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Student & Alumni Email at UVa

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

FAQs about UVa Student/Alumni Email

About Your UVa Email Address

Accessing Your UVa Email Account

Who May Use These Services

About UVa Student/Alumni Email

Technical Questions

About Your Email Address

What exactly is my UVa email address?
 

Your primary UVa email address is your UVa computing ID@virginia.edu (e.g., mst3k@virginia.edu). You’re also automatically given your computing ID followed by @email.virginia.edu (e.g., mst3k@email.virginia.edu). You may use these 2 “primary” addresses interchangeably.

If you like, you may also have up to 2 email aliases—e.g., miketurner@email.virginia.edu and msturner@email.virginia.edu—for a total of up to 4 University email addresses @virginia.edu.

Can I change my email address to something easier to read, write, and remember?

Yes, you may, and this is called an email alias. For example, if your computing ID is mst3k, you may create an email alias such as miketurner@email.virginia.edu, in addition to your primary addresses of mst3k@virginia.edu and mst3k@email.virginia.edu.

Find how to to request email aliases using the UVa Email Address Management System. Note: You cannot request an email alias until you have a permanent UVa password; newly-admitted students who have not yet gone through in-person identity verification still have only a temporary UVa password and therefore cannot do this yet.

How many email aliases can I have?
Up to 2 aliases may be managed (kept, changed, or deleted) in the email.virginia.edu domain—now, and for life. You can create, change, and delete email aliases using the UVa Email Address Management System.
  • Note: Students who were already at UVa during Fall 2008 (before the student email transition) and who already had a UVa email alias in the virginia.edu domain (such as mike@virginia.edu) are able to continue using this alias until they graduate. Their @virginia.edu aliases are “grandfathered in” and will continue to work only until they graduate and leave UVa—but not for life. (As has always been the case, email aliases ending in @virginia.edu expire when their owners leave the University.) ITS recommends these students request a similar alias in the @email.virginia.edu domain (such as mike@email.virginia.edu) if desired, which can be managed (kept, changed, or deleted) for life.
What is my UVa email password? I lost my email password; how do I retrieve it?

The answers to these questions depends upon how you access your UVa email.

Accessing Your UVa Email Account

How do I activate access to my UVa email account for the first time?
Follow the 3-step activation process outlined on the Student Accounts page and you will gain access your UVa email account.
Can I consolidate my personal (non-UVa) email account and my UVa email account, or set a forward from one to the other?

While there is no way for personal accounts to be merged with University accounts, you can consolidate your accounts. Please use the online Help provided by Google Mail Support or Microsoft Windows Live Support. Or, another option is to forward your University email messages to your personal email account. To do this:

  1. Use UVa’s Email Address Management System (AMS) to add your personal email account as a deliverable address, then
  2. Use the AMS to to set a forward directing your University email to your personal email account.
How do I check my UVa email account on the Web?
Go to the UVa Email Switchboard at www.mail.virginia.edu and log in through NetBadge. (If you do not remember this password, see Lost Passwords.) If you have just one UVa email account, this will take you straight to your Inbox. If you have an account with both vendors, from there you can select which account you want to log into.
  • If you have UVa Gmail: You can also go to directly to www.mail.virginia.edu/google and log in through NetBadge. (Or, you can go directly to google.com or gmail.com, but this will not work unless you have first set an IMAP password directly with Google and you enter your username as your complete UVa email address with @virginia.edu—not just your UVa computing ID).
  • If you have a UVa Microsoft Windows Live account (please note, these service is being discontinued on March 1, 2012): You can go directly to www.mail.virginia.edu/microsoft. (Or, you can also go straight to www.mail.live.com. You must supply your UVa login and password when going to this site.)
  • If you have an “alumni.virginia.edu” address: Check your Vmail with HoosOnline.
How do I access my UVa email account on my smartphone or mobile device?
Gmail supports both POP and IMAP. Microsoft Windows Live@edu supports POP. Configuration instructions for each are below.
  • UVa Gmail users: To configure your smartphone or mobile device to read your UVa Gmail account, first enable POP or IMAP in your UVa Gmail account, then insert these IMAP/POP settings into your mobile device’s email configuration screen. Note: Gmail’s Help provides detailed instructions for what value goes where.
  • UVa Microsoft Windows Live users (please note, this service is being discontinued on March 1, 2012): To configure your smartphone or mobile device to read your UVa Microsoft Windows Live@edu account, insert these POP settings into your mobile device’s email configuration screen.
How do I access my UVa email account using an email program on my computer (via POP or IMAP)?
Gmail supports both POP and IMAP. Microsoft Windows Live@edu supports POP. Configuration instructions for each are below.
How do I enable IMAP or POP in my UVa Gmail account?
How to configure your UVa Gmail for POP or IMAP (so you can read your UVa Gmail on your mobile device or in an email program):
  1. Log into your UVa Gmail account.
  2. Click Settings at the top of the page.
  3. Click the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab.
  4. Enable POP or IMAP.
  5. Click the Save Changes button.

