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Student leavers: what you need to do

Leaving the University? This guide explains what happens to your University IT account and data and provides the practical steps to take. Ensure a smooth transition by downloading your personal files, handing over shared files, managing your research data, and returning all equipment.

Who this guide is for:

  • Undergraduate students
  • Postgraduate taught students
  • Distance learners

Postgraduate researcher? Follow the advice for staff leavers.

Returning to the University? If you are returning to study after graduation or becoming a member of staff, you might be able to keep your account.

What happens when you leave

  • Most IT services (including print, copy and scan) stop 90 days after you finish your studies. We will email you 30 days before this happens.
  • Library e-resources and Yorkshare VLE stop 60 days after you finish your studies.
  • e:Vision stops two years after graduation.

Unused print credit will not be refunded. If there’s a surplus, it will be used to improve the Print, copy and scan service.

Your data will be permanently deleted after the retention period:

Key actions to take

Take copies of personal files, emails and contacts

Some students may want to save information they've collected over the years. While you may be permitted to take copies of some files and emails, you must be extremely careful to protect sensitive information. 

Do not transfer any confidential or restricted University data. For help with what types of data this affects, read the Information and classification handling guidance.

Where permitted, save them to a personal device or account using the guides below. 

Files and folders: download or transfer your copies

Save a copy of your files and folders before you leave, if allowed.

Google Drive

OneDrive

Emails: save a copy

You can forward individual emails and attachments to a personal account, where permitted.

You can copy your emails from your University account to another Google account, where permitted.

Contacts: download contact information

If you want to transfer your contacts from your University account, you will need to export them as a CSV file and then import this file into another account.

If you want to transfer your contacts to another email provider you will need to follow their instructions on how to do this. Most major email providers offer methods of importing your contacts.

Qualtrics: take surveys with you

You can transfer surveys to another account Qualtrics account, such as your independent account.

Reference managers: transfer your account and export references

To retain your references from Endnote, Paperpile or Zotero, you can export them to your personal device and import them into another reference manager.

To keep using your EndNote Web account, you need to update your account with your personal email address.

Transfer shared files, storage and accounts

When you leave, anything owned by your University account will be deleted after the retention period – including files and folders in your personal storage, as well as emails, surveys and calendar events. Even if you’ve shared them with others, they’ll lose access when your account data is deleted.

Most students don’t need to transfer access, unless you manage something that will continue to be used (eg society calendar meetings or shared email accounts). In which case, before you leave:

  • Move shared work into shared storage (for example, shared drives or filestores owned by a group, not by you), or transfer ownership to someone else.
  • If you own shared drives, accounts and groups, change the owner to someone else. 

Important: data classed as confidential and secret must be handled carefully. Check what’s permitted before you move or transfer data by following our Information and classification handling guidance.

Google Drive: transfer shared work and drives

Your Google Drive will typically include Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms as well as anything else you’ve stored there.

Transfer files and folders in your Google Drive

You can either move files to a shared drive or transfer ownership individually.

In addition, staff and students can check what files you've shared with them and tell you if there's anything they still need.

Transfer files to a shared drive in Google Drive (recommended):
This is the most secure way to ensure continuous access for your team.

  1. How-to: Find out what files you own in Google Drive.
  2. How-to: Find or create a shared drive in Google Drive.
  3. How-to: Move files to a shared drive in Google Drive.

Transfer individual ownership:

Shared drives: change the owner

If you manage a shared drive in Google Drive, make sure someone else is assigned as a manager so the group can continue to use it after you leave.

Shared drives can have multiple managers. Assign the manager role to another member of the shared drive.

Google Groups: change the owner

If you manage a Google Group that will continue after you leave, you must assign the owner role to another member of the group.

Meetings in Google Calendar and Zoom: transfer ownership

If you are the organiser of online events and meetings that need to continue after you leave, you must transfer ownership to someone else.

Filestore: transfer shared work

To see what files you own in your personal filestore, you can connect your filestore to your device. All the files listed there are files you own.

You can move or copy files from your personal filestore to a shared filestore. Alternatively, upload the files to shared storage, such as a shared drive in Google Drive. 

Microsoft OneDrive: transfer shared work

Files saved on a managed laptop are automatically stored in OneDrive, as well as anything else you've saved there.

You should not use OneDrive as shared storage. Instead, move files into a shared drive in Google Drive. 

  1. How-to: Find out what files you own in OneDrive.
  2. How-to: Move files from OneDrive to Google Drive.

Other staff and students can also check what files you've shared with them and tell you if there's anything they still need.

Shared email accounts (non-personal accounts): change the owner

If you own a shared account (non-personal account), such as a society email address, you must nominate a new owner to take over the account. This ensures they can keep accessing it after you leave.

  1. Check what other IT accounts you own:
    You can view a list of all your IT accounts from My IT Account, under Account Information.
  2. Nominate a new owner:
    If any of the additional accounts will still be needed after you leave, contact IT Services.
Email: share messages and attachments

To share a specific email or attachment with someone, you can:

  • Forward the email to them.
  • Save the attachment to a shared drive in Google Drive.

To share multiple emails:

Qualtrics: transfer surveys

You can transfer surveys from your University Qualtrics account to another account, for example, a colleague's University Qualtrics account.

Manage research data

If you have research data stored in places such as your personal filestore, Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive, you must take action before you leave. Review your data to decide what should be archived for long-term use and what can be safely deleted.

  • Delete securely:
    Dispose of research data safely if it is no longer needed.
  • Archive for long-term use:
    If your PhD research data underpins a publication or has long-term research value, archive it in a suitable research data archive or repository.
  • Meet requirements:
    You must follow any funder requirements, as well as your legal and ethical responsibilities, when managing research data.

Find out more about:

For more advice, please see the Research data management practical guide. 

Let others know you’re leaving

Once your account closes, your University email will stop working. This means all forwarding rules and out-of-office messages will stop, and you will not receive new emails.

We recommend you:

  • Share an alternative email address with contacts you want to keep in touch with.
  • Update any subscriptions with your new email address.

Return borrowed IT equipment

You must return all IT equipment provided or funded by the University, including anything bought with research funding.

If you’re not sure where to return equipment to or cannot get to campus due to accessibility needs, please contact IT Services. 

Once returned, equipment with user data (eg laptops) will be erased for confidentiality purposes. 

Returning as a student or staff member

If you’re returning to the University, you may be able to keep your account and email. 

Returning to study after graduation

Most students do not need to do anything. If you’re returning in the autumn semester, you’ll be within the 90-day grace period after your studies finish. This means your account will still be available when you return. 

However, if you feel you need to extend your account (for example, if you’re starting your studies later) please contact your Department's People Database Administrator.

Any other accounts you own (eg shared accounts) will be extended at the same time as your main account. Alternatively, you can transfer ownership to someone else before you leave. 

Returning as staff

If you’re coming back as a member of staff, or working for your department over the summer, your department can extend your account. If you own additional accounts (such as a group email account), they will also be extended at the same time. 

Contact your department's People Database Administrator with any questions.