FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

About the Alumni Lifetime E-mail (ALE) Program

Please scroll down to find the answers to the following questions:

What is the Alumni Lifetime E-mail Program?
How does @alumni.sfu.ca work?
Will this account expire?
Will I get spammed after I register?
Who can register for an @alumni.sfu.ca address?
Is there a charge?
Will my student account automatically become an alumni account?
How do I register for an Alumni Lifetime Email Address?
Can I choose any username I want?
How do I know if I've registered properly?

Register Now!

Using Your Alumni Lifetime E-mail (ALE) Address

Please scroll down to find the answers to the following questions:

Once I register, how long does it take for my address to be activated?
How do I check my Alumni Lifetime Email via Webmail?
How do I configure an e-mail application such as Outlook or Eudora?
How do I export my student identity to my new alumni account?
How do I forward my Alumni Lifetime Email to my work/home email address?
Can I forward my student account to an alumni lifetime email address once I graduate?
Alumni Lifetime E-mail settings for IMAP?
Can I access the SFU modem pool?
What is an SFU External Computing account for alumni?
How do I change my password?
What if I forget my password?
What if I change my ISP and/or email account after I register? 
How is spam filtered?
Need more Help?

What is the Alumni Lifetime E-mail Program?
This free service provides SFU alumni with an "@alumni.sfu.ca" email address that is permanent and easy to remember. Friends and colleagues will be able to stay in touch no matter how many times your email address changes because of switches in internet service providers, employers or places of residence. Use it directly or forward it to any other email address you own.

How does @alumni.sfu.ca work?
The Alumni Lifetime E-mail (ALE) address functions from a web-based e-mail account and as such an existing connection to the Internet is required. Unlike most free web-based accounts, however, the ALE account is operated on a secure server (providing enhanced Internet security akin to the level provided for Internet banking). The ALE account also provides alumni with 50mb of e-mail storage space (similar free accounts offer 2mb), sends attachments of up to 10 mb in size (a 1mb attachment allowance is usually offered by public web-based accounts) and allows graduates to maintain their affiliation with Simon Fraser University.

Will this account expire?
At the present time there is no time limit for alumni email boxes.

Will I get spammed after I register?
The Alumni Association has no plans to bombard you with unsolicited email or share your @alumni.sfu.ca address with outside vendors. Occasionally, @alumni.sfu.ca registrants will be sent email to notify them of Alumni Association events and benefits or of additions or alterations to the service.

Who can register for an @alumni.sfu.ca address?
SFU graduates of a degree, certificate or diploma program.

Is there a charge?
No, this is a free service offered by Simon Fraser University in cooperation with the Alumni Association of SFU and Academic Computing Services at SFU.

Will my student account automatically become an alumni account?
No, this process does not occur automatically. You must first obtain an Alumni Lifetime E-mail account. Once you have an Alumni e-mail address, you may then copy all of the e-mail, folders, contacts, and preferences from your old student account (if it is still active) to your new alumni account using our Import/Export function. To do this:

• login to your student account via Webmail
• click on the "Options" tab
• click on "Import/Export Functions"
• scroll down to the "Export Identity" section
• enter your new alumni e-mail address
• enter your alumni account password
• enter your old student account password
• click on "Check Authentication"

How do I register for an Alumni Lifetime Email Address?

• Visit SFU's Alumni Lifetime E-mail website at:
  https://my.sfu.ca/cgi-bin/WebObjects/AlumniEmail
• Click on "New User? Click here to Activate your Alumni Lifetime Email Address"
• Enter your personal information as prompted
• Create an e-mail address - this address will also function as your user ID (i.e. john_doe@alumni.sfu.ca)
• Create a password.
• Verify that you have received a confirmation notice from SFU indicating that your registration was successful.

Can I choose any username I want?
Yes. During the registration process, you may either choose from several system-generated short forms of your first and last name, or you may create your own. If the username you select is taken (already in use), then the system will let you know and will prompt you to make another selection.

How do I know if I've registered properly?
If your registration was successful, you will receive a welcome message at your new @alumni.sfu.ca address.

