How are student & alumni Google Accounts managed and closed after graduation

Purpose

This article provides instructions for handling the deprovisioning of Biola student Google accounts, including information on retention, contact updates, and data preservation

 

Introduction

Biola students will retain access to their biola.edu email account and Google drive for approximately 18 months after their last enrolled term or applicant term, with two exceptions:

  • F1 Visa International Students: International students will retain their biola.edu Google Workspace account for approximately 38 months after their final enrolled term.
  • 3+2 Engineering Students: These students will retain their Workspace account for approximately 38 months after their final enrolled term at Biola.

As an alumni, if you choose to re-apply for additional continuing education at the university prior to your scheduled deletion then your account will remain active.

For example, if a student graduates in Spring 2023 then their account will be deleted in Fall 2024. However, if they chose to apply for a graduate program in September 2024 but ultimately declined to enroll, then their account would remain active until Spring 2026.

Biola University will notify former students about their scheduled account deletion approximately 6 months prior to deletion, and again approximately 6 weeks prior to deletion.

Keep Your Contact Information Up To Date

Keeping your contact information up to date with Biola is very important, especially your personal email. This information is key if you want to access any Biola services in the future such as transcripts, information for taxes, the BiolaHub, or Library alumni benefits.

Please follow these steps to update your contact information on Biola's database:

  1. Go to myaccount.biola.edu.
  2. Log in with your NetID and password.
  3. Click on the Personal Information tab.
  4. Click Edit on any sections that you need to update, such as your personal email address.
  5. Click Update.

Biola University also sends regular communication to Alumni with news, events, and exclusive opportunities for alumni.

Upon graduation with withdrawal from the university, students are also encouraged to update their personal email address and contact information to stay connected with Biola University.

What do I do with my data?

You may either transfer your data to a personal Google account, or download your data to your personal computer. 

Option 1: Transfer Your Data to a Personal Google Account

  1. To ensure a clean transfer, go to myaccount.google.com in a private browser window and sign in with your Biola Google account.

  2. Click on Start Transfer.

  3. Enter your personal Google account email address, then click Send Code.

  4. Retrieve the code from your personal Google account in a non-private window.

  5. Enter your verification code and click Verify.

  6. Select the content to transfer and select Start Transfer.

  7. Verify your identity with the username and password for your Biola account.

For detailed instructions with screenshots, view our documentation here: Transfer Your Data to a Personal Google Account

Option 2: Download Your Data

  1. Log in to takeout.google.com with your Biola email account.

  2. Select the services for which you want to download data.

  3. Select the file type and size you would like to use for your download.

    • Note: Biola recommends 2GB .zip files for most cases.

  4. Click download.

For detailed instructions with screenshots, view Google's documentation here: How to download your Google data

Additional Resources

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