Quick Links: | Account Lifecycle | Graduation Checklist | Data Migration | Frequently Asked Questions |
Chico State Account Lifecycle
How long after graduation will my accounts remain active before deletion?
After 2 years of no active enrollment, the following accounts are disabled (you cannot log in, but data still exists):
- Microsoft 365 (email and OneDrive)
- Google Workspace
- Canvas
- Chico State Portal
After 3 years, all accounts are permanently deleted.
This applies unless you have another active affiliation with Chico State, such as employment or returning as an active student.
You can find the official Chico State E-Mail and Account Policy published in Executive Memorandum 23-019. This policy defines the security, privacy, ownership, guidelines, responsibilities, and usage expectations for all Chico State email account holders, including account access, retention, and deletion procedures.
Can I regain access to my account?
You can still recover your content if your account has not been disabled or permanently deleted. Follow the Data Migration for Microsoft, Google, & Misc. instructions below.
To regain access, you may need to reset the Chico State Portal password. You’ll need your Chico State ID number and username to do so. If you don't have this information, contact the Office of the Registrar. They can verify your identity and provide your account details.
Once signed in, you will be prompted to verify your login using the Duo Mobile app. We recommend keeping the app on your phone even after graduation. If you’ve changed your phone number or device, or deleted the app, visit Enrolling in Multifactor Authentication (Duo) for assistance.
If you are unable to log in, please contact IT Support Services. You can find our phone number and hours on the IT Support Client Portal. We can assist with Duo issues, password resets, locked accounts, and other login problems.
Graduation Checklist
Below are recommended actions before you leave Chico State and lose access to your account:
Set Up an Alternative Email and Enable Auto-Reply
After you leave Chico State, your university email will be permanently deleted, and email forwarding is not available. We strongly recommend setting up a professional email address and updating your contact information before your account is deactivated.
- Create a professional alternative email address, if you don’t have one already. Sign up with a reliable provider like Gmail, Yahoo!, or Outlook.
- Choose a simple, professional username (e.g., firstname.lastname@email.com). If your name is common, try slight variations. Avoid casual or overly complex usernames (e.g., soccerfan2000@email.com or john.smith5873159@email.com).
- Update your email address on important accounts still using your Chico State email as a main contact or backup/recovery email.
- This could include services such as streaming services (e.g., Netflix, Spotify), professional networking (e.g., LinkedIn, job applications), medical or legal documents, financial institutions (e.g., banking, FAFSA), or secondary/recovery email addresses for other email accounts.
- If you don't do this, you could lose access to those services when your Chico State account is deleted.
- Notify important contacts of your new email address.
- This could include professors, colleagues, or classmates that you want to keep in contact with post-graduation.
- Set up an auto-reply on your Chico State email to inform contacts of your new personal email. You can find instructions for setting this up in Microsoft's article on how to set up auto-reply.
- The auto-reply could be something like this:
Hello!
Thank you for contacting me! I graduated from Chico State and no longer use this email account. Please contact me at [your new email] for any future correspondence.
Thank you!
[Your name]
Return Any Loaned Equipment
If you’ve borrowed equipment, such as a loaner laptop from the Center for Technology Equity (CTE) or another department, be sure to return it before leaving.
CTE Loaner Laptops are due (with the charging cable) on the Friday of the last week of the semester. You can drop the laptop (with the charging cable) off any time during business hours in Meriam Library 163.
Remote or online students should use the provided laptop box with a prepaid return label to mail back the device and charging cable. If you didn’t receive a return box, contact the Center for Technology Equity (CTE) to arrange a return.
Unreturned equipment may result in account holds, preventing you from receiving your diploma or enrolling in future courses, and could lead to other disciplinary actions.
Withdraw from Direct Deposit
Before leaving Chico State, it’s important to withdraw your direct deposit account information from the university system. Keeping banking details on file poses a security risk, especially if your account is ever compromised.
You can withdraw from direct deposit using the following process:
- Navigate to Student Center. You can do this using the link in the Chico State Portal.
- In the left sidebar, scroll to Financials and click Enroll in e-Refund.
- Click the Withdraw from Direct Deposit option to the right of "Account Type".
- Confirm that you want to withdraw by clicking OK.
You can find a more detailed walkthrough in our article about Enrolling or Withdrawing from e-Refund Direct Deposit.
Data Migration for Microsoft, Google, & More
Before graduating from Chico State, it’s essential to migrate important files, emails, and projects from your university accounts. Once your account is permanently deleted, all access to emails, documents, and stored data will be permanently lost.
Microsoft Outlook & OneDrive
Use Microsoft's instructions on how to back up your email to ensure you don’t lose important communications from your Chico State account. You can also back up your contacts to keep valuable information for professors, colleagues, or professional connections.
Use Microsoft's instructions to transfer your OneDrive files to your personal OneDrive account to keep important documents accessible. You can also download files and folders from OneDrive or SharePoint to save them directly to your computer or external storage.
Google Workspace
Transfer Google Data to Another Account to ensure you don’t lose important data from your Chico State account. This helps you keep access to your documents and other valuable information after graduation.
Canvas
Canvas allows you to download a copy of your active courses, though you'll need to reach out to your instructors for exports of your past courses. You can also download an archive of your submitted work. Note that this archive only includes any files that were submitted to fulfill an assignment and does not include instructor annotations.
Assignments submitted on paper or through external homework platforms like McGraw-Hill, Turnitin, or Poll Everywhere will not be included.
Adobe Creative Cloud
Use Adobe’s asset transfer guide to migrate your content and ensure you don’t lose important files from your Chico State account. Since Chico State provides a CSU Enterprise account (different from an Adobe ID), some Adobe migration tools may not work as expected.
ChatGPT Edu
Important: Once your account has been deactivated, it cannot be reactivated unless you return to Chico State with an active affiliation. There is no guarantee that your chats will be preserved from a previous affiliation. Back up your data before you graduate or within one week after the end of the term.
There is no official way to migrate ChatGPT data due to restrictions on EDU and enterprise accounts. If you need to keep your data, you can:
- Ask the chat to generate a full summary of the conversation. For example: “Please give me a full, descriptive summary of this chat's history so that I can recreate it in a new ChatGPT account. Provide the summary in a block so that I can easily copy and paste it.”
- Copy and paste the full transcript of the chat history into a Word document or Google Doc.
- Download any generated images or files to your personal device.
Some third-party browser extensions claim to export ChatGPT data, but they are often unreliable and are not recommended.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I access my transcripts after graduation?
If you are currently enrolled or graduated within the past 2 years, you can access your Unofficial Transcripts through Student Center.
If it has been more than 2 years since you graduated, you no longer have access to the Student Center. You can request an unofficial transcript through the Office of the Registrar. Requests must be ordered and picked up in person at the Student Services Center, room 110.
You may also order an official transcript through the National Student Clearinghouse.
Still need help? Contact IT Support Services for further assistance.
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