The University of Manchester: Copilot for all 65,000 students and staff

The university wants every student to have the same access to AI tools, so that students from less privileged backgrounds are not left behind as AI becomes part of study and work. It also wants researchers to spend less time on routine tasks such as literature searches and data analysis, and professional services to run more efficiently.¹²

After a pilot in 2024 to 2025, the university announced in January 2026 that all 65,000 students, academics and staff would get Microsoft 365 Copilot access together with training in effective and responsible use. Microsoft names the Researcher and Analyst agents and Copilot in Word, Excel and PowerPoint as part of the offer.

The rollout was agreed with the Students' Union, trade unions and staff networks, and the university says it is working with Microsoft on transparency about environmental and wider impacts. It is due to be completed by summer 2026.¹²

In our view, Manchester is a useful model for institutions that expect pushback, because it framed AI access as a fairness question and agreed the rollout with unions and the students' union before launch. The only published results are pilot adoption figures; there is no evidence yet on learning, research or time savings, so this is a case about rollout design rather than proven impact. Universities with tighter budgets can apply the same consultation and training approach to Copilot Chat before paying for full licenses.