Microsoft 365 Copilot is coming, with all students at The University of Manchester receiving access in September 2027, while Copilot Chat is available now for you to get started.
In the run-up to rollout, a smaller cohort on selected test programmes will take part in an early access study in Semester 2 of 2026/27, helping shape the guidance and support available to everyone.
Your feedback is shaping the rollout
Over the summer and at the start of this academic year, we’ve been listening to find out what you need from AI at Manchester. You’ve told us that clear guidance on using AI in learning and assessment matters, alongside understanding its benefits and limitations.
Our aim is to help you develop the confidence and critical skills to use AI responsibly during your studies and beyond. The next phase of our Test, Learn and Adapt approach will help us put the right support in place before everyone receives access.
Learning together before wider access
Students and teaching colleagues in the early access study will explore Copilot in their day-to-day learning and teaching. Their feedback will help improve learning resources, make guidance clearer and test how well support works. We will also explore accessibility needs and ways to support learning while reducing the risk of over-reliance on AI.
This builds on the work of our student partners and Copilot Student Advisory Group, culminating in the rollout of student-wide access at the start of the next academic year.
You can use Copilot Chat now
You already have access to Copilot Chat through your University account. You can use it to explore AI and build your confidence. We’ve prepared all the guidance you need to help you get started to help you use AI responsibly in your studies and more generally.
The great news is your data isn’t used to train public AI models. With Copilot Chat via your University account, your conversations are covered by Microsoft’s enterprise data protection, keeping everything within our own secure environment.
Copilot Chat offers a wealth of AI capabilities, and the Microsoft 365 Copilot licence coming in September 2027 will add integration with apps such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
What happens next?
We’ll share further details about the study and how participation will work very soon. In the meantime, remember to explore the Copilot resources on MyManchester.