GCU provides every student with an Outlook email account once they have been accepted to the university. This email account remains active and free for you to use even after you have graduated. Some students might be interested in integrating this into Microsoft Outlook for easy access. Whether this is your first time using Microsoft Outlook on your PC or Mac, or your application is already setup with another account, the process is quick and simple.
NOTE For help adding your GCU email on your phone, see Setting Up Your GCU Email on Your Smartphone.
- With Outlook open, select the File tab and click Add Account in the upper-left corner. (If this is the first time you are using Outlook, you will be prompted to add an account upon starting the program).
- Select the option for Email Account and enter your name, GCU email address, and the password you established on the reset.gcu.edu website (This is the same password you use to log into the GCU Portal). Then click Next.
- Outlook will begin configuring your email account. A box may appear which asks you to enter your username and password. If so, enter your GCU email address and password again, then click OK.
- Once Outlook has completed setting up your account, you will see a message that says, “Congratulations! Your email account was successfully configured and is ready to use”. Click Finish to be taken to your inbox.
- If you are opening Outlook for the first time, skip to step 2. If you already have an existing Outlook account, select Tools from the Outlook menu bar, click Accounts, and then select Exchange or Office365 from the list of options.
- Enter your GCU email address, then click Continue.
- Enter the password you established on the reset.gcu.edu website. (This is the same password you use to log into the GCU Portal). Then click Sign In.
- Outlook will begin configuring your email account. This may take a few minutes.
- Once Outlook has completed setting up your account, click Done to be taken to your inbox.
To add your GCU email to the Mac Mail app, refer to Syncing GCU Account to Mac.
Manual Setup
Outlook should automatically configure the correct server information when you enter your GCU email address using the steps above. If for some reason you are experiencing difficulties setting up your Outlook email with those steps, we recommend trying manual setup options. Click the headings below for the appropriate steps for your operating system.
- With Outlook open, select the File tab and click Add Account in the upper-left corner. (If this is the first time you are using Outlook, you will be prompted to add an account upon starting the program).
- Select the radio button for Manual setup or additional server types and click on Next.
- From the Choose Service dialog-box, select POP or IMAP and click Next.
- On the POP and IMAP Account Settings dialog-box, enter in your name and your GCU username followed by @my.gcu.edu. Under the Server Information heading, select IMAP from the drop-down menu, enter outlook.office365.com for the Incoming mail server, and enter smtp.office365.com for the Outgoing mail server.
For the Logon Information, enter your GCU Username followed by @my.gcu.edu again for the User Name and your GCU password. Once you have entered this information, select More Settings.
- Switch to the Outgoing Server tab and click on the box labeled My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication.
- Next, select the Advanced tab to the right of the Outgoing Server tab. The Incoming Server should be set to 993 and the type of encrypted connection should be SSL. The Outgoing Server should be set to 587 and the type of encrypted connection should be TLS. Once you have entered these settings, click OK. This will return you to the POP and IMAP Account Settings dialog-box.
- From the POP and IMAP Account Settings, select Next.
- Outlook will begin running tests to make sure everything has been set up properly. The Test Account Settings dialog-box will display the results. If all tests pass, select Close to continue.
If either one of the tests fail, we recommend going back through the settings and verifying that all the information was entered accurately. - Finally, you should see the Add Account Select Finish to be brought to your Inbox.
- Select Tools from the Outlook menu bar, and then click Accounts.
- Next, click Other E-mail and enter your GCU username followed by @my.gcu.edu in the E-mail address field and your GCU password in the Password field. Uncheck the Configure automatically box.
- The window will expand and ask for some additional information. The User name is the same as your GCU email address. Next, select IMAP from the Type field drop-down menu. In the Incoming server section, begin by placing check marks in the Override default port and Use SSL to connect (recommended) options, then enter office365.com : 993. In the Outgoing server field, place check marks in the Override default port and Use SSL to connect (recommended) options, then enter smtp.office365.com : 587.
After all of the information is entered, select Add Account.