Claude.ai at Northeastern University
All active Northeastern students, faculty, and staff can access Claude, which includes a full range of models, advanced features, large context windows, and high usage limits.
Northeastern University and Anthropic
Northeastern is bringing artificial intelligence into nearly all aspects of learning, teaching, research, and business operations, as well as helping students, faculty, and staff learn to use AI effectively and responsibly.
As part of this effort, Northeastern has partnered with Anthropic, a leading artificial intelligence research and development company with an emphasis on responsible AI. This partnership gives the university community access to Claude, an enterprise-level generative AI platform. This partnership also aims to explore the uses and impacts of generative AI models in higher education, shaping the future AI strategies for both organizations.
NOTE: Use of Claude is subject to the university’s Policy on the Use of AI Systems (“AI Policy”). Review the Requirements for Compliant and Responsible Use section below for further details.
How Claude Can Help
Use Claude to accomplish varying tasks, whether you’re a student, faculty, or staff member, including:
- Summarize complex information
- Generate personalized study plans or professional development materials
- Collaborate and connect across disciplinary departments and research areas
- Convert complex data into compelling visuals and presentations
- Develop accessible and inclusive teaching materials
- Optimize workflows
Get Started With Claude
Claude is a powerful generative AI tool for creative engagement, advanced reasoning, visual analysis, multilingual translation, and code generation.
Using Claude is easy. Talk to Claude using “prompts.” Prompts can range from simple questions, like “How do I hang a picture frame in my room?” to more complex requests.
Requirements and Guidelines for Use
Generative AI has limitations and using Claude comes with risks that require awareness and mitigation. Follow these requirements and guidelines to use Claude in a responsible and appropriate way:
- Read and follow Northeastern’s Policy on the Use of AI Systems (“AI Policy”) and the Standards referenced therein (including those governing university research and administration activities). Your use is also subject to all other applicable university policies, including the Code of Ethical Conduct and the Student and Faculty Handbooks.
- Do not upload any Confidential Information, Personal Information, or Restricted Research Data (as defined in the AI Policy) without completing the AI Review Committee review process.
- You are responsible for how you use Claude and its outputs. In addition to following Northeastern Policies and Standards, educate yourself regarding Claude’s capabilities and Anthropic’s responsible AI practices to help guide your appropriate use of the system. This includes being aware of and taking steps to mitigate the potential for Claude to produce inaccurate, misleading, and biased output.
- If you upload data into a chat conversation or custom Claude project and share the conversation or project with another user, all participants in the chat or project may be able to access the data. Use good judgment when sharing conversations and projects with others, just as you would when sharing access to any other sensitive documents or data. For further details, see the FAQs below.
- Use Claude in ways that enhance learning rather than detract from it. Students should check syllabus policies before using Claude to complete coursework. If the syllabus does not contain a policy regarding the use of AI, ask your instructor for guidance.
- Follow best practices regarding the use of generative AI in teaching.
FAQs on Claude
Q: Am I required to use Claude?
A: No. Northeastern offers Claude accounts so that every member of our community has access to a powerful AI platform without having to pay out of pocket, but there’s no requirement to use it.
Q: I’m having trouble logging in. Who can I contact for help?
A: Visit the How do I access Claude.ai? article for guidance. The IT Service Desk can also help troubleshoot any issues logging in and accessing your Northeastern Claude enterprise account.
Q: I already have a Claude account. What happens to my existing account?
A: Your new Northeastern Claude enterprise account won’t change your existing personal account. If your personal account is with your @northeastern.edu email address, you’ll have the choice to use your personal account or your new Northeastern Claude enterprise account using single-sign on. You may have to sign out of your personal account first to access the enterprise account with SSO.
Data can’t be automatically migrated between accounts, but you can choose to export data from your existing account and upload the conversation data to a chat with Claude in your new account.
Q: Is my data secure with Claude?
A: Anthropic’s security controls have been comprehensively reviewed by the Northeastern Office of Information Security and determined to meet university security standards.
Q: How will Northeastern handle the data I submit on Claude?
A: Northeastern will handle data submitted to Claude in accordance with the applicable university Privacy Policy and reserves the right to access such data in a manner consistent with university policy and applicable law, including the university’s Policy on the Appropriate Use of Computers and Networks.
Q: Will Anthropic use my inputs to train their models?
A: No, Anthropic won’t train its models using any of your inputs.
Q: What happens to my data after I no longer have Northeastern access (for example, because I’ve graduated)? Can I migrate my data to my personal account?
A: There’s currently no automated way to migrate your data if you leave Northeastern. If you have a personal Claude account, you can share conversations and projects with that account using the sharing capabilities in Claude or manually copy and paste custom instructions and prompts. Upon request, you can have your data deleted from Anthropic’s archives.
Q: What level of confidential data can I upload to our Claude environment? For example, can I upload student or employee information, research data, or data that was provided by a partner under an NDA, or Northeastern-confidential information?
A: Before uploading any Confidential Information, Personal Information or Restricted Research Data (as defined in the AI Policy) into Claude, you must first complete the AI Review Committee review process for your use case.
Q: Why doesn’t Claude have some features that other generative AI products have?
A: Anthropic has focused their development efforts on creating AI models that are safe and reliable. They release new features on a regular basis, and while their platform doesn’t have every feature other products have, it includes some features others don’t.
Q: Can Claude search the web?
A: Yes! As of March 20, 2025, Anthropic enabled web search as an optional feature for all paid Claude users in the U.S. To get started, toggle on web search in your profile settings and start a conversation with Claude. When applicable, Claude will search the web to inform its response.
Q: How do I add or remove someone from a private project I’ve shared?
A: See Anthropic’s Help Center article on project visibility for steps to add and remove members from a private project.
Q: How can I learn more about using Claude?
A: You can find more information on the Using Claude page or at Anthropic’s Help Center. You can also leverage training and resources designed for the university community and its unique teaching, learning, research, and business needs:
