WOU Account Lifecycle Policy
WOU Alumni (Students who have graduated from WOU)
Network Login & Drives: Deleted after 2 years (from graduation)
Email: Deleted after 5 years of inactivity
In essence, WOU graduates can have their email account forever — but only so long as they continue to use it.
WOU Withdrawn Students (Accepted students who left the University without graduating)
Network Login & Drives: Deleted after 2 years (from last record of academic activity*)
Email: Deleted after 2 years (from last record of academic activity*)
* “Academic activity” means registering for a course, submitting an application for admission, or getting student status set to active. We check this at the end of every spring and fall term. At that time, if you have had no academic activity for two years, you’ll be notified by email that your account will be deleted in a month. You’ll receive a second notification email a week before the account is deleted.
WOU Staff & Non-Emeritus Faculty
Network Login & Drives: Deleted immediately
Email: Deleted immediately
WOU Retired Staff
Network Login & Drives: Deleted immediately
Email: Email for life.
WOU Emeritus Faculty (Tenured faculty who have retired)
Network Login & Drives: No changes
Email: Email for life.
NOTE
We do not recommend using WOU Gmail accounts as password recovery addresses on other sites or for any similar purpose. Should your WOU Gmail account be deleted according to the above policy, you may not be able to recover/reset passwords on those other sites. It is better to use a personal email account for such things, and either forward that account to your WOU account, or else forward your WOU account to it.
