ChatGPT: Data Residency

Tags AI ChatGPT

Audience: Faculty, Staff

Responsible Group: IT Training and Outreach

Overview

The University allows faculty and staff to purchase licenses to ChatGPT Edu, which follows strict data residency standards to help safeguard university data and comply with legal requirements. Data residency refers to the geographic location where data is stored and processed. OpenAI hosts ChatGPT Edu data in secure data centers in the United States and the European Economic Area (EEA). Understanding where data is stored ensures compliance with university policy, data protection laws, and supports responsible use of AI.

Key Features

  • Regional Hosting: Data is stored and processed either in the United States or the EEA, depending on the customer’s residency selection.
  • Custom Data Residency: Institutions can choose a preferred region to meet compliance requirements.
  • Privacy and Security: OpenAI applies safeguards to align with regional privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR in the EEA).
  • Enterprise/Edu Accounts: Data residency options are available only for enterprise and educational accounts, not free or individual accounts.
Tip: Did you know that selecting the correct data residency region is required to ensure compliance with U.S. and international data privacy standards? Always use your official @uark.edu account for ChatGPT Edu to be covered under the university’s protections.

Access

You can access ChatGPT Edu from a web browser or mobile app. Always log in using your @uark.edu email address to ensure your account is linked to the university’s data residency protections.

Web App (Desktop)

  1. Visit chat.openai.com.
  2. Sign in using your @uark.edu credentials.
  3. Verify your access is through ChatGPT Edu (not a personal account).

Mobile App

Download the ChatGPT app from your device’s app store and sign in with your @uark.edu account:

Training

Need Help?

If this article needs to be updated, please leave feedback on this article and it will notify the owner of the article.

Print Article

Related Articles (3)

About the AI tool OpenAI ChatGPT Edu license that is available for departments, faculty, staff to purchase from IT Services.
On ChatGPT, how @uark.edu accounts license transfer happens from personal account to Edu account.
Assisting Budget Officers to decide when and why to procure an AI license for their department faculty or staff.

Related Services / Offerings (1)

Requests for AI Tools