Student E-Mail Addresses

Rescinded: Student E-mail Addresses Policy

This policy was rescinded January 28, 2026 per confirmation with the Responsible Office.  Please review the Campus Online Activities Policy for information regarding the requirement that students have an email address. 

Responsible Executive

Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education

Chair, Student Systems Policy Committee

Responsible Office

Office of the Registrar

Contact

Office of the Registrar, (510) 642-2261

Issued

12/1/2004

Effective

12/1/2004

Revised
Supersedes
Rescinded 1/28/2026

Policy Summary

All University of California, Berkeley students must establish a berkeley.edu e-mail address. Students are responsible for keeping the address current and for regularly monitoring their e-mail for official communications from the University.

Who Is Affected by This Policy

Students

Who Administers This Policy

  • Office of Undergraduate Admissions
  • Office of the Registrar
  • Graduate Division
  • Information Systems and Technology

Why We Have This Policy

E-mail has become a standard means for sending official University communications. A berkeley.edu e-mail address for each student benefits the campus in the following ways:

  • It establishes a consistent, unified approach for official campus communications.
  • There are few, if any, returned messages.
  • It ensures that messages sent from campus departments are not rejected as “spam,” which can sometimes occur with campus messages sent to third-party e-mail services.
  • Students always know where to check for official notifications from the University.
  • With minimal effort, the e-mail accounts can be kept valid and current.

Responsibilities

Office of Undergraduate Admissions:

  • Provides information to newly-admitted undergraduate students about establishing berkeley.edu e-mail addresses.

Graduate Division:

  • Provides information to newly-admitted graduate students about establishing berkeley.edu e-mail addresses.

Office of the Registrar:

  • Notifies students of the berkeley.edu e-mail address requirement.

Information Systems and Technology:

  • Provides a means by which students can establish a berkeley.edu address, formally record it, indicate their choice regarding release of the address to the public, and update the address as needed.

Students:

  • Establish, formally record, and maintain an e-mail address in the berkeley.edu domain.
  • Regularly monitor e-mail received at their Berkeley.edu email address for official notifications from the University.

Procedures

Students may create a berkeley.edu e-mail account using CalMail or, if available, their college, school, or department e-mail server in the berkeley.edu domain. To create an e-mail account on CalMail, students may go to the Berkeley Internet Link at https://calmail.berkeley.edu:10100/. When updating an e-mail address, students must go to CalNet Directory Services at https://directory.berkeley.edu/update.

In protecting students’ privacy, e-mail addresses will be made available as directory information only when the release flag is checked.

Glossary

Directory Information: information contained in a student record that would not generally be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed. UC Berkeley designates the following types of information as directory information:

  • Student's name
  • Address (local, permanent, billing, e-mail)
  • Telephone number (local, permanent)
  • Date and place of birth
  • Major field of study
  • Dates of attendance
  • Class level (e.g., freshman, sophomore)
  • Enrollment status (e.g., undergraduate or graduate, full time or part time)
  • Number of course units in which enrolled
  • Degrees and honors received
  • Most recent previous educational institution attended
  • Participation in officially recognized activities, including intercollegiate athletics
  • Name, weight, and height of participants on intercollegiate athletic teams

E-Mail: Messages, usually text, sent from one person to another via computer.

Spam: Unsolicited bulk e-mail, usually advertising, sent to large numbers of people.

Student: An individual for whom UC Berkeley maintains student records and who: (a) is enrolled in or registered with a UC Berkeley academic program; (b) has completed the immediately preceding term, is not presently enrolled, and is eligible for re-enrollment; or (c) is on an approved educational leave or other approved leave status, or is on filing-fee status.

Related Documents

UC Berkeley Electronic Mail Policy

Policy Governing Disclosure of Information from Student Records, (will insert URL when policy becomes official)