News

If you are graduating from MIT this month, congratulations! This also means it’s time to start preparing for life after commencement. “Offboarding” is the process of transitioning and closing out your digital presence at MIT. It is important that you download, move, or transfer ownership of the files and data associated with your MIT accounts before they are deactivated.

Here is an overview of the offboarding process and the things you should start doing now to ensure your virtual self is ready for life after MIT.

Offboarding timeline

The day after you graduate, your MIT account status will be changed from student to affiliate. As an Institute affiliate, you will no longer be covered by MIT’s licenses to:

• Download software from the Information Systems and Technology (IS&T) software grid licensed for student use.
• Continue using previously installed software licensed for MIT student use, such as those for Microsoft Windows and Office.
• Access student-only websites and web services.

The January following graduation, your MIT Kerberos account will be deactivated and your status changed from affiliate to deleted, completing the offboarding process. At that point, you will lose access to all Touchstone-authenticated Institute services and related data, including:

• MIT email
• MIT-licensed cloud-based services, such as Code42 (formerly CrashPlan), Dropbox for Business, LastPass Enterprise, Zoom, Slack Enterprise Grid, and MIT GitHub.
• Athena and AFS lockers

To do ASAP

While final account deactivation doesn’t occur until January, you should do the following as soon as possible to ensure that none of your Institute-based data and information are lost:

• Download or transfer data from your MIT accounts such as email, cloud storage services (Dropbox, Google Workspaces (formerly G Suite), OneDrive), Adobe, LastPass, and Athena.
• Transfer ownership of any websites, email lists, or AFS lockers that you administer for any MIT groups or organizations to students remaining at MIT.
• Secure personal licenses for software or services that you will no longer have access to under the Institute’s enterprise agreements but wish to continue using and uninstall any software you obtained from MIT during your time here, if the license requires it.

More information and help

• The Leaving MIT section of For Students page on the IS&T website has more guidance on offboarding from MIT.
• The IS&T Knowledge Base also has in-depth information on what happens to your Institute accounts and services after you graduate.
• The Leaving MIT online course provides a step-by-step guide to disengaging from MIT accounts.

Contact the IS&T Service Desk with questions or for help with preparing for the digital offboarding process.