Changes to Broward College Microsoft Products (Outlook/email, Word, Excel, OneDrive, etc.)

The following contains information regarding significant updates concerning your Broward College Microsoft Office 365 account.

Recently Microsoft implemented new license restrictions, storage limits and security protocols for higher education institutions. Because of this, effective August 1, 2024, Broward College will be modifying Microsoft licenses for students and alumni. Here is what this means for you:

Current Students

  • If you are enrolled and paid for a course in Broward College, you’ll be granted a full Microsoft desktop license. This license permits the installation and use of Microsoft products (Outlook/email, Word, Excel, OneDrive, etc.) on a personal computer. Additionally, you’ll be able to access the web version of these products via the internet along with limited access to other Microsoft products. Please note that the full desktop license is valid for 1 year after the completion of your last semester. After 1 year, if you are not enrolled, you will have web access only to Microsoft Office products including Outlook/email, Word, Excel, OneDrive.
  • Anyone who is not enrolled for a continuous 2-year period will have their license revoked and will only be reissued upon re-enrollment. Once a license is revoked, you cannot log in to Broward College OneAccess portal, and your Outlook/emails and OneDrive files will be deleted.

Storage Quotas

Also starting Oct 1, 2024, new Microsoft storage quotas for Email and OneDrive will go into effect.  Outlook/email boxes will be limited to 10 GB and OneDrive space will be limited to 20 GB. 

If your Outlook/email account exceeds its threshold, you will not be able to receive or send new emails and if your OneDrive exceeds its threshold, you will have read-only access to files until space is cleared. To avoid these circumstances, please take action to delete unnecessary emails and files. For files you need long term you should move them to an alternate storage platform (i.e. personal external hard drive or personal cloud storage account)   

 

What To Do Now

  • Check your current Outlook/email storage usage; compare to quota limit. Visit  How to determine Disk Space Used in Outlook
  • Check your current OneDrive storage; compare to quota limit. Visit How to Manage OneDrive Storage
  • Explore alternate storage options (external hard drive, personal cloud storage account, etc.)
  • Come by the Technical Support Center at Central Campus (Building 17, room 122) or schedule time with an IT Specialist for assistance by opening a helpdesk ticket .

Alumni

  • For our alumni, because of the changes by Microsoft, Broward College can no longer offer lifelong email and Microsoft office benefits.  Alumni web email accounts will only be active for 2 years after you graduate or 2 years after your last completed course. After 2 years, you will no longer be able to login to Broward College OneAccess portal, and your Outlook/emails and OneDrive files will be deleted.

 

Transition Steps

  • Find an alternate email provider (e.g. Gmail, Hotmail) and storage platform (external hard drive, personal cloud storage account, etc.)
  • Make a list of places where you use your @mail.broward.edu address (e.g. social media, online banking, streaming services, etc.)
  • Update these services with your new alternate email address and inform your contacts of your new address.
  • Enter personal contacts into your new email service.
  • Transfer files you want to preserve to your new storage platform.
  • Stay connected with Broward College by updating your email address with the Broward Alumni Association using the Alumni Contact Form

 

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation during this transition. We are here to help, if you have any questions or need assistance, please open a helpdesk ticket.