Basic Information
After you graduate, automatic changes are made to your Office 365 account, including OneDrive and installed applications.
Under our license agreement with Microsoft, once you graduate the type of license that is assigned to your account changes from a "student" license to an "alumni" license. Under the alumni license you will no longer have access to the full Microsoft Office 365 subscription; however your WesternU email account will remain indefinitely.
The below sections will outline the different services, and how they change after you graduate
Email
Student email accounts are left open indefinitely, including all contacts and previous calender and email items in your account. This means you will be able to send and receive emails from your @westernu.edu account.
Your email will remain accessible in a web browser at https://go.westernu.edu, and can still be used in the email applications such as Mac Mail, and Windows Mail.
As an alumnus, you can retain your westernu.edu email address for life. After graduation if there is no email account activity for 1 year plus 30 days, the alumni email account may be deleted.
OneDrive
If you are using your OneDrive to store files, you will lose access to them 90 days after you graduate. If you wish to keep the files, it is recommended to migrate the files to a different OneDrive account, or download them locally for use.
If you wish to download all your files to store them on your computer or flash drive, it is recomended to sync your OneDrive for Business account, and then the files can be transferred to your location of choice. Please see the link below for instructions on syncing your OneDrive:
Sync files with OneDrive in Windows
Sync files with OneDrive on Mac OS X
OneNote Notebooks
Unfortunately, there is no longer a way to store OneNote Notebooks as a file on a computer, and all notebooks must be saved to a OneDrive account. Notebooks can be copied by creating a notebook inside your personal account, and individually copying the sections or pages into that notebook (Right-Click > Move/Copy > (select new notebook) > Copy). Once the new notebook has been synced with your copied notes, they can be safely accessed this way after your graduation. Please note that you must have enough space on your Personal OneDrive or the Notebooks will not copy or sync properly.
If you wish to keep a local file of your Notebooks, you can save them as PDF files. This process is best done from the web version of OneNote, and instructions can be found at the link below:
Export notes as a PDF in OneNote for the web
Office Installations
If you have installed Microsoft Office 365 and used your WesternU login to license the software, the license will expire 90 days after graduation. The programs will stay on your device, but you will lose functionality until a new account with an active license is signed in.
If you wish to purchase Office 365, you can do so using the link below:
Please Note: Do not create a personal account with your WesternU email address, as the Microsoft Office system may be unable to see your license, please use an existing personal Microsoft account or create a new Microsoft Account.
Buy Office 365
Google Drive
All access to Google Services will be cut off at the time of your account migration to alumni. It is recommended to back up any and all items in your Google Drive to ensure that nothing important is lost.
Library Services
After your graduation, you will lose access to the Pumerantz Library and their online resources. To learn about services available from the Pumerantz Library after graduation, please watch the Pumerantz Library Alumni Services tutorial or reach out to reference@westernu.edu.
Other Licensed Software
Other software licensed through your WesternU email address will become inaccessible 30 days after graduation. This includes programs such as EndNote, ExamSoft/Examplify, Tophat, Zoom, Qualtrics, and all LMS systems such as Elentra, Canvas, and Mediasite.