Who May Use These Services

Will my email account or address change when I graduate or leave the University?

Your UVa email account will continue to work after you graduate, and your messages and folders will be preserved. Your email address(es) will also remain the same for life (with the exception of any email aliases you have @virginia.edu, which will expire after you graduate). Once you are no longer a student, the only difference you will notice is that your account will display advertisements beside your messages.

If you wish to have an “alumni.virginia.edu” address, register for Vmail with HoosOnline.

If you leave the University before you graduate, you forfeit all your UVa email, as has always been the case.

Do all students at UVa have email accounts provided by private vendors?

All UVa students (except for students at UVa schools that provide student accounts on their own servers, such as Darden and Commerce) have University email accounts provided by UVa-contracted vendors. Those schools and entities make their own decisions about student email.

Are faculty and staff allowed UVa email accounts with private vendors?
UVa Gmail and UVa Microsoft Windows Live@edu accounts are primarily offered to students. However, accounts are also available to faculty and staff who provide technical support to students. Please note that UVa Microsoft Windows Live@edu service is ending on March 1, 2012.
Can alumni get a UVa email account with one of the private vendors?

Recent graduates (Class of 2006 and later) who had a UVa Gmail or UVa Microsoft Live (until March 1, 2012) account while they were students may continue using their student email account once they graduate or leave the University, as explained in the FAQ above.

All other alumni (Class of 2005 and earlier) can take advantage of Vmail, which is part of HoosOnline, provided by the Alumni Association. The University has contracted with Google to provide lifetime email accounts for all alumni; see the Vmail information from HoosOnline for more details.

About UVa Student/Alumni Email

Why can’t I access all the Google Apps with my UVa Gmail account?

Google institutional accounts (like those we have here at UVa) originally did not offer access to the complete set of Google Apps that are offered through free, personal Gmail accounts. For example, students can’t use a UVa Gmail login to access YouTube, Google Voice, Picasa, and some other Google Apps.

Although in 2011 Google updated its infrastructure to begin allowing institutional users to access most Apps, the University of Virginia, as a state institution, has rules and regulations that restrict which Apps can be made available through UVa Gmail at this time.

Why does UVa outsource its student and alumni email?

Having student email accounts provided by third-party vendors is a big win for students and alumni, for 3 key reasons:

  1. Students and alumni enjoy a complete suite of tools and functionality that integrate with their email, as well as modern, user-friendly interfaces with a high storage quota.
  2. Student and alumni email is reliable and robust because email is a core business for these third-party providers, who are accustomed to serving vast numbers of users and adjusting to changes in load.
  3. Students keep their UVa email address, messages, and folders after they graduate—and for life.
Do any other universities outsource student and alumni email?

Yes. A growing list of institutions are using third-party email service providers—including Indiana University, the University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern, and Arizona State—for their students.

Can I switch from UVa Microsoft Windows Live@edu to UVa Gmail?
You can. However, your existing email messages and folders will not automatically migrate to the other vendor. So if you switch vendors, you are responsible for moving messages between them, and setting up any necessary auto-forwarding. Complete instructions for migrating >>
How big is my storage quota?
View Gmail with Google Apps or Microsoft Windows Live@edu for information on quota size. This increases from time to time, and their websites will have the most up-to-date information for you.
Will my privacy be protected by private email vendors?

