. Only in a Business license is data uploaded by users excluded from training OpenAI's model. Users should therefore only upload data the university’s Data Classification Policy classifies as "Public" into the Free and Plus tiers. Users may enter "Sensitive" data only into a Business license. Any information classified as “Restricted” cannot be entered into any GPT tier. Examples of data that should not be used in any GPT tier are information that the user has a contractual, legal, or regulatory obligation to protect, which includes, but is not limited to, information covered by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), Social Security Numbers (SSNs), and Protected Health Information (PHI). Researchers should be sure to review guidelines governing the privacy of their research data before entering it into any GPT. Please see the Wesleyan University Generative AI Usage policy for more information.