Email & Mailing Updates
Email is SDSU's official form of student communication, as stated on page 148 of the SDSU Senate Policy. Admitted students will be issued an SDSUid once they are accepted and express intent to attend. Visiting students, such as those enrolling via cross enrollment, Open University, or a foreign exchange program, will be issued an SDSUid upon enrollment in a course at SDSU. Your SDSUid will also serve as your login to many campus systems, as well as your campus email. SDSU will begin sending all official communication to your campus email as soon as your SDSUid has been issued. The expectation as an admitted or attending student is that you are checking your official SDSU email address regularly in order to stay current with university communications.
Alumni will retain their campus email for 365 days after graduating. Students who stop attending, but do not earn a degree, will retain their SDSUid for 90 days after the final day of the last enrolled semester. After your SDSUid is deactivated, you will no longer have access to your campus email and any future communication from the University will be sent to your personal email. It is important that you keep your personal email and mailing address current with us. To verify or update the email and mailing address we have on file, use the SDSU WebPortal and select the Email & Address link. If you are a student employee of Aztec Shops, Associated Students, Foundation or the University, you must also visit your respective Human Resources or Payroll office to officially change your address in their records.
Additional information about SDSUid is available on the SDSU Information Technology website. The Library Computing Hub is available to assist students with their SDSU email. Further, these two websites also contain valuable information on Google Workspace for Students as well as FAQs.
Student Email Address Use Policy and Procedures
Student Email Address Use Policy
Approved by the San Diego State University Senate on May 5, 2020.
1.0 University Responsibility
1.1. The university shall provide each student with an email account to use as their official email. As of July 2020, the SDSU student standard for email, productivity and collaboration tools shall be the Google Suite for all existing and future students.
1.2. Email shall be an official means of communication with San Diego State University students.
1.3. A student's official email address shall be retained as part of the student's record. Official email addresses shall be designated as directory information under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974.
1.4.All use of official email addresses shall be consistent with FERPA and other applicable state and federal laws.
1.5. Official email addresses shall be used by university staff and faculty for communications that meet the academic and administrative needs of the university. Official email addresses shall not be used for external solicitations.
1.6. Official email addresses shall not be used for notification of service or notice of nonuniversity legal processes or proceedings.*
1.7 If a student wishes to forward their official email to a non-San Diego State University email address, or use a third-party email service other than Gmail to manage their official email (e.g., MS Outlook, Mac Mail, etc.) they may do so, but the student shall assume all risks associated with the delivery of these communications. The University is unable to secure third-party email services. Students should understand that forwarding their email or using a third-party email service other than Gmail presents risks to the security and privacy of this data that SDSU is unable to control.
1.8 The University shall ensure that students are made aware of the Student Official Email Address Use Policy and of their responsibilities under this policy.*
2.0 Student Responsibility
2.1 It is the responsibility of the student to ensure their official email address is functional and able to receive email from San Diego State University. "Mailbox full," "user unknown" or spam blockers are not acceptable reasons for missing university messages.
2.2 Each admitted and matriculated student shall be responsible for checking their official email address in order to stay current with university communications. Students shall be expected to check their official email at least once per day during the academic term, as well as once per week during the three-week periods preceding and following the academic term.*
*Approved at the May 5, 2020 Senate meeting.
Student Email Address Operational Procedures
- Each student is expected to check their SDSU issued email address regularly.
- Email messages must not include information that is considered confidential or sensitive based on the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Confidential or sensitive information may be given to students through a secure means (e.g. SDSU WebPortal Message Center, a password-protected encrypted Web site). For more information refer to:
- Email messages must not include Social Security Numbers (SSN). If a student replies to a message with their SSN included in the reply, the SSN must be removed when responding to or forwarding the message.
- The University reserves the right to perform broadcast mailings to students related to emergencies and University physical plant conditions or activities for which urgent notice is required that will potentially affect most of the students.
- All university emails to students must be requested through Enrollment Services, or sent through an email system, which is managed by Strategic Communications and Public Affairs (Stratcomm). Departments may request to send an email message to students through Enrollment Services if they do not currently utilize the email system, Marketo, managed by Stratcomm or if the requested email needs to be sent to all current students (and not a select group of students). Departments wishing to use Marketo to send emails to students will need to have access to their own student data and will be tasked with managing their own email sends. Requests to send campus-wide student emails need to be submitted to Enrollment Services using the form listed below. For more information about Marketo please visit the Marketo Intranet website.
- Email messages to students from departments, colleges, and other campus units are considered official and must relate to official University business. Every effort should be made to limit the number of emails and combine multiple messages so as not to overwhelm the students with too much email and may be considered "spam." The WebPortal Message Center should be used for messages containing confidential or sensitive information. Non-academic areas may send messages to students by submitting a Student Email & WebPortal Message Request.