Once I register, how long does it take for my address to be activated?
Activation is immediate. If your registration was successful you will immediately receive a welcome message at your @alumni.sfu.ca address.

How do I check my Alumni Lifetime Email via Webmail?

• Visit SFU's Alumni homepage at www.sfu.ca/alumni
• Click on "Online Services"
• Click on "Webmail"
• Enter ID (i.e. john_doe@alumni.sfu.ca)
• Enter password.
• Check your "Inbox".

How do I configure an e-mail application such as Outlook or Eudora?
If you are using a e-mail client (such as Eudora or Outlook) instead of Webmail, you will need to know the following information in order to complete your account configuration:

• Your account: i.e. john_doe
• POP or mail server: pop.alumni.sfu.ca
• SMTP or sending server: use your provider's SMTP server
  e.g.
• Telus: mail.telus.net
• Shaw: shawmail
• Return address: john_doe@alumni.sfu.ca)

How do I export my student identity to my new alumni account?
To copy all of the e-mail, folders, contacts, and preferences from your old student account (if it is still active) to your new alumni account, do the following:

• login to your old account via Webmail
• click on the "Options" tab
• click on "Import/Export Functions"
• scroll down to the "Export Identity" section
• enter your new alumni e-mail address
• enter your alumni account password
• enter your old student account password
• click on "Check Authentication"

How do I forward my Alumni Lifetime Email to my work/home email address?

• Log into your Webmail account and click on "Options"
• Next click on "Forward your e-mail"
• Then on "Edit Account Info"
• Log into your account and type the receiving email address into "Forward Mail To:" field
• Click "Save"

Can I forward my student account to an alumni lifetime email address once I graduate?
Yes. Once you have created an alumni account and while your student account is still active (ACS student accounts remain active for 1 year from the end of the last semester in which you were registered for classes - Note that this date usually differs from your convocation date) you may arrange for e-mail to be forwarded from you student account to your new alumni account. To do this:

• Go to: Webmail
• Login to your student account using your student ID and password
• Click on the "Options" tab
• Click on "Forward your e-mail"
• In the 'Forward To:" field, enter your new alumni e-mail address
• Click "OK"

What are the Alumni Lifetime E-mail settings for IMAP?

• The settings for IMAP are:

• IMAP: imap.alumni.sfu.ca

• PORT: default imap port

Can I access the SFU modem pool?
No. Your alumni email address is strictly an email address to be used either with SFU webmail or any pop/imap email program such as Eudora. You cannot use the account for the SFU modems or to telnet into any SFU hosts such as Fraser. You will need an External (paid) SFU account for these services.

What is an SFU External Computing account for alumni?
This is a different program than the Lifetime Email Address program above. External accounts offer alumni a preferred rate to keep your original student ID or set up a new ID with @sfu.ca as the address and receive modem access on a pay per use basis. For details log onto www.sfu.ca/acs/external

How do I change my password?

To change your password visit:
Alumni Account Preferences

• Click on "Edit Account Info"
• Login using your full alumni e-mail address and password
• Click on "Change Password..."
• Enter you new password as directed
• Click "Save"
• Click "Save" again

What if I forget my password?
Contact help@alumni.sfu.ca to have your password reset.

What if I change my ISP and/or email account after I register?

If you have enabled e-mail forwarding, such a change will require you to update your account preferences. To change the e-mail address to which your alumni e-mail is being forwarded:

• Go to: Alumni Account Preferences
• Click on "Edit Account Info"
• Login using your full alumni e-mail address and password
• In the "Forward Mail To:" field, enter your new e-mail address
• Click "Save"

How is spam filtered?

Using a spam rating system, the spam filter will automatically discard messages with a spam rating of 10 or higher before it reaches your in box. Only messages scoring below 10 will be delivered, and anything rated over 3.5 will be marked as spam for your convenience.

To register now, click here.

Need more Help?
Send an email to help@alumni.sfu.ca.
Telephone: 778-782-6832 or Toll free: 1-800-998-4723 (GRAD)