University of Manchester first university in the world to provide Microsoft 365 Copilot access and training to all students and staff
The University of Manchester has become the first university in the world to offer Microsoft 365 Copilot to all 65,000 students and staff, alongside training to support effective and responsible use.
The ambitious move builds on Manchester’s 76-year AI legacy – from Alan Turing to today’s ground-breaking research – and will equip students with future-ready skills, strengthen teaching and research, and help address the emerging digital divide.
The University of Manchester’s strategic collaboration with Microsoft will see 65,000 academics, staff and students benefit from the full Microsoft 365 Copilot suite, including agents such as Researcher and Analyst, and productivity apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint that have Copilot built in.
The roll-out will be delivered in partnership with the Students’ Union, trades unions and staff networks, the University says.
“AI is now part of everyday life,” said Professor Duncan Ivison, President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester.
“Our responsibility is not only to make these tools available to all our students and staff on an equitable basis, but to use the depth of expertise across our university to shape how AI is developed and applied for public good.”
‘Next generation of citizens’
The Microsoft 365 Copilot roll-out, to be completed by summer 2026, will give students the work-ready skills they need to flourish in an AI-driven economy and ensure that those from less privileged backgrounds can still benefit from the new technology.
“Having access to this free, equitable AI platform from a sector-leading company will be an amazing aid to revision and translation,” said Amrit Dhillon, Faculty of Science and Engineering Executive Officer for the University’s Students’ Union.
“It will help students thrive.”
But she acknowledged the need for appropriate use policies and training support to ensure that students use AI “ethically and responsibly”.
Professor Jenn Hallam, Vice-President for Teaching, Learning and Students, said: “Every student deserves access to the best AI tools to enable them to thrive in their studies – no matter their circumstances or background.
“AI is an enabler for teaching and learning, not a replacement. We’re giving students the tools and training to use it in the right way, ethically and appropriately.
“We’re not just preparing graduates who can go out and get good jobs, we’re preparing the next generation of citizens.”
Heritage of innovation
The announcement comes 76 years after Alan Turing published his famous ‘Turing Test’ paper while working at the University, one of the first on artificial intelligence, and reflects the University’s acknowledged expertise in AI, with more than 1,600 researchers working in the area across various disciplines.
The AI roll-out will enable researchers to accelerate interdisciplinary discovery and analysis at scale, while reducing time spent on routine tasks.
Dr Patrick Parkinson, Head of Research for the University of Manchester’s School of Natural Sciences, said: “To meet the major challenges of the 21st Century, we’ll increasingly be doing interdisciplinary research. This means being on top of lots and lots of different fields all at the same time.
“As a researcher in photonic materials, M365 Copilot’s really going to make a difference, enabling me to stay on top of the huge flow of information coming from fields in materials, photonics, physics and engineering applications to meet some of the greatest challenges when building large, interdisciplinary teams.”
University of Manchester researchers are already using AI to advance breast cancer treatment, improve menopause care, transform crop productivity, and reduce waste in the fashion industry, to give but a few examples.
Microsoft 365 Copilot will also help the organisation become more operationally efficient and free up time for higher-value, more strategic activity.
Responsible, sustainable
The University is also working closely with Microsoft to ensure transparency around environmental and wider impacts, with Microsoft’s long-standing commitments to becoming carbon negative, water positive and zero waste by 2030, featuring strongly in its decision to collaborate with the tech giant.
Darren Hardman, CEO, Microsoft UK & Ireland, said: “As someone who grew up in Manchester, I’m proud to see the University extending access to Microsoft 365 Copilot across its entire community, helping 65,000 students and staff build the skills they’ll need to thrive in an AI-enabled economy.
“This is a powerful example of how we can pair Manchester’s deep AI heritage with responsible, ethical adoption that helps to close the digital divide and equip people to learn, research and work more effectively.”