Your electronic ID, aka NetID

Within two days of submitting your application for admission to CSU, you will receive an email on how to activate your NetID. Your NetID is an electronic ID that you’ll use to log into other CSU systems and to create your university email address.

This email may be routed to your spam or promotions folder, especially if you are using Gmail. Check your spam folders and make sure @colostate.edu is set up as a safe sender.

As soon as you activate your NetID, you can log in to other CSU systems such as RAMweb, the applicant and student portal. However, it may take up to an hour to access some information while our systems sync. We’ll send you a confirmation email when the process is finished.

Your university email account

When you activate your NetID, you also establish your university email account, which is an Office365 account. Your email address is formatted with your first name and last name, followed by @colostate.edu. For example, Cam.Ram@colostate.edu. This address is referred to as your “alias” and is the public address you supply when someone wants to email you.

Your university account stays with you throughout your CSU experience.

The Office of Admissions will only send email to the email address you supplied on your application. Once you’re admitted, however, other university offices will use your university email account for info such as:

• Academic invitations and announcements
• Financial aid instructions and status updates
• Housing assignments
• Orientation and registration
• Transfer evaluation notifications

You are responsible for information sent to your university email account. Check your email regularly (at least once a week) after you’ve been admitted.

You also have the option to create a university Google account, but this is not required, nor will the university use it to communicate with you.

How to log in to your university email account

1. Go to the Office365 login page: portal.office.com.
2. In the sign-in box, enter your NetID as the user name in the format NetID@colostate.edu.
3. Enter your NetID password.
4. Once logged in, click on “Outlook.”

There might be a delay of up to two hours between when you create your NetID and when your email account is ready to use.