Email, Messaging, & Video Calls Email How to Get an .Edu Email Account You don't necessarily need to be a current student to qualify by Aaron Peters Writer Aaron Peters is a writer with Lifewire who has 20+ years experience in technology. His work appears in Linux Journal, MakeUseOf, and others. our editorial process Twitter LinkedIn Aaron Peters Updated on April 23, 2020 reviewed by Ryan Perian Lifewire Tech Review Board Member Ryan Perian is a certified IT specialist who holds numerous IT certifications and has 12+ years' experience working in the IT industry support and management positions. our review board Article reviewed on Oct 15, 2020 Ryan Perian The Ultimate Guide to Online Learning at Home The Ultimate Guide to Online Learning at Home Introduction Babies & Pre-K Baby Sign Language Free Resources The Best Educational YouTube Videos for Toddlers The 5 Best Free iPad Apps for Toddlers Must-Have Apps for Kids Under 5 The 10 Best Kid Coloring Apps of 2020 11 Best Places To Play Free Preschool Games Elementary Age Learners Popular Apps for Elementary School Children Ages 5-8 The Best Educational Apps for the iPad The 4 Best Online Flashcards of 2020 14 Best Free Language Learning Websites of 2020 7 Free Programming Languages to Teach Kids How to Code Stream Free Educational Videos at TeacherTube Middle Schoolers & Young Teens The 6 Best Free Language Learning Apps of 2020 11 Best Free Typing Lessons for Kids The 21 Best Educational YouTube Channels for Kids The 10 Best Learning Apps of 2020 10 of the Most Popular Science and Education YouTube Channels The 6 Best Homework Apps to Help Students High Schoolers & Teens Best Apps for Your High Schooler Best Speed Reading Apps Best Apple TV Learning Apps Best Websites for Students 8 Best Note-Taking Apps PowerPoint Presentation Tips for Students College & Adult Learners The Best Research and Reference Websites Free Online Classes for Adults Guide to Taking Free Coursera Courses Best Ways to Find Free Online College Courses Online Music Lessons The Best Online Piano Lessons of 2020 The Best Online Drum Lessons of 2020 The Best Online Guitar Lessons of 2020 Free Online Learning Resources for All Ages Best Sites to Get Free Software for Students How to Get an Apple Student Discount How to Get a Microsoft Store Student Discount Students and Teachers Get Microsoft Office for Free How to Get a Dell Student Discount How to Get an HP Student Discount How to Get the Best Buy Student Discount How to Get an .Edu Email Account Tweet Share Email The .edu address is reserved for educational institutions, and it's common for people to have one of these addresses in addition to a personal address. They're issued by schools from elementary all the way through graduate school. Let's explore why you might want to get one of these for yourself, and how to go about it. Why Consider a .edu Email Address? Why should someone use a .edu address over a single, personal address? There are a couple of reasons you might want to. It's Required First, you're required to have one, because you're a current student of that particular school. These accounts are important for students because they're one of the main ways to receive communications from the school regarding classes, registration, etc. Students are also likely to use this account to turn in assignments. Alternatively, if you're a teacher, or another member of the administrative staff, this is effectively your work email. More Professional If you like your personal email to be fun, you can use a .edu address when you need to send emails in a more professional context. For example, using this address for job hunting can let recruiters know upfront where you went to school, and it creates a better first impression than an email from "beerboy191@gmail.com." Additionally, like any other free email address, these can be useful to cut down on spam in your primary address. Discounts A valid .edu email address unlocks educational discounts on various products and services. Although these discounts usually require active enrollment, in many cases it's just the presence or absence of an .edu-branded address that authorizes the discount. How to Get a .edu Email Address If You're a Student or Staff Students and staff probably won't have to do anything at all. Once you begin your job as a teacher, or register for your first classes, you'll likely get an address issued to you. For staff, the account will be accessible for as long as you're with the institution. Students, in many cases, will have access to their account for life, or until it's left idle for a certain period of time after graduation. How to Get a .edu Email Address If You're Alumni Many schools make .edu addresses available to those who have graduated, and from the perspective of a basic email account, they'll serve just fine. If you want to get one of these accounts, the best place to start is by searching your school's alumni relations website. When a free .edu email address is one of the benefits they offer, it will probably say so front and center. If you can't find it there, consider giving the alumni relations office a quick call. The process may be as simple as submitting a form request to the school's IT department. You might be required to verify you were a student of the school by answering some basic questions. Common ones would be graduation year, student ID number, or Social Security number. It's likely you'll also be asked for an alternate email address for account recovery. After you're through the verification process, most systems will send you an invite to the school's email system. For cloud systems like Gmail or Microsoft Exchange, the enrollment process extends either a link allowing you to access the system or to set your initial password, or instructions on how to set up a mail client to connect to the school's servers. Features of .edu Email Addresses An .edu address operates just like any other email address you might have. However, there are a couple of caveats you may want to keep in mind: Email System: Just like a work account, you'll be stuck with whatever email system your school prefers. Some might use Gmail, Exchange, or on-premises mail servers requiring you to fetch mail through the old POP3 or IMAP protocols.Account Benefits: Alumni accounts may not have all the same benefits as a current student's account. For example, if your school uses your email account to sign you into other services, your alumni account may not get you into the school's Wi-Fi. Each institution offers different packages of benefits to alumni.Features: Alumni and .edu accounts may not have all the features of "regular" accounts either. For example, current students and staff must enjoy a decent amount of storage available for sending or receiving assignments, etc, but alumni accounts don't have the same requirement, at least from the school's point of view. Account Duration: Your alumni account might not be available forever. Email accounts take up resources that could otherwise be extended to current students. While most schools are happy to offer these to alumni, they'll be just as happy to take them back if they feel they aren't being used. If you sign up for one of these accounts, log in periodically so it doesn't look idle. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! 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