Rising Google storage costs curb ‘email for life’ promises 

Google’s decision to end free storage for universities using the G Suite for Education program is forcing some institutions to rethink their so-called “email for life” offers to students, Inside Higher Ed reported on Tuesday.

Google’s promise of free and unlimited G Suite for Education storage began in the mid-2000s, but in 2021, the company announced the offer would be coming to an end. Under the new terms, institutions will receive 100 terabytes of cloud storage, with more paid storage available.

Many institutions are now reviewing their email account policies in anticipation of soaring storage costs, Inside Higher Ed reports. Maintaining a university email address after graduation has been offered as a perk to many students who wish to keep access to their university accounts and claim student discounts.

The University of California, Davis, is among the institutions that plan to phase out unlimited institutional email account access for its graduates later this year. The institution will be introducing an @alumni.ucdavis.edu email address in exchange for paid membership to the UC Davis alumni association.