Microsoft 365 Copilot
at UT Austin
UT Austin supports two different Microsoft AI experiences. Copilot Chat is included for all students, faculty, and staff, while Microsoft 365 Copilot is a paid, app-integrated license for deeper work inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and Microsoft 365 Chat.
students, faculty, staff
M365 Copilot users
Teams, PowerPoint
Why This Matters
AI built around the work you already do
Microsoft positions Microsoft 365 Copilot as AI built for work: it can draw on work data, context, and the apps people already use. At UT, the key is understanding when free Copilot Chat is enough and when a paid Microsoft 365 Copilot license is worth it.
Copilot Chat for everyone
Students, faculty, and staff can use Copilot Chat as a secure AI assistant for drafting, summarizing, researching, and brainstorming.
- Included for all active campus users
- Best for prompts, summaries, and quick ideation
- Use UT sign-in for the protected enterprise experience
- No separate departmental license required
Copilot inside Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 Copilot is the paid tier that works directly inside the apps people already use for daily work.
- Word drafting and revision
- Excel analysis and formula help
- PowerPoint deck creation
- Outlook and Teams assistance
Grounded in your M365 content
The premium experience can work across the files, meetings, chats, and messages people already keep in Microsoft 365.
- Emails and calendar context
- Teams meetings and chat threads
- Documents and presentations
- Microsoft 365 Chat across work content
Enterprise controls stay in place
Microsoft’s enterprise positioning emphasizes permissions, privacy boundaries, and administrative control rather than consumer-style open AI use.
- Prompts and responses are not used to train models
- Existing M365 permissions still matter
- Sensitivity and retention policies still apply
- Built for managed institutional environments
Find and synthesize faster
Microsoft highlights AI-powered search and retrieval as core value: less hunting across apps, more synthesis in the flow of work.
- Search across work content
- Summarize information more quickly
- Reduce context switching
- Support knowledge-heavy workflows
Agents and deeper workflows
Microsoft is increasingly framing Copilot as a platform for agents, task automation, and customized workflows, not just chat.
- Copilot Studio ecosystem
- Department-specific task support
- Potential for SharePoint and process agents
- Useful for repeatable administrative work
The Important Distinction
Copilot Chat is not the same as Microsoft 365 Copilot
Every student, faculty member, and staff member can use Copilot Chat. Microsoft 365 Copilot is a separate paid license for deeper app integration, and UT currently has about 3,200 licensed users on campus.
- ✓ Free for all active students, faculty, and staff
- ✓ Best for chat, summarization, and drafting help
- ✓ Available as a standalone web experience
- ✓ Use UT sign-in for the protected enterprise experience
- ✓ Good first step before requesting a paid license
- ✓ Draft and revise inside Word
- ✓ Analyze data and patterns inside Excel
- ✓ Build decks and narrative structure in PowerPoint
- ✓ Summarize mail and draft replies in Outlook
- ✓ Recap meetings and action items in Teams
- ✓ Use Microsoft 365 Chat across your work content
- ✓ About 3,200 licensed users on campus today
Where Premium Copilot Shows Up
Key Microsoft 365 apps tied to the paid Copilot experience
Copilot Chat stands on its own. Microsoft 365 Copilot becomes most valuable when people spend much of their day inside the apps below.
Access & Setup
How to start with the right Copilot tier
Most campus users should begin with Copilot Chat. Move to Microsoft 365 Copilot when your work depends on deeper app integration and department-supported licensing.
Start with Copilot Chat
Go to copilot.microsoft.com and sign in with your UT account to use the included campus experience.
Work in Microsoft 365 as usual
Keep using Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, OneDrive, and SharePoint with your standard UT Microsoft 365 account while you evaluate whether chat-only support is enough.
Request Microsoft 365 Copilot if needed
If your role would benefit from embedded help inside documents, presentations, meetings, and mail, work with your department or unit to request a paid license.
Train and adopt intentionally
Use LinkedIn Learning, Microsoft Learn, and ET-led guidance to help teams adopt Copilot well rather than treating the license as self-explanatory.
Learning Resources
Build Copilot and Microsoft 365 fluency
The strongest use of Copilot usually comes from teams that already understand the Microsoft 365 environment it lives in.
LinkedIn Learning
Use the UT LinkedIn Learning guide to find Microsoft 365, Copilot, Outlook, Excel, Teams, and productivity training paths available with your UT access.
Open LinkedIn Learning guide →Microsoft Learn
Microsoft's official free learning platform with modules, learning paths, and certifications covering every M365 product and the Power Platform.
Visit Microsoft Learn →ET Training & Workshops
ET can support Teams, SharePoint, collaboration, and Copilot-adjacent adoption conversations for campus groups that need structured rollout help.
See training options →Microsoft 365 Training Center
Short videos, quick-start guides, and cheat sheets for every M365 app. Ideal for learning a specific feature without a full course commitment.
Open Training Center →Need Help?
Help with access, licensing, and rollout
Service Catalog
Use the UT Service Catalog for access support, licensing questions, and department-level requests tied to Microsoft services.
Open Service Catalog →UT Service Desk
Start here for sign-in trouble, access issues, or general support questions related to Copilot Chat and the Microsoft 365 environment.
Contact Service Desk →Department and unit planning
Paid Microsoft 365 Copilot adoption works best when units plan for licensing, training, governance, and the workflows they actually want to improve.
Review training support →