Account Termination Reference Guide

Your University account grants you access to systems and services while you are attending classes at or employed by the University of Minnesota. 

When you graduate or leave the University (employment ends, transfer to another institution, etc.) your access to services will end and/or be reevaluated. 

If you have more than one affiliation with the University (e.g., if you are both an employee and a student) please refer to the guidance provided for your primary affiliation below. 

This reference guide will outline access to some of the common systems and services made available to people, depending on their type of University account.

Please note: This guide is not comprehensive. If you have questions about access to specific services or systems, please contact your departmental IT unit or the University's Technology Help service desk. 

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Faculty, Staff, and Person of Interest (POI) Accounts

Faculty, Staff, and Person of Interest (POI) Account Holders Who Voluntarily Leave or Who Are Terminated

Immediate Access Termination

Access is removed immediately for the following applications and services.

21 Days after Departure/Termination

Access is retained up to 21 days for the following applications or services.

  • Google Workspace (Google Apps)
    • Departing/terminated faculty and staff may retain access to their Google Workspace accounts for up to 21 days after the termination date. This determination is made by the unit and departmental human resources representative.
    • The departing faculty/staff member must transfer shared documents and websites that pertain to current business processes. This may include tasks such as transferring ownership of all business-related documents to a currently-employed faculty or staff member within their work unit.
6 weeks after Departure/Termination

Access is retained for six weeks for the following applications or services.

  • MyU
    • Includes access to tax, employment, and student records.

Tenured Faculty who Retire

Immediate Access Termination

Access is removed immediately for the following applications and services.

Access Retained if Account is Accessed Yearly

Access is retained if the account is accessed at least once a year.

  • Google Workspace
    • The departing tenured faculty member and their work unit must transfer any shared documents and websites that pertain to current business processes. This may include transferring ownership of all business-related documents to a current staff member within their unit.
    • The retired tenured faculty will retain lifetime access to the account. The account must be accessed at least once a year.
    • Staff (non-tenured faculty) follow the 21-day departure/termination process.
Access Retained
  • Access to MyU is retained.

Student Accounts

Former Student: Degree holder

Once you graduate from the University, your access to several systems at the University will change.

Immediate Access Removal

Access is removed immediately for the following applications and services.

Access Retained

Access is retained for the following applications.

  • Google Workspace
    • Students who have received a degree will retain access to their University email account (Gmail), as long as it is used at least once per year.
    • After one year of inactivity, the account is disabled.
    • Once disabled, all google content will be deleted after 90 days.  After this time period, this content is not recoverable.
    • You may request that your google account be reactivated by contacting Technology Help.

Former Student: Non-Degree Holder

For students who have not received a degree, access is removed if you fail to register for classes for the incoming semester. 

Immediate Access Removal

Access is removed immediately for the following applications or services.

Access Retained, by Request
  • MyU   
    • Students who will not be registered for courses, but need to retain access for academic reasons, such as academic leave of absence, should contact One Stop Student Services.

Alumni Accounts

Alumni accounts that do not have degrees associated with them (such as accounts created for University of Minnesota Alumni Association memberships) do not have a University of Minnesota email address or access to University resources or databases.

Departmental Accounts

Departmental accounts will have a lifespan of up to one year and will be disabled upon the designated expiration date. It is the responsibility of the Departmental organizer or departmental contacts to

  • expire the account if it is no longer needed prior to the expiration date.
    • When a departmental account is no longer needed, please contact Technology Help. We will need to verify the departmental account and who is calling before performing any changes. 
  • renew your account annually to continue to use the account.
    • Departmental account contacts will be notified by email before the account is set to expire. To ensure that these notifications are received, keep your contact information up to date. 

If an account is expired, access will be terminated to all applications or services.

Manage a Departmental Account

Refer to: Update Access to University Departmental Account.

Sponsored Accounts

Sponsored User Leaves the University or Is Terminated

Sponsored accounts will have a lifespan of up to one year and will be terminated upon the designated departure date (expiration date). It is the responsibility of the sponsor to

  • expire the account if the relationship ends prior to the designated departure date; or
  • extend the departure date if desired to be over one year.

After a sponsored account is expired, no access will be provided to any systems or services.

Manage a Sponsored Account

Refer to: Accounts: Manage a University Sponsored Account

Guest Accounts

  • Accounts will have a lifespan of up to one year with the option that it can be renewed annually.
  • After a Guest account is expired, access will be terminated to non-credit registration systems, off-campus housing listing services, or any other systems or services.

Manage your Guest Account

You can manage your guest account by visiting http://my-account.umn.edu

The My Account page allows you to:

  • Change your password
  • Set up password reset questions
  • Update your contact information

Parent/Guest Accounts

A Parent/Guest account allows a student to grant access to protected financial and academic information such as viewing grades, financial aid, account summary, and billing information. The student initiates an invitation to the parent or third-party individual to create a proxy account.

  • The owning student may rescind the parent/guest account if it is no longer needed or desired.
  • Account is automatically removed if student graduates or is no longer a student at the University.

Please contact Technology Help for help with terminating parent/guest accounts.

    Functional Accounts

    A Functional Account is an account type intended for non-person accounts that are needed to accomplish tasks. Some example use cases may include automated testing, integration, nightly batch jobs, or email collectors. Functional accounts do not represent a human person such as a contractor, staff member, or volunteer, are not interchangeable with University Departments, University Student Organizations, and are not a type of Guest Account.

    • expire the account if it is no longer needed prior to the expiration date.
      • When a functional account is no longer needed, please use the TDX form for account modification to indicate an account is no longer needed.

    • renew your account annually to continue to use the account.
      • Functional account owners will be notified by email before the account is set to expire. To ensure that these notifications are received, keep your contact information up to date.

    If an account is expired, access will be terminated to all applications or services.