The Metamorphosis
I am pretty sure you are still on cloud nine from the fact that you are graduating from college. But soon enough, you will need to draft and send your job application to the companies you want to work for.
And how do you think it will look like to them if you’re sending it through your student account? Have you ever asked yourself, “Do college emails expire?”
As soon as you register and become an official college student, your college provides you your college email address. And you can access and use this account for years and years, provided you are still an active student of the school.
Sure, college emails come in handy when you’re in university. They make communicating with your professors, classmates, and other faculty and staff way easier. Plus, they come with perks that benefit you, such as premium access to some software you can use in school.
But what exactly happens to your email once you are out of college?
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What Happens with Your Email Address?
Some schools will give you the chance to keep your student account after graduation through their alumni email program. However, they will only limit your access to Gmail and not their resources. Other schools do not offer this opportunity and will give you at least one year to prepare for the deletion of your account.
Even if your student account has yet to be up for termination, avoid using it. Or better yet, never use it for your job applications and other purposes. Some employers do not think it’s professional to use your student account.
Others may be confused if you are still in college or not, especially the company’s Human Resources (HR) Department.
Why Your Email Gets Deleted
Your email address will probably not be deleted a day or two after graduation. But best expect that within a year, your college will discontinue your email address for the following reasons:
Network Protection
Months after graduation, your school will remove the student status from your Network ID, thus removing access to your email and your college’s essential services.
Free Up Servers
Your college must have tons of students registered on their network every year. And servicing a high number can be taxing, even for technology. Now, imagine how confusing it can be sorting out those who are active in college and those who are not.
Your school will delete your email account and password to maintain accuracy to the receiving end of their services.
Resources
If you have graduated, that means you are no longer a paying student of the school. And they will remove and revoke your access to the services they provide through your email address (i.e., access to premium accounts like Microsoft 365, which you have to pay for initially).
What to Do Before Your Email Gets Deleted
If it’s still graduation day, you have days and months ahead of you before your account actually gets deleted. But if you’re almost celebrating your first year after college, then you better start thinking about getting your own email address, among other things.
Here are ways to help you prepare before you lose access to your college email address, according to the University of Illinois:
- Password. Keep your password updated and set its recovery options. This allows you to access their services before deletion.
- Forwarding Email. When your college removes you from their server, you can no longer access your university address. But setting up a forwarding email address allows you to receive emails sent to your university email address.
- Access Keys. Your WebStore access keys/codes allow you to access software. Before the deletion of your email account, you want to save your license keys. But some software with subscriptions might expire before the deactivation of your student account.
- Online Data. Saving or migrating essential data stored in your university account G Suite apps allows you to access them even after deletion.
Time to Say Goodbye to College and Your College Email
College sure was fun, but I hope you don’t put off getting a new personal email account to use for your job applications. Plus, a new email address feels like a clean slate—a new beginning that is easier to manage and browse through. But in all sincerity, best of luck with your first real job!
