Microsoft Copilot at UBC is an AI-powered productivity service that helps users draft content, summarize information, answer questions, brainstorm ideas, and accelerate routine work across Microsoft 365.
UBC offers two Copilot experiences:
- Copilot Chat (Basic) - a secure AI chat experience available through UBC’s Microsoft 365 environment.
- M365 Copilot (Premium) - a paid subscription that provides deeper integration with Microsoft 365 apps and work data such as emails, meetings, chats, calendar information, and files that the user already has permission to access.
Microsoft 365 Copilot uses large language models and integrates with Microsoft Graph and Microsoft 365 apps such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams. Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat provides enterprise-ready AI chat with enterprise data protection, and prompts and responses are not used to train Microsoft foundation models.
Copilot Chat (Basic) is available to eligible UBC users as part of UBC’s Microsoft 365 licensing. M365 Copilot (Premium) is available to eligible UBC faculty and staff as of October 15, 2026, as a paid annual subscription. Learn more and subscribe on the M365 Premium page Students will continue to have access to Copilot Chat (Basic) only.
Copilot Chat (Premium) currently comes with both Claude (Anthropic) Opus and Sonnet models, as well as Chat GPT (OpenAI) Sol models.
Features and Benefits
Microsoft Copilot can help users:
- Draft, rewrite, summarize, and refine content more quickly.
- Brainstorm ideas, create outlines, and support early-stage research.
- Ask questions and receive AI-generated responses in a secure Microsoft 365 work or education context.
- Work more efficiently in Microsoft 365 apps, depending on the user’s assigned license.
- Summarize or reason over Microsoft 365 work content, such as emails, files, meetings, chats, and calendar information, when using M365 Copilot (Premium) and where the user has appropriate permissions.
- Reduce time spent on repetitive productivity tasks, while keeping users responsible for reviewing and validating AI-generated content.
Copilot respects existing Microsoft 365 identity, access, and permission models, meaning users can only access content they are already permitted to access.
Copilot Chat (Basic) vs M365 Copilot (Premium)
| Capability | Copilot Chat (Basic) | M365 Copilot (Premium) |
Primary experience | Secure AI chat for work and education | AI assistance embedded across Microsoft 365 apps and chat |
Availability | Available to eligible UBC users as part of UBC’s Microsoft 365 environment | Paid annual subscription for eligible faculty and staff — available through the M365 Premium page |
Eligible user groups | Students, faculty, and staff, subject to service availability and institutional controls | Faculty and staff only, subject to license availability, approval, and funding |
Student access | Available | Not available |
Grounding | Primarily web-grounded, with user-provided context and supported app experiences | Web-grounded plus Microsoft 365 organizational data the user already has permission to access |
Data access | Uses web data and content provided by the user; may use limited context in supported Microsoft 365 experiences | Can reason over emails, files, chats, meetings, calendar information, and documents across Microsoft 365 |
Use in Microsoft 365 apps | Available in supported Copilot Chat and Microsoft 365 app experiences | Deeper Copilot functionality in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and other Microsoft 365 apps |
Typical use cases | Brainstorming, drafting, rewriting, summarizing, research, and quick assistance | Meeting summaries, email drafting from work context, document analysis, cross-app workflows, and productivity automation |
Security | Enterprise data protection and Microsoft 365 administrative controls | Enterprise data protection, Microsoft 365 administrative controls, and organizational data integration based on existing permissions |
Best suited for | General users who need secure AI chat and lightweight productivity assistance | Faculty and staff with high-value, high-frequency Microsoft 365 work that benefits from deeper integration |
Copilot Chat (Basic) is not generally grounded in organizational content such as files, emails, or chats in the same way as M365 Copilot (Premium), though users may provide content directly or use supported app-specific experiences. M365 Copilot (Premium) adds access to work data, files, meetings, and other Microsoft 365 content when the user has the required license and permissions.
Requirements and Eligibility
Copilot Chat (Basic)
Copilot Chat (Basic) is available to eligible UBC students, faculty, and staff through UBC’s Microsoft 365 environment, subject to service availability and institutional controls.
Users require:
- An active UBC Microsoft account.
