This summer, Vanderbilt will transition undergraduate email services from Google products to Microsoft 365. Per Vanderbilt University Information Technology, a specific timeline to migrate email and data for all current undergraduates has not been established yet, but information about the transition will be provided later this semester.
These changes were spearheaded by Shane Callahan, Chief Information Officer, who leads VUIT, and Ben Frazee, Executive Director of Enterprise Applications, who leads the team in VUIT responsible for Vanderbilt’s email service.
“VUIT is committed to providing the necessary support and resources to support this transition, making the process smooth and efficient for everyone involved,” a representative from VUIT said in an email to the Hustler.
Undergraduate students admitted for fall 2025 will automatically be given Microsoft 365 email accounts. For current students, Google Drive data and documents will migrate to Microsoft OneDrive, and Gmail will migrate to Microsoft Exchange. VUIT emphasized that file sharing with other Vanderbilt students will be maintained.
“Google does not provide capabilities for the bulk migration of Google Photos,” the representative said. “Students can migrate Google Photos data to a personal Google account or an alternate photo storage solution.”
VUIT cited several factors as reasons for the switch. They emphasized that the split email system — where undergraduates use Google while graduate students and staff use Microsoft — has introduced complexity and confusion. VUIT also believes that since the professional world primarily uses Office products, undergraduate students gaining experience with OneDrive, Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft Teams will help them in their professional lives.
“By migrating undergraduate students to Microsoft 365, we can provide a more integrated and secure digital environment and improve the experience for undergraduates who move into graduate student or staff roles,” the representative said.
According to VUIT, cost was not a factor in this decision as they said the fees Vanderbilt pays Google for their products are small. VUIT stated that policy changes by Microsoft and Google, rising email security risks within Google and a general review of storage offerings prompted an uptick in discussion about making this change beginning in fall 2024.
“Graduate students have used Microsoft email for many years. This change will be a significant enhancement for entering graduate students who have previously completed a Vanderbilt undergraduate degree,” the representative said. “Moving from Gmail to Microsoft Exchange and then back after completing graduate studies is not a smooth process.”
Despite the change, students will be able to keep their Vanderbilt email addresses after graduation. VUIT is developing a plan that will allow students to opt-in to having an alumni email address. This email would be an @alumni.vanderbilt.edu address, and VUIT is hoping to pilot this with a group of current students.
“As part of this pilot, you would migrate from Google to Microsoft before your peers and supply VUIT with feedback to help improve the process,” the representative said. “VUIT is open to working with student groups to proactively identify issues.”
Sophomore Brinnan Smith said he will miss how user-friendly Google Workspace is, although he acknowledged Microsoft’s professionalism as a platform.
“I think the switch is very disappointing but not completely unexpected,” Smith said. “I also feel like this change is against the wishes of the vast majority of students at Vanderbilt, so I feel like we aren’t really being taken into account in this decision by the university.”