As of February 1, 2023, new student email accounts are provided through Microsoft Office365. Students admitted prior to February 1, 2023, continue to have email accounts through Google (Gmail). Depending on when your email account was created, you may have a Google email account or an Office365 email account. Learn more about each service below.
When you are admitted as a new student and create a MIDAS account, your student email account is automatically activated. This email -- the official system for all University-related communications, policies, announcements, tuition bills and other information -- is yours for as long as you remain a student and is deleted one year after your last class at ODU, whether you graduate, transfer or decide not to register for additional classes.
Office365
students admitted after Feb. 1, 2023
If your student email account was created after February 1, 2023, your email is provided through Office365. Access your account in one of the following ways:
ODU faculty and staff also use Office365 for email. You can find more detailed information about Office365 at ODU on the Office365 Email page.
Gmail
students admitted before Feb. 1, 2023
If your student email account was created before February 1, 2023, your email is provided through Google. Access your account in one of the following ways:
Google has some great instructions on forwarding or un-forwarding your email from one account to another:
Find instructions for forwarding mail in Office365/Outlook here:
Your MIDAS password is also your student email password. You can change or reset your password at midas.odu.edu.
ODU student email accounts are for active ODU students. If you have not registered for a class in 3 semesters, you will receive a notice that your email account will be purged. Soon after the notice, your account will be deleted. (There are a few exceptions; if you feel you need to keep your ODU email account, send an email to itshelp@odu.edu.)
We have more information about taking your Google data with you on our Google Workspace for Education page.
Outlook: Export or backup email, contacts, and calendar to an Outlook .pst file
ITS has no access to student accounts in Gmail. We are unable to access your mailbox, so we can't restore any data, individual messages or mailboxes.
Office365 users may be able to recover deleted items in Outlook.
Google/Gmail: There is a 20 MB size limit imposed, meaning that no individual email can be larger than 20 MB. If you try to send a message with attachments that add up to more than 20 MB, the message will bounce. If someone tries to send you an email that is over 20 MB, it too will bounce.
Office365/Outlook: Individual messages are limited to 25 MB per email.
Google/Gmail: ITS has no control over spam settings in Gmail. However, any email address that you add to your Gmail contacts will never be marked as spam.
Office365/Outlook: You can add email addresses and domains to your lists of blocked senders or safe senders. Go to outlook.odu.edu and follow the instructions provided in this article from Microsoft: Filter junk email and spam in Outlook on the web