Student & Alumni Email at UVa

Answers to Frequently-Asked Questions (FAQs)

[Nov 23, 2009 14:09] Web access to Microsoft Live@edu accounts now works.

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

Answers to Frequently-Asked 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.

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.

If you were a current student during Fall 2008 and had a UVa email alias in the virginia.edu domain (such as mike@virginia.edu), that alias will continue to work only until you graduate and leave UVa—not for life. (As has always been the case, email aliases ending in @virginia.edu expire when their owners graduate and leave UVa.) You may want to go ahead and request a similar alias in @email.virginia.edu (such as mike@email.virginia.edu), which you can then manage (keep, change, or delete) for life.

How do I change or reset my UVa email password?

If you access your UVa email via the Web: If you check your UVa email online through the UVa Email Switchboard, then change the password you use for NetBadge.

If you also want to access your UVa email via an email program (e.g., Outlook, Thunderbird, Apple Mail, etc.) or mobile device: You need to set a password directly with your vendor for IMAP or POP access. This password is known only to you and your vendor—and is not known to, or retrievable on, any UVa system.
  • For UVa Gmail: Set a password directly with Google for POP/IMAP access (how to do this).
  • For UVa Microsoft Windows Live: Set a password directly with Microsoft Windows Live for POP access (how to do this).

Accessing Your UVa Email Account

How do I activate access to my UVa email account for the first time?
Follow the activation process outlined on the Student Accounts page. After that, you will be prompted to choose your UVa email provider. You will need to choose one vendor initially, but you are allowed to request an account with the other vendor too, if you desire.
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?

Go to the UVa Email Switchboard at www.mail.virginia.edu. If you have just one account, that will take you straight to your Inbox. If you have an account on both vendors, you can choose which account you want to log into.

Alternatively, if you have a UVa Gmail account, you can also go to directly to www.mail.virginia.edu/google. Note that going straight to google.com or gmail.com will not work.

And if you have a UVa Microsoft Windows Live@edu account, 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.)

Can I access my account using an email program such as Outlook (via POP or IMAP)?

Yes. Gmail supports both POP and IMAP. Microsoft Windows Live@edu supports POP. Configuration instructions for each are below.

UVa Gmail users: To configure your email program to use IMAP or POP with your UVa Gmail account:

  1. Configure UVa Gmail for POP or IMAP.
    1. Log into your UVa Gmail account via the Web using the UVa Email Switchboard.
    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.
  2. Configure the email program on your computer using these IMAP/POP settings.
    • Note: Gmail’s Help provides detailed instructions for what value goes where in your email program. To view these, click Settings, then the tab for Forwarding and POP/IMAP, and then Configuration Instructions link. Select the instructions for your email program, inserting the IMAP/POP settings in the appropriate places, and follow all the steps provided—some email programs require port settings, and Gmail Help has the correct values for these.

UVa Microsoft Windows Live users: To configure your email program to use POP with your UVa Microsoft Windows Live@edu account, insert these POP settings in your email program. Live users can also manage their email and contacts via Outlook by installing Outlook Connector, a free software download from Microsoft.

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 (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 after you graduate and become an alum, you must 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.
Can alumni get a UVa email account with one of the private vendors?
Alumni in the class of 2006 and beyond are already using UVa Gmail. Alumni in the classes of 2005 and before (previously using the forwarding-only email service) may now take advantage of Vmail, a UVa email account provided by Google for life. These Vmail accounts use the suffix “@alumni.virginia.edu,” just like the old forwarding system, but Vmail accounts are not forwarding accounts. They are actual email accounts, accessed via the Web like any Google Gmail account. For more details, see the HoosOnline information on alumni email.

About UVa Student/Alumni Email

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 can 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 more 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 are now able to keep their UVa email address, messages, and folders for life. After they graduate, they can still keep their University email account—something the University alone would not have the resources to provide.
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 do I choose which vendor is right for me?
Read about the services provided by each service provider (see Gmail with Google Apps and Microsoft Windows Live@edu) to see what is a good fit for you; current students may feel free to request an account with both vendors, if you like.
Can I have an account with both vendors?

Current students may choose to have a UVa email account with both Microsoft and Google. Simply go to the Email Accounts page and request an account with the other vendor, if you so desire. Then you will want to use the UVa Email Address Management System to control how your email is routed to both accounts.

Can I switch vendors?
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.
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

I don’t know how to change my settings/import contacts into my address book/set up forwarding/configure my mobile device, etc. Where can I get help for this?
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 question there. ITC provides basic IMAP/POP settings and the ITC 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.
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 or just Microsoft Windows Live Hotmail?
UVa’s current contract with Microsoft is for Microsoft Live Hotmail, as Exchange Labs was not in production when the contract was signed. ITC is open to consideration of moving to Exchange Labs after it has matured.
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.

© 2009 by the Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia.

The information contained on the University of Virginia’s Department of Information Technology and Communication (ITC) website is provided as a public service with the understanding that ITC 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.