OpenAI has introduced ChatGPT for Academic Researchers, a program giving researchers at selected academic institutions free access to its frontier models. The program will start with 10,000 researchers this summer. OpenAI plans to expand to 100,000 researchers through 2027.
Access is already available at institutions including the Institute for Advanced Study and École normale supérieure. Participants will have access to OpenAI’s frontier models, including GPT-5.6 Sol Pro at launch, and can invite up to four collaborators from their institution. Workspaces include business-grade privacy and security protections, and data is not used to train OpenAI’s models by default.
The program is part of a commitment of more than $250 million through 2027 to support external scientific research and discovery. That includes NextGenAI, a $50 million initiative supporting research institutions, and work with the Department of Energy’s Genesis Mission to bring frontier AI to national laboratories and universities.
OpenAI said roughly 1.3 million people use ChatGPT for advanced science and mathematics each week, generating about 8.4 million messages. Researchers can access more than 75 life science skills spanning genetics, genomics, sequencing, single-cell analysis, protein modeling, and drug discovery. On FrontierMath Tier 4, GPT-5.6 Sol scores 83%, compared with 72.5% for GPT-5.5. On GeneBench Pro, GPT-5.6 Sol Pro solves 31.5% of tasks.
The initial program is open to qualifying researchers at selected academic institutions that are recognized, degree-granting colleges or universities with a high level of research activity. Applicants must verify their institutional affiliation and provide information about their active research and intended scientific use.