- Access to UBC’s Microsoft 365 environment.
- Compliance with UBC privacy, security, records management, and acceptable use requirements.
M365 Copilot (Premium)
M365 Copilot (Premium) is a paid subscription, available to eligible UBC faculty and staff.
Users require:
- An active UBC Microsoft account.
- Access to UBC’s Microsoft 365 environment.
- An assigned M365 Copilot license.
- Faculty or staff eligibility.
- Approval through the applicable UBC licensing, funding, or request process.
- Compliance with UBC privacy, security, records management, and acceptable use requirements. M365 Copilot (Premium) is not available to students.
Privacy, Security, and Appropriate Use
Copilot at UBC must be used in accordance with UBC’s privacy, information security, records management, and acceptable use requirements.
Users are responsible for ensuring that their use of Copilot is appropriate for the information, task, and context. AI-generated responses may be inaccurate, incomplete, or inappropriate for a given use case. Users must review and validate Copilot-generated content before relying on it, sharing it, or publishing it.
When using Copilot:
- Do not enter information unless you are authorized to use that information for the intended purpose. Refer to UBC’s Information Security Standard U1 for details of what you should and shouldn’t share with Copilot: U1, Security Classification of UBC Electronic Information and Services | Office of the CIO
- Review AI-generated content for accuracy, bias, completeness, and appropriateness.
- Do not rely on Copilot as the sole source for decisions involving privacy, legal, financial, academic, employment, health, or safety matters.
- Follow UBC policies and guidance related to privacy, information security, records management, and acceptable use.
- Remember that Copilot does not change existing access permissions; users can only access Microsoft 365 content they are already authorized to access.
Copilot Chat (Basic) and M365 Copilot (Premium) provide enterprise data protection for prompts and responses, and that prompts and responses are not used to train Microsoft foundation models. Copilot inherits applicable Microsoft 365 controls, such as permissions, sensitivity labels, retention policies, audit capabilities, and administrative settings, depending on the underlying subscription.
Price
Copilot Chat (Basic) is included as part of UBC’s Microsoft 365 licensing for eligible users.
M365 Copilot (Premium) is a paid subscription. Availability may depend on license supply, eligibility, funding, approval, and faculty/department rollout timelines. More information about pricing will be provided as part of the rollout..
Getting Started
Access Copilot Chat (Basic)
To get started with Copilot Chat (Basic):
- Sign in to Microsoft 365 via m365.cloud.microsoft using your UBC firsname.lastname@ubc.ca username and CWL password.
- Start with a simple prompt, such as “Summarize this text,” “Help me draft a response,” “Create an outline for a project update,” or “Rewrite this in a more concise and professional tone.”
Access M365 Copilot (Premium)
M365 Copilot (Premium) is available to eligible UBC faculty and staff as of October 15, 2026. Before requesting, discuss the business need with your manager and confirm the Workday worktag your subscription will be charged to. Then submit your request through the UBC Self-Service Portal — full steps, an FAQ, and pricing are on the M365 Premium page.
FAQs
Learn More
Access Copilot Chat (Basic)
To get started with Copilot Chat (Basic):
- Sign in to Microsoft 365 via portal.office.com using your UBC firsname.lastname@ubc.ca username and CWL password.
- Start with a simple prompt, such as “Summarize this text,” “Help me draft a response,” “Create an outline for a project update,” or “Rewrite this in a more concise and professional tone.”
Access M365 Copilot (Premium)
M365 Copilot (Premium) is available to eligible UBC faculty and staff as of October 15, 2026. Before requesting, discuss the business need with your manager and confirm the Workday worktag your subscription will be charged to. Then submit your request through the UBC Self-Service Portal — full steps, an FAQ, and pricing are on the M365 Premium page.
Get Help
For support with Copilot at UBC:
- For service access, licensing questions, or guidance on appropriate use, contact the UBC IT Service Desk.
- For questions about Copilot functionality or how to better prompt or use Copilot, simply log into Copilot and ask your questions directly, such as “Teach me how to use Copilot Chat”, “Create a 1-hour training plan and walk me through the features of M365 Copilot step-by-step”, or “How do I save a prompt?”.