Your email alias is an email address that is easy for people to remember and helps identify who you are. It is usually based on your first and last names, such as:
- jane-doe@uiowa.edu
- jane-k-doe@uiowa.edu
- jane-doe-2@uiowa.edu
The University uses your email alias to send important campus, hospital, and department-wide messages. To receive these messages, your alias must be connected to a valid email account (called a routing address).
Your email alias stays the same, even if you change where your email is delivered. For example, if you leave the University of Iowa and choose to route your email to another provider such as Gmail or Yahoo, your alias does not change.
What About HawkID@uiowa.edu?
Your HawkID@uiowa.edu address is also a valid email address.
Both of these addresses:
- first-last@uiowa.edu
- HawkID@uiowa.edu
deliver messages to the same mailbox.
What Is a HawkID?
Your HawkID is your personal University of Iowa username. You use your HawkID and password to sign in to most university online services. Your HawkID@uiowa.edu email address is based on this username and can be used to receive email.
What Is a Routing Address?
A routing address is the email account where your University of Iowa email is delivered. Think of it as the destination your email is sent to after someone uses your UI email address.
Most people never need to know your routing address. It is used behind the scenes by the email system to make sure your messages arrive in the correct mailbox.
Why Do I Have Both an Email Alias and a Routing Address?
Having both gives you several benefits:
- Your University email address (such as first-last@uiowa.edu) clearly shows who you are and that you are connected to the University of Iowa.
- It looks more professional and is easier for others to remember than a routing address or HawkId.
- Your University email address usually stays the same, even if the mailbox receiving your email changes.
For example, if you leave the University of Iowa, you may still be able to use your UI email alias and have email delivered to another account, such as Gmail, Yahoo, or another email service. This means people can continue using the same email address they already have for you.
Important Information About Changing Your Routing Address
Current students, faculty, and staff cannot change their routing address.
Information for Retirees
If you are a retiree and are eligible for a university mailbox, you cannot update your routing address yourself.
To make a change, please contact the ITS Help Desk for assistance.
WARNING: If you choose to change your routing address away from your Microsoft 365 account to another email account (e.g., Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, etc.), your Microsoft 365 account will be closed immediately, including OneDrive
Be aware that when the Microsoft 365 account is closed any existing email, calendar items, contacts, notes, and tasks on the Microsoft 365 server will be deleted and you will no longer be able to send email from your Microsoft 365 email account. Please see My Microsoft 365 Email Account is Closing - What Do I Do Checklist for information on moving your email to a personal email account.
*** Students can change their routing e-mail address when they leave the University through MyUI by:
- Clicking Email Tools and selecting Update Email Routing / Forwarding Address
- In the "Route To:" field, select Other Email Provider (e.g., Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, etc.) and type the address of your personal email account (e.g., jane-doe@hotmail.com)
- Click Update Email Routing Address to save changes.
*** University or Health Care faculty and staff can change their routing address when they leave the University in HR Self-Service by
- Clicking the My Self Service tab and clicking on Email Routing
- In the "Route To:" field, select Other Email Provider (e.g., Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, etc.) and type the address of your personal email account (e.g., jane-doe@hotmail.com)
- Click Update Email Routing Address to save changes.
NOTE -- this can only be changed during the 17 day deprovisioning process after you leave the university
*** As of 2/2/2022, routing to an off-campus personal email account is not allowed if you are a current faculty, staff or student.