OpenAI expands ChatGPT Edu and Codex access across Australian universities

UNSW Sydney, the University of Sydney, La Trobe University and Adelaide University are among the institutions working with OpenAI. Their approaches span student learning, research, university operations and defensive cybersecurity. The expansion accompanies substantial existing student use.

An OpenAI-commissioned survey of 1,018 Australian university students found that 81% used AI several times a week, including 33% who used it multiple times a day. Another 28% had already built an AI agent or assistant for their studies, work or personal life. Pureprofile conducted the survey from August 3 to 7, 2026, among students aged 18 and over studying on campus or remotely.

Among respondents, 79% wanted more opportunities to use advanced AI tools on real-world projects, with the same proportion interested in applying AI to challenges in health, climate, science or cybersecurity. ChatGPT Edu rollouts set 2027 milestones UNSW Sydney is bringing ChatGPT Edu to more than 80,000 students and staff through a staged expansion toward availability across its student community. The university and OpenAI also plan to integrate generative AI foundations and Codex into courses, with hackathons and industry projects providing opportunities to apply those skills.

The collaboration is intended to connect students with internships, graduate roles and startup networks. UNSW Master of Information Technology student Nalin Iyer says: “It’s important to understand what industry is looking for and how AI fits into that.” At the University of Sydney, supported access to ChatGPT Edu will be accompanied by training and guidance. Access for all students is scheduled for Semester 1, 2027, following a trial.

The university is also establishing a $1 million AI Sustainability Research and Innovation Fund. La Trobe already provides ChatGPT Edu access to all 3,500 staff. Universal access for its 45,000 students and staff is planned for the first quarter of 2027, alongside a curriculum that includes a Bachelor of AI Engineering (Honours), welcoming its first cohort in 2027, and an AI MBA program.

Phil Laufenberg, Pro Vice-Chancellor AI and Chief AI Officer at La Trobe, leads its approach across education, research and operations. Laufenberg says: “AI should happen with us, not to us. We want students in every discipline to have the skills and confidence to help shape how AI is used in their profession.

That means opportunities to build, test ideas and solve real problems, alongside the critical thinking and judgement to use AI responsibly.” Adelaide University is building on existing use of OpenAI’s application programming interface by researchers, students and staff. OpenAI identifies Adelaide as one of the first higher education institutions using OpenAI Daybreak Blue for authorized defensive security work, including vulnerability discovery, secure code review, malware analysis, incident response and patch validation. Students rehearse professional decisions with OpenAI tools At La Trobe, Professor Therese Keane, Associate Dean for Research and Industry Engagement in the School of Education, is using the social robot Fletch to help future teachers practice giving feedback to parents.

Fletch runs on OpenAI large language models hosted through Microsoft Azure and responds through speech, facial expressions and head movements. Keane’s team developed scenarios from interviews with experienced educators, including situations in which conversations with parents become confrontational. Paramedicine students encounter a different set of professional pressures.

Dr. Cameron Anderson, Head of the Paramedicine Program, uses ChatGPT to create activities delivered through La Trobe’s learning management system. Students interpret an electrocardiogram, assess a possible heart attack or triage patients following a mass casualty incident.

Anderson says: “They still need to interpret evidence, explain their reasoning and defend their decisions. It also helps identify course material needing updates in line with new research, giving us more time for teaching.” La Trobe has also made Codex and ChatGPT Work available across the institution. Its handbook lists Vibe Coding for Startups and Agentic AI Software Engineering, with the latter offered from 2027.

Its AI Business Studio aims to give more than 1,000 students practical experience as consultants and forward deployed engineers by 2028. Students will use ChatGPT Edu and Codex to help small and medium-sized businesses adopt AI. That industry focus connects with students’ entrepreneurial interests.

In the OpenAI-commissioned survey, 76% were interested in starting a company or working for themselves, while 68% believed AI would make starting a business easier. La Trobe reports dozens of live AI use cases, training for hundreds of people and 10% month-on-month growth in active users. “ChatGPT and Codex have helped shorten early systems development and innovation from months to weeks, and importantly, enabled embedded co-design by staff and students,” Laufenberg says.

Assessment rules define when AI is permitted, prohibited or required UNSW’s “Can, Can’t, Must” framework allows educators to specify AI’s role in an assessment according to its learning goal. Students may be permitted to use AI, prohibited from doing so or required to demonstrate its use. The University of Sydney is pairing its rollout with a responsible AI framework and an assessment approach that asks students to demonstrate their own capabilities in supervised settings, then show how they can use AI in open assessments.

Career expectations are also shaping the discussion. Among survey respondents, 61% believed AI skills would be essential to success in their chosen career, 69% expected AI literacy to become as fundamental as digital literacy, writing or numeracy, and 65% believed AI skills would give Australian graduates an advantage in the global workforce. La Trobe’s library has developed free Responsible and Safe AI learning modules for all students.

Tailored modules for Education, Law and Health connect AI literacy with professional responsibilities, while workshops and resources support educators’ teaching and assessment design. AI skills development is being integrated into 50 priority first-year subjects at La Trobe for Semester 1, 2027. ETIH Innovation Awards 2027 open for entries The ETIH Innovation Awards 2027 are now open for entries, with 26 categories recognising companies, institutions, projects and individuals making a measurable impact across education technology.

The global awards span AI in education, digital learning, higher education, skills and workforce, inclusion, education operations, evidence and impact, with entries managed through ETIH’s new online awards platform. Entries are open worldwide, with the early-bird deadline on Friday 18 December 2026 and the final entry deadline on Friday 26 February 2027 at 23:59 UK time. Explore the 2027 categories and judging criteria, read the How to Enter guide or start an entry through the ETIH Innovation Awards 2027 platform.