Credits & Tokens
Every conversation on campusGenAI consumes tokens, which draw down your credit balance. You don’t need to manage this actively, but understanding the mechanics helps you pick the right model and recognize why some conversations feel “heavier” than others.
Credits
Section titled “Credits”Credits are your usage budget on the platform. Each user has a credit balance and a refill interval (typically one day), both of which are configured by your institution’s administrator.
Your balance carries over between sessions. Refills happen automatically, but only when two conditions are true:
- Your current balance isn’t enough to send your next message, and
- The refill interval has elapsed since your last refill.
This means you won’t get a fresh top-up while you still have credits left. The system tops you up only when you actually need it.
Tokens
Section titled “Tokens”Tokens are the unit AI models use to measure language. Every word (or part of a word) in your prompts, any files you attach, and the model’s response back to you are all counted in tokens.
- 1 token ≈ 4 characters of English text
- A short question uses a few hundred tokens
- A long document summary can use tens of thousands
Each message in the chat shows its token count, so you can see in real time how much a conversation is using.
How credits and tokens connect
Section titled “How credits and tokens connect”When a model processes your conversation, it uses tokens — and your credit balance is charged to cover that cost. More tokens used means more credits spent, but the credit-to-token ratio isn’t fixed. Two factors drive it:
| Factor | Effect on credit usage |
|---|---|
| Model choice | More powerful models cost more credits per token. See Model Comparison for relative cost. |
| Prompt complexity | Long messages, attached files, and detailed responses all generate more tokens. |
A quick chat with a standard model uses a small fraction of a daily allocation. Running a lengthy research summary through a premium model uses noticeably more — though normal use rarely exhausts a daily limit.
Checking your balance
Section titled “Checking your balance”- Click your profile picture in the bottom-left corner of the sidebar.
- Select Settings.
- Open the Balance tab. Your current balance and the Next Refill time are shown there.
If the time on the “Next Refill” line has passed but your balance hasn’t updated, send a new message — the act of sending triggers the refill check. Refresh the Balance tab and you’ll see the new amount.
Storage usage
Section titled “Storage usage”Some deployments also track file storage alongside credits. View your storage limit status by going to Attach Files in the left sidebar and then selecting Manage Files.
Choosing models for cost
Section titled “Choosing models for cost”For routine drafting, summarizing, or brainstorming, a lighter model is usually sufficient and noticeably cheaper. Save the premium models for tasks that genuinely need them — code reasoning, long-document analysis, complex multi-step instructions. The Model Comparison page lays out the tradeoffs.
If you receive a low-balance notification, you may be able to request additional credits from your institution’s administrator.
- Credit limits, refill schedules, and storage quotas are all set by your institution’s administrator and may differ from the defaults described here.
- Regardless of how many credits or tokens you use, your conversations are not used to train AI models. See Privacy & Data for details.
Need help?
Section titled “Need help?”- Get help: Contact us
- About campusGenAI: Main site
Your interface may look slightly different depending on your institution’s deployment.