What's Changing?

To protect the security and integrity of our email systems, ITS is implementing hourly and daily sending limits on university email accounts. Each account will be limited to a maximum number of outgoing messages per 24-hour period. Default settings will be:

  • External hourly recipient limit  - 500 recipients per hour
  • Internal hourly recipient limit - 1,000 recipients per hour
  • Total daily recipient limit – 1,000 recipients per day

Why Are We Doing This?

When a university email account is compromised, attackers will often use it to send large volumes of phishing emails to other users. These messages may attempt to steal passwords, personal information, or financial data from recipients who trust the sender because they recognize the university email address.

By limiting the number of emails that can be sent per hour/day, we can significantly reduce the damage caused by a compromised account and stop phishing attacks from spreading quickly across our community.

Additionally, email sending limits help us:

  • Protect your account by containing the impact if your credentials are stolen
  • Prevent spam from being sent through university accounts
  • Maintain our email reputation, ensuring university emails are trusted and delivered reliably
  • Comply with email security best practices

Who Is Affected?

This applies to all university email accounts, including students, faculty, staff, and healthcare. However, the initial deployment will be staged through several populations:

  • May 19, 2026 - Students
  • TBD - Student Employees
  • TBD - University Faculty and Staff
  • TBD - Healthcare Staff

What does this mean for you?

For the vast majority of users, this change will have no noticeable impact on your day-to-day email activity. Most people send far fewer messages than the daily limit.

You may be affected if you:

  • Send large numbers of emails for research or surveys
  • Distribute announcements or newsletters to large groups
  • Use automated tools or scripts that send email

What if you need to send large volumes of email?

If your role requires sending large volumes of email, please consider these options:

  • Contact the ITS Help Desk to discuss your needs and possible account adjustments
  • Use an approved bulk email tool such as Mass Mail or Dispatch
  • Plan ahead and spread large distributions over multiple days where possible

What happens if you reach the sending limit?

If you reach your daily sending limit, outgoing messages will be temporarily blocked until the 24-hour window resets. You will receive a notification email alerting you when you are approaching or have reached your limit.

You will continue to be able to access your email account to receive and read messages.

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12296