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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 UVa Gmail

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.

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 request email aliases using the UVa Email Address Management System (AMS), but note that you cannot request an email alias until you have a Permanent UVa password. (Newly admitted students 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 once you have a Permanent UVa password.
What is my UVa email password? I lost my email password; how do I retrieve it?

The answers to these questions depend on how you access your UVa email.

How do I set an IMAP/POP password directly with Google?
In addition to your UVa Gmail password (which is the one you use for UVa NetBadge), you may also need to set a password with Google for IMAP/POP access. To set your password directly with Google:
  1. Log into your UVa Gmail account by going to the UVa Email Switchboard and (if necessary) authenticating through NetBadge.
  2. Click your email address in the upper right corner, and select account.
  3. Click on the Security link.
  4. Use the Change Password: link to reset your existing UVa Gmail password to a secure password of your choosing.
This will allow you, if you wish, to access your UVa Gmail account:

Accessing Your UVa Email Account

How do I activate access to my UVa email account for the first time?
Follow the 2-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, 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.

You should know too that since the UVa upgrade of Google infrastructure in 2011, you cannot be logged 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.

How do I check my UVa email account on the Web?
If you have a UVa Gmail account (with a “@virginia.edu” email address), you have a couple of options:

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?
To configure your smartphone or mobile device to read your UVa Gmail account:
  1. First, make sure you have a Permanent UVa password to log into NetBadge.
  2. Then, enable POP or IMAP in your UVa Gmail account and set a password directly with Google for IMAP/POP access.
  3. Lastly, insert the appropriate UVa Gmail IMAP/POP settings into your mobile device’s email configuration screen. (If you need help, Gmail’s Help provides detailed instructions for which value goes where for your device make and model.)
How do I access my UVa email account using an email program on my computer (via IMAP)?
To configure your email program (such as Outlook or Mac Mail) to read your UVa Gmail account:
  1. First, make sure you have a Permanent UVa password to log into NetBadge.
  2. Then, enable POP or IMAP in your UVa Gmail account and set a password directly with Google for IMAP/POP access.
  3. Lastly, insert the appropriate UVa Gmail IMAP/POP settings into your email program’s configuration screen. (If you need help, Gmail’s Help provides detailed instructions for which value goes where in your particular email program.)
How do I enable IMAP or POP in my UVa Gmail account?
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 by going to the UVa Email Switchboard and (if necessary) authenticating through NetBadge.
  2. Click the gear icon at the top right of the page and select Settings.
  3. Click the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab.
  4. Enable POP or IMAP.
  5. Click the Save Changes button.

Who May Use UVa Gmail for Life

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. 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 UVa Gmail?
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 the UVa-contracted vendor, Google. Those schools and entities make their own decisions about student email.
Are faculty and staff allowed UVa email accounts with UVa Gmail?
UVa Gmail accounts are primarily offered to students. However, accounts are also available to faculty and staff who provide technical support to students.
Can alumni get a UVa email account with UVa Gmail?

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

Recent alumni who had UVa Microsoft Windows Live@edu accounts (Hotmail) could use those accounts through March 1, 2012, when that service was retired. Information on migrating to UVa Gmail was provided to all active Live account users.

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 does UVa outsource its student and alumni email?

Having student email accounts provided by a third-party vendor 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 Google, who is accustomed to serving vast numbers of users and adjusting to changes in load.
  3. Students can 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.

How big is my storage quota?
View Gmail with Google Apps for information on quota size. This increases from time to time, and this website has the most up-to-date information for you.
Will my privacy be protected by the private email vendor?
Our vendor is committed to protecting your privacy. To find out more about Google's policies and safeguards, please read the Google Apps Privacy Notice.
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.
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’s own website will likely have more information for you. Search for an answer to your question in the excellent online Help provided by Google Mail Support. Chances are, you can find an answer to your questions there.

Technical Questions

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 Google updated its infrastructure in 2011 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 my Google bar have fewer things on it when I’m logged into UVa Gmail?

The Google bar only displays Applications you can use with the active account, and as described above, Virginia has regulations that do not permit access to all of Google’s services. Only available Applications will be displayed on the Google bar when you are logged into your UVa Gmail account.

I heard the way I log into UVa Gmail changed. What is different?

Previously, when logging into your UVa Gmail account via gmail.com or google.com, you would type the login name of your computing ID @virginia.edu (e.g., mst3k@virginia.edu) and provide the email password you set directly with Google for IMAP/POP access. However, Google has changed how it handles logins on these sites. (Logins via the UVa Email Switchboard remain the same.)

Instead, you should now enter your login name the same way as before, but leave the password field blank when logging into gmail.com or google.com. Google will then redirect you to NetBadge—where you may use your usual UVa computing ID and password to log in, or log into NetBadge using your digital certificate—before you are sent back to your destination in UVa Google.

If you have saved your UVa Google login information in your browser, you will need to change it to not automatically fill in the password on the Google login page.

How can I be logged into my UVa Gmail account and another Gmail account at the same time?

You are not permitted to be logged 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.

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.

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

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. Log into your UVa Gmail account by going to the UVa Email Switchboard and (if necessary) authenticating through NetBadge.
  2. Click the gear icon at the top right of the page and select Settings.
  3. Click the Accounts link.
  4. In the Send Email As: section, click Add another email address you own.
  5. 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: Tuesday 2013-02-26 17:09:44 EST

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Page Updated: 2013-02-26; © 2013 by the Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia.

The information contained on the University of Virginia’s Department of Information Technology Services (ITS) website is provided as a public service with the understanding that ITS makes no representations or warranties, either expressed or implied, concerning the accuracy, completeness, reliability or suitability of the information, including warrantees of title, non-infringement of copyright or patent rights of others. These pages are expected to represent the University of Virginia community and the State of Virginia in a professional manner in accordance with the University of Virginia’s Computing Policies.

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