FAQ: Email Forwarding Discontinuance

General Questions

  1. Why is the email forwarding service being discontinued?
    The University’s Office of Information Technology (OIT) has determined that due to increased security measures, email servers are no longer reliably delivering email to inboxes when email forwarding is enabled. 
     
  2. If I have an email forwarding address, what options do I have?
    Because of current and anticipated future issues with email deliverability, the University will discontinue email forwarding and offer alumni a free Google account, with a Gmail inbox, or offer the opportunity for alumni to update their preferred email address on record with the University by emailing Alumni Records.
     
  3. Do I need to make a change to my email if I’m not experiencing any problems?
    Yes. While you may not be currently experiencing any issues, OIT has said that it’s only a matter of time that forwarded emails won’t be delivered to your inbox because of security issues of email providers.
     
  4. Can I keep my Princeton email address?
    Yes! You may keep your existing @alumni.princeton.edu email address by establishing a free alumni Google account where you can access your emails and use other features with a storage limit of 22GB.
     
  5. How much longer can I continue to use email forwarding?
    The email forwarding service will no longer be available on June 30, 2024. We recommend that alumni with email forwarding either establish a free alumni Google account or update Alumni Records with your preferred email as soon as possible to ensure email deliverability.
     
  6. What happens if I take no action by June 30, 2024?
    If you do not take any action by June 30, 2024, your email forwarding will be turned off and Alumni Records will attempt to identify another email address in your University record, or you will no longer have a valid email address with the University.
     
  7. Where can I learn more about email forwarding discontinuance?
    Read more about email forwarding here

Creating a Free Alumni Google Account

  1. What are the features of an alumni Google account?
    Alumni Google accounts are offered to graduating students and all alumni to manage emails, customized with Princeton University branding. Your free alumni Google account will include a Gmail inbox where you may access all emails sent to your @alumni.princeton.edu email address. You will also have access to tools like Google Drive and Google Photos, with 22GB of storage, to store files and images.
     
  2. Can I change my alumni email address?
    Because alumni Google accounts are created based on your TigerNet ID, making any change would require you to first change your TigerNet ID. TigerNet IDs can only be changed for compelling reasons, such as a legal name change or security concerns. If you feel you have a compelling reason to request a TigerNet ID change, please email tigernet@princeton.edu.
     
  3. How long does it take to establish an alumni Google account, and how soon can I start using it?
    You can establish your alumni Google account by completing this self-service form. Please note that you will need your TigerNet log-in credentials to advance through the form. Once you complete this process, which should only take a few minutes, you will receive two notifications from the Office of Information Technology confirming that your account has been established and is ready to use.
     
  4. I can’t find my confirmation email. What do I do?
    Please check your spam or junk folder (in the inbox of the email address you entered on the account creation form) in case the confirmation email was mistakenly filtered there. If you cannot find it, you can access Google’s account recovery and use the recovery email address you entered on the account creation form to access your account.
    If you need support during the Google account creation process or any assistance signing into your new Google account for the first time, please email the OIT Service Desk at servicedesk@princeton.edu. The Service Desk may ask you to confirm your identity by showing a form of personal identification.
     
  5. Can I set up my alumni Google account on the Google app so that my emails appear alongside emails from my personal Google account? 
    This support article provided by Google provides instructions for how to sign into multiple Google accounts at once.

Changing Your Preferred Email

  1. I don’t want to create a free alumni Google account. What are my options?
    You can email Alumni Records to provide your preferred email address, and your email forwarding service will be turned off. 
     
  2. If I change my email to a preferred email address now, but change my mind in the future, will I be able to set up a Google account then?
    Yes! Because alumni Google accounts are created based on your TigerNet ID (following the naming convention TigerNetID@alumni.princeton.edu), you may establish your account anytime in the future.