[Campus Notice] Action Needed to Retain Access to Microsoft Office Desktop Applications

[UCR Information Technology Solutions]

[image: image]
Key Takeaways

   -

   Beginning January 2, 2026, Microsoft will change application access for
   Microsoft Student Advantage accounts, which means Microsoft suite software
   (i.e., Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc.) will only be accessible via web
   browser at office.com.
   -

   If you wish to continue using the desktop application versions of
   Microsoft suite software, you must access Microsoft via your UCR NetID
   account, which is separate from the Student Advantage account.
   -

   To begin using your UCR NetID account with Microsoft, follow the steps
   outlined in the “Microsoft Office for Students
   <https://ucrsupport.service-now.com/ucr_portal?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0012407>”
   knowledge article.

Dear Highlander,

You are receiving this message because you may have signed up for a
Microsoft Student Advantage account. Beginning January 2, 2026, Microsoft
will change application access for its Student Advantage accounts, which
means that you will only be able to access the Microsoft suite software
(i.e., Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc.) via web browser at office.com. If you
currently use the desktop applications, you have likely seen notifications
making you aware that your desktop application access is going away.
What if I need the desktop applications?

If you wish to continue using the desktop application versions of Microsoft
suite products, you must use your UCR NetID account instead of the Student
Advantage account.

As a registered UC Riverside student, in addition to Google Workspace, you
have access to the full Microsoft Office suite—including Word, Excel,
PowerPoint, and more—at no additional cost. However, you must use your UCR
NetID (e.g., scottyb54 at ucr.edu) to take advantage of these offerings.

To begin using your UCR NetID account with Microsoft, follow the steps
outlined in the “Microsoft Office for Students
<https://ucrsupport.service-now.com/ucr_portal?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0012407>”
knowledge article.
Key considerations

Please note that your UCR NetID account falls under UCR’s enterprise
agreement with Microsoft and cloud storage restrictions apply. Microsoft
accounts through UCR are capped at 1 GB of storage (e.g., files stored in
OneDrive).

If the desktop application versions of the tools are important to you, you
may want to manually download your files and other data stored in your
Student Advantage account and save them to a personal storage device or
cloud account. Unfortunately, it is not possible to transfer data from the
Student Advantage account to your UCR Microsoft account.

If you wish to maintain your current 25 GB of storage, we advise you to
keep your Student Advantage account and access Microsoft software via web
browser at office.com.

Note that your Student Advantage account and your complimentary access to
Office 365 via NetID are only available while you are actively enrolled at
UCR, and they will no longer be accessible after you graduate.
Support

If you have questions or concerns regarding your Microsoft account through
UCR, please contact ITS online at its.ucr.edu/help or via phone at
951-827-4848.

In observance of the winter holidays, UCR operations will be suspended
beginning Wednesday, December 24, 2025, and will resume on Friday, January
2, 2026. During this time, ITS staff will be unavailable to respond to
calls or tickets submitted to the help desk. Self-help guidance can be
found in the IT Knowledge Base
<https://ucrsupport.service-now.com/ucr_portal/?id=ucr_its_knowledge_base>.


Sincerely,

Lily Barger

Director of Campus Support



Information Technology Solutions

Computing & Communications Building

900 University Ave.

Riverside, CA 92521

951-827-4848 | its.ucr.edu
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