Both of our vendors are committed to protecting your privacy. To find out more about their respective policies and safeguards, please read the Google Apps Privacy Notice and/or Microsoft Windows Live@edu Privacy Policy.

Can I delete my account?

We can make your account inactive if needed. If you would like it deactivated, please email postmaster@virginia.edu, explaining that you want your account deactivated and noting your service provider (UVa Google, UVa Microsoft, or both).

Technical Questions

Where can I get more help for my UVa email account?
ITS provides basic IMAP/POP settings and the UVa Help Desk may be able to provide support for some more basic and UVa-specific questions, but Google and Microsoft’s own websites will likely have more information for you. Search for an answer to your question in the excellent online Help provided by Google Mail Support or Microsoft Windows Live Support. Chances are, you can find an answer to your questions there.
What does the Google 2011 upgrade mean for me?

In July 2011, UVa Gmail accounts are being transitioned to the new Google infrastructure. What the upgrade means for UVa students:

  • Offline access: If you use Offline Gmail to compose email (that is, if you write messages while disconnected from the Internet and Gmail sends them whenever you go back online) then be sure you sync your Offline Gmail before this transition occurs! If you don’t, you might lose your offline messages.
    • To make sure you are synchronized: Connect to the Internet and open Gmail in a Web browser on the computer where you enabled Offline Gmail. When you do, Gmail will automatically synchronize your offline email with your online account. When the account is fully synchronized, a green circle with a white checkmark will appear in the top right corner of the Gmail window next to your account name. (Read more about Offline Gmail.)
  • Logging in: After the transition, you will no longer be permitted to log into more than one Google account at a time in the same Web browser, unless you enable an optional feature to log into multiple accounts simultaneously. You must activate this for each of your Gmail accounts if you wish to be able to be logged into your UVa and personal Google accounts at the same time in the same Web browser.
  • Resolving conflicting accounts: After the upgrade, all UVa Gmail users who have set up a personal (not institutional UVa) Google account ending in @virginia.edu will have two conflicting logins.
    • If you are affected: You will receive an email explaining that the first time you log in after the transition, you will be required to change the name you use to sign into your personal account to resolve these conflicting accounts.
Why am I forced to use SSL for my UVa Gmail connection?

Using SSL for your UVa Gmail connection provides better security for your UVa Gmail session. But if you are using any of the following optional Google services, the SSL connection may cause them to work incorrectly. Fixes are outlined below:

  • Gmail Notifier, an optional application that alerts you whenever you have new Gmail messages
    Fix: Download a patch from Google.
  • Gmail for Mobile, to access Gmail and other Google tools from your mobile phone or device
    Fix: Upgrade if you have an older version, available from Google.
  • Google Toolbar, which integrates into your Web browser and gives you quick access to Gmail and other Google tools
    Fix: No fix currently available; you may experience problems with the “Send to” feature of the Toolbar. Continue to check the Google Help pages for updates.

Google provides more information about how a secured connection affects these optional Google services.

Does the contract with Microsoft for Live@edu include Exchange Labs (aka Outlook Live), or just Microsoft Windows Live Hotmail?

UVa's original contract with Microsoft was for Microsoft Live Hotmail, as Exchange Labs (which Microsoft has since rebranded as “Outlook Live”) was not in production when the contract was signed.

When I send a message to myself from my UVa Google account to my UVa alias address, it never appears in my UVa Gmail Inbox. How do I fix that?

To make messages sent to your UVa email alias appear in your UVa Gmail Inbox:

  1. Go to the UVa Email Switchboard and if necessary, authenticate through NetBadge using your UVa Computing ID and UVa password.
  2. Click on UVa Gmail with Google Apps.
  3. Click the Settings link.
  4. Click the Accounts link.
  5. In the Send Email As: section, click Add another email address.
  6. Follow the instructions provided to add your email alias address to UVa Gmail.

Note: If you have more than one UVa email alias, you will need to do the above for each alias that you have.

  Page Updated: 2012-02-01

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Page Updated: 2012-02-01; © 2012 by the Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia.

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