Set Up Claude for Your Team
A plain-language guide to giving a group - a research lab, a department, a class, or a team - access to Claude. Start by finding out whether you can get it for free.
The short version
- First, check whether someone already gives you Claude for free - ask your IT department, or ask about Claude for Education if you're at a university.
- If no one provides it, the simplest paid option for a group is the Team plan: you sign up yourself, pick how many people need access, and pay with a team or department account.
- You only need the API (explained below) if you're building software that uses Claude automatically. Most groups never do.
- There is no student or academic discount code - real savings come from an institutional program, not a coupon.
The plans, compared
| Plan | Who it's for | Rough cost | Right for a group? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Trying it out | Free | Too limited for real work |
| Pro | One person | about $20/mo | Great for an individual, one person only |
| Team | 5 to 150 people | about $20-25 per person/mo | Usually the best choice if no one provides Claude for you |
| Enterprise | Large orgs (20+) | Custom | More than one lab or department needs |
| Claude for Education | An entire university | Free to users | Best if your school takes part |
What to actually do
- 1
Ask whether you already have Claude for free
Many universities and companies have an agreement with Anthropic (the company that makes Claude). Ask your IT department. If you're at a university, ask whether your school takes part in Claude for Education, which gives students, faculty, and staff full access at no personal cost.
- 2
If you're at a university, email Anthropic's education team
Ask about access for your group, and say who will use it (for example: interns, undergraduates, and graduate students). It's usually arranged by a department head, dean, or IT director, but individual instructor licenses are sometimes available too.
- 3
If neither is free, sign up for a Team plan
Count the people who need access (at least 5), start everyone on a standard seat, and pay yearly if your group is stable (it's cheaper per person). Pay with a team, grant, or department account, and set a spending limit per person.
- 4
Only add the API if software will use Claude on its own
The API is just for programs that use Claude automatically, with no person typing. Most groups never need it. Using Claude Code to write software does not count - that runs on a normal subscription. If you do need the API for research software, ask Anthropic about free research credits before paying.
- 5
Set ground rules and invite people
Turn on study mode for students where it helps, confirm the privacy terms meet your university or organization policy (especially for unpublished data), then invite people and set up shared spaces for the group.
Do you need the “API”? Probably not
This is the part that trips people up. The question isn't whether code is involved - it's who is using Claude.
- If a person is using Claude - typing in the app, or using Claude Code to write software - that's a subscription. Nothing more is needed.
- The API is only for when your own software uses Claude on its own, with no person involved in each step - for example, a program that automatically reads 10,000 survey answers and sorts each one.
Questions to settle before you pay
- How many people need access now, and how often do they change? This decides how many seats, and whether an institutional plan makes more sense.
- What will pay for it - a grant, department funds, a company card - and are there purchasing rules to follow?
- Is any of your data sensitive, confidential, or unpublished? If so, check the plan's privacy and data-retention terms first.
- Does anyone actually need the API (software using Claude automatically), or do people just need to use Claude themselves?
Let Claude set it up with you
Paste this into Claude and let it guide you step by step, one question at a time:
Setup assistant
“I want to give a group of people access to Claude (for example: a research lab, a department, or a class). Please act as my guide and ask me one question at a time. First, help me write a short email to my IT department asking whether we already have Claude access or an agreement with Anthropic I can join - and, if I am at a university, whether we take part in Claude for Education. If we have no institutional option, walk me through setting up a Claude Team plan: how many seats I need (at least 5), the difference between standard and premium seats, how to set per-person spending limits, how to add and remove people, and how to set up shared spaces. Finally, explain whether I need the API at all, and if so how to ask for research credits.”