Estate Planning Issues with .EDU Email Addresses
Many people continue using their .edu email addresses long after graduating or leaving an educational institution. In fact, some universities—including the University of Michigan—allow “lifetime” use of alumni email accounts. However, it’s important to understand that these accounts are not personally owned. Even if you’ve used your .edu email address for years and treat it like a personal account, it remains the property of the university.
This distinction has serious estate planning implications.
Ownership and Access Limitations
Unlike a privately-owned email account (e.g., Gmail or Outlook), an .edu email account is controlled by the issuing institution. You are merely granted permission to use it, and that permission can be revoked. This means you cannot transfer ownership of the account to someone else, even through your estate plan.
At the University of Michigan, for example:
There is no way to designate a successor owner for a U-M email account.
A power of attorney over digital assets will not grant your agent full access to your entire account.
U-M will only release specific pieces of information contained in the account if the requester demonstrates a legitimate need for that particular item.
The University of Michigan policy and request for digital asset form make clear that “[a]ccess to information held in accounts is held to a high bar. Direct access to an account will not be granted, and accounts will not be transferred to another person for their use.”
In other words, even if you include your .edu email in your estate planning documents, your chosen fiduciary will not receive unrestricted access to it.
Why This Matters
Many people use their .edu accounts for far more than university-related correspondence. Alumni often treat them as personal email accounts—storing financial records, family communications, and login credentials. Because these accounts are not privately owned, loved ones or agents may be unable to retrieve vital information when it’s needed most.
Best Practices
If you use an .edu email account for personal matters, consider the following steps:
Set up email forwarding so that emails sent to your .edu email address will also be held in a privately-owned email account.
Migrate important communications to a privately-owned email address (e.g., Gmail).
Avoid using .edu accounts as the primary login email for financial or personal accounts.
Include digital asset instructions in your estate plan, but understand the university’s policies will limit access.
By recognizing that .edu accounts are fundamentally different from private email accounts, you can take steps now to prevent complications for your loved ones later.
