Google recently began charging universities for the use of mail and storage. This was a surprise – and a disappointment – to Clemson and the rest of the higher education community, as it represented a sudden and significant change to the cost equation. Clemson is moving away from using Google services for incoming students and will migrate current students to a platform where we have better control of costs and security over the next few years. While one might be tempted to focus on this element – cost – as the reasoning, it was only a part of our decision.

In today’s world, one of the main drivers for Clemson and all universities is minimizing and mitigating risk, so our actions concerning abandoning Gmail are primarily rooted in this. Risk has many aspects, including reputational risk and having accounts which appear to be related to Clemson from individuals not directly and currently part of our campus community exposes the university to the potential of misuse. We must take action to protect the institution and its community – students, faculty, and staff.

These important factors led us to implement a new Email Policy recently, and the move away from Google as a primary email offering, including the cessation of alumni service, is aligned with that policy. We understand this is a significant change, so we’ve provided as much advance notification as possible so that alumni can make alternate arrangements for your email and file storage services. We know it is an inconvenience, but it is hoped this background offers better understanding of the extensive reasoning behind this decision.

Clemson recently enacted a new Email Policy that impacts alumni g.clemson.edu accounts in response to risk mitigation and Google’s university account changes eliminating free unlimited storage. These changes mean alumni before 2023 will have their entire Google Workspace accounts deleted in May 2024. It is imperative that you take action now. Alumni from 2023 on will retain access to their Google Workspace accounts one year following graduation, and then their accounts will be removed.

Action items:

• Update ALL locations where you use your g.clemson.edu email address as you will stop receiving new emails or verification notices when trying to change account information a few days following February 5, 2024.
• Log into your Drive and delete files you do not wish to keep. This saves time and reduces the size of your exports. You will not have file upload abilities starting on February 5.
• Use the Google Takeout service to download your files from Google Workspace. For easier and more convenient transfer, make your own personal Google account and migrate files there. Visit this link to learn more about which files can be moved with this service.
• Remember to change your email address with the Clemson Alumni Association to stay connected with all things Clemson.

Email
Per Clemson’s Email Policy introduced in Spring 2023, graduates will have access to their Clemson email for one year following graduation. This new policy applies to students graduating in May 2023 and beyond.

Storage
Graduates will have access to their Clemson Google Drive for one year following graduation. We recommend you move your Google Drive files to another cloud storage service or personal Google Drive account in preparation for the closure of your Clemson Google account after one year. You can use Google Takeout to export your Google account data if you wish to store it elsewhere, or you can use the transfer service if you plan to move it to another Google account.

Email & Storage

On February 5, 2024, former faculty and staff Google Workspace accounts will be set to 0 GB, meaning you will only have access to files to remove or migrate them elsewhere. In the days following February 5, emails will no longer be sent or received. In May 2024, your Google Workspace account will be removed. You will lose all files or emails in the account if you chose not to move them and they will not be recoverable. Former faculty and staff are encouraged to take action now, using the Google Takeout tool or export to another Google account.

Email
Eventually, all current faculty and staff using @g.clemson.edu email addresses will be migrated to @clemson.edu addresses with Microsoft Exchange. Employees should consider setting up their Exchange email accounts when convenient prior to the migration deadline, to be announced at a later date.

Once these changes are made, faculty, staff and current students will still have access to other Google services, such as Google Drive. At this time, Clemson is only transitioning away from Google Mail for current faculty and staff, and the rest of Google Workspace will remain accessible.

As a new student, you will automatically receive a Microsoft Exchange Online mailbox. The creation process for this mailbox starts when you are accepted, so it may not be ready if you quickly complete the onboarding process.

Before you begin:

• DUO Mobile is required for Outlook accounts as well. It is important to ensure you have DUO enabled on your device(s). Learn more about setting up DUO Mobile here.

 To access your email account for the first time:

• Visit https://365.clemson.edu
• Your username will be your full Clemson username plus @clemson.edu. (Ex: tiger@clemson.edu)
• Your password will be the same one you previously set during onboarding.
• After signing into the Microsoft 365 portal, you can click the Outlook app to open your email. If the Outlook app is not available, creation of your mailbox has not yet finished. Please wait and try again later.

Like previous students, you have also been given a Google Workspace for Education account, but Gmail has been disabled. 

To access your Google Account for the first time:

• Visit https://g.clemson.edu
• Login with Clemson Username
• The default password will be “cu##” followed by the last four numbers of your social security number (i.e. cu##1234).
• You will be prompted to change the password. This password will apply to Google Apps only and you will need to remember it separately.

For more detailed information, please see our New to CU Email Guide.

Why are these changes happening?
See the Background section of this page.

Who is impacted by these changes?
The good news is that most active students, faculty and staff will have little to no impact from this project, and users should still be able to complete their day-to-day tasks. The largest change affects Clemson alumni. Starting in May 2024, alumni will no longer have access to Google Workspace, including Mail and Drive.

Can I transfer my emails and files to another Google account?
Yes, you can use Google Takeout to export your Google account data if you wish to store it elsewhere, or you can use the transfer service if you plan to move it to another Google account.

Can I pay Clemson to keep my account?
It is not possible to pay to keep your account. It is possible to pay for your own Google account storage if it exceeds the free amount specified by Google.

Wasn’t this communicated a few years ago and nothing happened?
We recognize that we communicated changes to Google Workspace in the past. However, various circumstances delayed our timeline until now. These changes are happening, so we encourage you to act now.

What if I need to store a large amount of data for my research?
If researchers believe they need more storage than the allotted amount on Google Workspace for their data (to be determined at a future date), they should request a Palmetto HPC account. All Clemson researchers can use and receive training on the Palmetto Cluster for free.

If you have any other questions or need more assistance, contact the CCIT Support Center at ithelp@clemson.edu or (864)656-3494. We are happy to help you in this process. Thank you for your continued support of Clemson University and for your help as we continue making Clemson even more secure.