Please follow the steps below to retain uninterrupted access to your @berkeley.edu email address.

  1. Renew your alumni email account by April 15, 2024.

  2. Reduce your total storage to below 5 GB by July 15, 2024.

View a list of eligibility and learn more about how to retain your @berkeley.edu address and the changes to alumni email services.

Why are changes to alumni email accounts needed?

Effective Nov. 1, 2024, Google will no longer provide unlimited storage to its education customers. In preparation for this change, Berkeley is undertaking an extensive effort to manage new costs associated with storing data across all its Google accounts.

Unlike many other universities that are retiring alumni email services in response to this change, campus leadership has decided to continue offering email services to existing alumni account holders and future graduates. This decision was informed by feedback from alumni and students.

Key Considerations

After conducting an extensive review that included feedback from alumni, students, faculty, and staff three considerations emerged:

  1. Retain alumni connections: Many alumni value continued access to their @berkeley.edu email address as one way they identify themselves as Berkeley graduates.

  2. Control costs: Berkeley needs to manage the additional costs associated with the new storage pricing model offered to Google Workspace Education customers.

  3. Manage risks and threats: Berkeley needs to manage the security and reputational risks and threats posed by unattended and possibly compromised alumni email accounts.

 

What is changing?

In response to these considerations, Berkeley’s alumni email service will continue but with some changes:

  1. Annual renewals: Alumni will be required to review and accept terms of service annually.

  2. Storage Limits: Alumni accounts will be limited to 5 GB of total storage. This limit was set to help manage the limited storage provided to Berkeley by Google and ensure adequate storage availability for current students, faculty, and staff.

  3. Security Controls: Additional security measures and protections will be necessary to protect Berkeley’s Google Workspace environment. These include stricter policies to protect against spam, phishing attacks, and the requirement to utilize two-factor authentication for access.