Alumni Email Service FAQ - previous

General Questions

What is included with Berkeley’s Alumni Email Service?

Berkeley currently allows alumni to renew the active @berkeley.edu Google account they had as a former student, employee, or participant in a prior Alumni Email Service.  These accounts will be limited in July 2024 to only allow 5 GB of total storage (including all Gmail, Drive & Photos). More information about the limitations to the @berkeley.edu Google accounts provided to alumni can be found at Alumni Email Changes

Will the Alumni Email Service cost money and can I buy more storage?

No. Email services for alumni are currently funded by UC Berkeley as a privilege and limited benefit to alumni. There are no charges to alumni for using the alumni email service.  All UC Berkeley Google accounts provided to alumni will be limited to 5 GB of total storage.

Alumni can not purchase additional storage or use storage purchased directly from Google with their UC Berkeley Google accounts.

What address do I use to login when I renew?

  1. Enter the email address provided in the To: field of this message to login to Google
  2. Enter your CalNet ID and Passphrase when presented with the CalNet Authentication Service page.
    1. The part before the @ symbol in the To: field of this message is your CalNet ID
    2. You can Reset Passphrase(link is external) if you can no longer remember it.
  3. Check the Email(link is external) section of your Google profile to see all of your alternate email addresses.

Who is eligible to renew their @berkeley.edu Google account as an Alumni?

  1. Alumni who have an active berkeley.edu email account and an active CalNet ID and passphrase; and/or

  2. Recent graduates (whose grace period ended after September 2023) who are alumni or attendees of full-time UC Berkeley undergraduate or graduate degree programs with more than 12 completed course hours.

What can I use my @berkeley.edu Google account for and what should I avoid?

Many alumni value continued access to their berkeley.edu email address as a way to identify themselves as Berkeley graduates. Communicating between alumni and using it for job searches are two common ways alumni use their accounts.

Things to avoid:

  1. Sending unsolicited email (SPAM) - even in relatively small numbers, sending SPAM can get your account blocked by Google.  If your account is blocked, your account will be reviewed for abuse and can be subject to restrictions or revocation.

  2. Using as a login to other services - Signing up for and using your @berkeley.edu address for other consumer services should be avoided.  These include, but are not limited to, personal banking/financial accounts and personal subscriptions like Amazon or Netflix.

Please refer to the Alumni Email Service Level Agreement for the exhaustive list of alumni responsibilities including adherence to policies and prohibited conduct

Why is my @berkeley.edu Google account more limited than a free consumer Google account?

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

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

Is my @berkeley.edu Google account guaranteed for life?

No. Campus is committed to maintaining ways for alumni to stay engaged with Berkeley. We will continue to evaluate whether this service is an effective way of achieving that goal. The Alumni Email Service is provided as a privilege and is subject to additional changes.

I no longer need my @berkeley.edu Google account. What steps should I take? 

Please review Leaving UC Berkeley to take the necessary steps to ensure you have retained any personal information you require and that you have properly transferred any data to others as appropriate.  If you take no action, your account will be disabled and eventually deleted.

For current students & recent graduates

What do I need to do to keep my @berkeley.edu Google account when I graduate?

Existing alumni and graduates whose grace period ends before April 15, 2024 should follow instructions provided at Alumni Email Changes Graduates whose grace period ends after April 15, 2024 must complete the following steps before the end of their grace period to avoid any disruptions:

  1. Renew your alumni email account.

  2. Reduce your use of Google Storage to below 5GB.

What will happen if I don’t renew my @berkeley.edu Google account before the end of my grace period?

The @berkeley.edu Google accounts for eligible alumni who do not renew before the end of their grace period will be disabled.  Eligible alumni will be able to renew after their account is disabled but will need to claim it before October 15, 2024, or run the risk of it being deleted.

What will happen if I don’t reduce my @berkeley.edu Google account storage before the end of my grace period?

The @berkeley.edu Google accounts for eligible alumni who do not reduce their Google account storage to below 5 GB before the end of their grace period will lose the following capabilities: 

  • Gmail: You will be unable to send or receive messages outside of UC Berkeley. Messages sent to you from outside of UC Berkeley are returned to the sender.

  • Google Drive: You will be unable to sync or upload new files. You will be unable to create new files in Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings, Forms, and Jamboard. Until you reduce the amount of storage you use, neither you nor anyone else can edit or copy your affected files. Syncs stop between your computer's Google Drive folder and My Drive.

  • Google Photos: You will be unable to back up any photos or videos.

For alumni

Can Alumni who don’t have an active @berkeley.edu Google account still get one?

No. Only alumni with existing, active @berkeley.edu Google accounts are eligible to renew their service.

Can Alumni who don’t have an active CalNet ID and passphrase renew an @berkeley.edu Google account?

No. Only alumni with an active CalNet ID and passphrase can renew an @berkeley.edu Google account.

Will I be required to use 2-Step verification to login to my @berkeley.edu Google account?

Yes.  If you already have CalNet 2-Step verification using DUO, you will be required to continue using it.  Alumni who don’t yet have CalNet 2-Step will be contacted in late summer 2024 or early Fall 2024 with instructions on how to set up CalNet 2-Step.

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