Every day IT Services collects records and data from across the University to identify who is newly-eligible for account services as well whose account eligibility has ended. IT Services acts on the data provided by various authoritative sources who determine account eligibility. The closure process is designed to close the accounts of individuals who are no longer eligible according to the University's authoritative records.
Alert: IT Services does not determine your eligibility. You must contact your department to correct your records if you believe you should retain your account.
Below, you will find a graphical account closure timeline, a detailed written account closure timeline, and information about what to do if you have problems. Note that certain categories of individuals, like alumni, may retain select services after their accounts are closed. Information about these categories is also included below.
For information about migrating your email and other topics, you may want to do during account closure, see Prepare Your @UChicago Email Account for Transition or Closure.
The Basics of UChicago Account Closure
This chart illustrates the account closure process, from day 1 to day 45. The closure process will immediately stop, and any lost privileges will be restored if the individual returns to eligible status.
Notes:
- If you have returned to eligibility and were informed that the account closure process has been stopped, please allow a day or so for any privileges already lost to be restored.
- Due to the time it takes for all systems to receive updated information about your account, you may continue to receive messages about your account closing despite being back in good standing. Please be assured that if you have received confirmation of your restored eligibility, you will not continue to lose privileges, and any privileges you have already lost will be restored within a couple of days.
Day 1: IT Services notes that an individual is no longer eligible for University account services. IT Services marks the account for closure. Alumni of the University receive a two-quarter grace period before their account enters the closure process, however, alumni do not retain access to the library's electronic resources (proxy access) during the grace period. Once a student's status updates from "student" to "alumni" on the first day of the new quarter, the proxy access is disabled. Please note that the grace period applies only to graduating students who do not have any other affiliation. Alumni who retain account services after graduation because of another affiliation, such as staff or faculty, do not receive a two-quarter grace period upon leaving the University.
Day 3: IT Services sends the first notice of impending closure to the account holder. At this time, the account is formally on track for closure. In order to ensure that account holders become aware of their imminent loss of service, and do not rely solely on email notification, some services are closed early in the process—on Day 10. These include the wireless network and the UChicago virtual private network (cVPN) access, University proxy service for off-campus access to licensed library resources, Zoom account services, and technical support through IT Services (excepting matters relating to this closure process.) These services will close one week after the first notice--Day 10. Account holders are also notified that their remaining account services, including email storage and all computing on IT Services computers (computing labs, computing classrooms, web kiosks, etc.) will close 42 days after the first notice—Day 45.
Day 9: IT Services sends a reminder notice of the first round of services closing.
Day 10: The first round of services mentioned in the Day 3 description closes.
Day 31: IT Services sends a reminder notice two weeks prior to the impending closure to all account holders.
Day 38: IT Services sends a reminder notice one week prior to the impending closure to all account holders.
Day 42: IT Services sends a reminder notice three days prior to the impending closure to all account holders.
Day 44: IT Services sends a reminder notice one day prior to the impending closure to all account holders.
Day 45: The second round of services mentioned in the Day 3 description closes.
Alert: Accounts and all data and files saved on University servers (including files that were shared with other active University members) will be permanently and irreversibly purged from our systems on day 45. If an individual returns to active status at the University after this time, the same CNetID can be retained, but all files and emails will have been deleted.
See the following pages for more details.