I'm a former student. Why am I losing access to Google Workspace/Email?

Student Email Accounts Do Expire

Student email accounts expire after three consecutive semesters of not enrolling. This is in accordance with the UAH policy on Network, Computer, and Email Account Administration, which includes the following information:

Students who leave before graduation - Students who leave the university may keep their e-mail account for three terms from the last term in which they were registered. All other account privileges will be revoked at the time of separation.

Prospective students who have been given e-mail privileges - Students who have been admitted to the university, but fail to register for classes in the first term following the date of their admission, will have their account privileges terminated immediately after census date for that first term has passed.

Alumni (students who have graduated) - Alumni may retain e-mail privileges on their primary account for one year (or three terms) after graduation. All other account privileges will be revoked at the time of separation.

Every semester, once the drop/add period ends, OIT sends several notifications to former students who have not been enrolled in more than three consecutive semesters. The notifications are sent via email to the former student's UAH email address (4 weeks' warning, 3 weeks' warning, 2 weeks' warning, 1 week warning, 1 day warning). The subject of the message is similar to "UAH email account expiration for {me} on {date}."

What should I do if I receive one of these notifications?

Take action immediately:

1. Read our article "Don't Lose Your Files When You Graduate! Migrate Your UAH Google Account to a Personal Account" and complete its steps to move the historical information from your UAH student account to your personal Google account. Start this process as soon as possible.
2. Alert your contacts to your new email address.
3. Set an automatic response on the UAH email account. See https://support.google.com/mail/answer/25922?hl=en for more information.
4. Consider forwarding your incoming email to another account. See https://support.google.com/mail/answer/10957?hl=en for more information.

Are there any exceptions to the rule? I want to keep using this UAH account.

The answer is No. We send several notifications in an attempt to reach users before the account expires. Below are the situations in which an account would be reactivated or recreated:

1. Student plans to return as a UAH student in a future semester.
   The aforementioned policy still applies, so the email account will be disabled without exception. The account will be reactivated upon acceptance as a student for a future semester. For further information on the reapplication process, please see https://www.uah.edu/admissions/undergraduate/apply-for-admission/readmit.
2. Student plans to return as a UAH as an employee.
   The aforementioned policy still applies, so the email account will be disabled. The account will be reactivated when employment begins at UAH.

What happens when the account expires?

Email messages addressed to the expired account will bounce, so no new emails will be delivered or forwarded. It is advisable to alert your contacts regarding your change of email address before the account expires. It is also advisable to set an automatic response on the account in the weeks leading up to its expiration so that those who email you often can go ahead and update their records.

For technical assistance

1. Click here to chat with us.
2. Email helpdesk@uah.edu and provide a detailed description of the problem or question.
3. Call 256-824-3333 to speak with us.