Student Email Frequently Asked Questions

Am I eligible for an UMass Lowell Office 365 Exchange Online student email account?

Any active UMass Lowell undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education student is eligible for an Exchange Online email account.

What features are included with my email account?

Students have access to the following: 

  • Email with up to 25 gigabyte (GB) of storage 
  • Outlook Calendar and contacts 
  • Mobile features 
  • OneDrive Cloud Storage

The email, calendar and contacts features are supported by the UMass Lowell Information Technology Service Desk. There is limited support for other features, such as access to SkyDrive, since Office 365 is a free service provided by Microsoft. Information Technology is not responsible for any lost data when using these programs. Microsoft Help can be found at Outlook Help

How large is my email quota (storage space)?

Exchange Online currently provides each student with 25 GB of storage for email and calendar content. Your email quota cannot be increased.

How do I access my UMass Lowell Office 365 Exchange Online student email account?

You can access your Exchange Online student email account from any web browser by going to the Exchange Online login page.

What is my email password?

If you are accessing your email account for the first time, your initial password follows this format: Riverhawk12345678, where the last eight digits are your student ID. You must change this password. Go to http://mypassword.uml.edu and select Change my Password.

After you change your password, set up your password reset profile for future password changes.

If you forgot your password and have already set up your password reset profile at http://mypassword.uml.edu, you can reset it by selecting Reset my Password.

If you forgot your password and have not set up your password reset profile at http://mypassword.uml.edu, contact the UMass Lowell IT Service Desk at 978-934-4357.

Be prepared to provide personal information (i.e., student ID, birthday) to validate your identity.

Once your password has been changed, it will automatically sync with the Exchange Online environment at Microsoft.

What are the benefits of the UMass Lowell Exchange Online services?

Exchange Online is a cloud-based email service that uses Microsoft Exchange as the backend for its email, contact, calendar, and task management.

Exchange Online calendar feature is an appointment book that lets other students check your availability.

Your Exchange Online contacts are stored in an address book that will allow you to easily find contact information and create contact groups.

Access Exchange Online by logging in using your full UMass Lowell credentials.

Do I need to use specific hardware or software, such as a Windows PC or Microsoft Internet Explorer?

No. All web-based services included in Exchange Online can be accessed from Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari and other web browsers on Windows, Mac or Linux operating systems. For more information, visit Supported Browsers for Outlook Web App.


Will someone at Microsoft be reading my email?

No, Microsoft personnel will not read your email. For more information, refer to Microsoft’s statement on privacy.

Am I required to use the UMass Lowell Office 365 Exchange Online student email service?

Yes. All official university business will be sent to your UMass Lowell Exchange Online student email address. You may forward your student email to an alternate email account using the Forward option once you log into your Exchange Online account.

Can I use other email programs like Outlook to read email?

Yes. You can use several different POP3 and IMAP4 email programs to connect to your UMass Lowell Exchange Online student email account. The features supported by each email program do vary. For information about the features offered by specific POP3 and IMAP4 email programs, refer to Use IMAP or POP E-Mail Programs.

Can I access my UMass Lowell Office 365 Exchange Online student email account via Outlook Mobile Access or Wireless Application Protocol (WAP)?

No. Exchange Online does not support Outlook Mobile Access or WAP. Exchange Online supports Exchange ActiveSync, POP and IMAP to access and synchronize a mailbox with a mobile phone. For more information, visit Set Up E-Mail on Mobile Phone or Tablet.

Can I forward mail sent to my UMass Lowell Office 365 Exchange Online account to a different email service such as Gmail, Yahoo Mail or Hotmail?

Yes. After you log into your Exchange Online account, you can set up a rule to forward your mail to an alternate account.

Is data in my UMass Lowell Office 365 Exchange Online account backed up?

No. Email messages, contacts, calendar items, etc. are NOT backed up. We recommend that you manually backup your critical documents.

Are there any message, mailbox or recipient limits?

Visit Exchange Online Limits for more information.

Where can I find additional help?

Visit the Outlook Help website.

How long do I have this address for?

UMass Lowell Office 365 Exchange Online student email accounts are FREE accounts and can be used for the duration of your time as a student. They are removed one year after you graduate or leave UMass Lowell, and are automatically reactivated should you re-enroll in a class.