Student ID and University Email

Your electronic ID and university email are required for taking steps to become a Colorado State University student.
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.
Once 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 should 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.
Duo Multi-Factor Authentication
Duo is a tool that uses multi-factor authentication to provide an additional layer of security for your CSU accounts by requiring more than a username and password to access them. This means you are required to use a mobile phone, security key, or hardware token to verify your identity before logging into certain online services, like your university email account.
- Install Duo Mobile on your smartphone or tablet:
- Use a separate laptop/desktop computer to register your smartphone/tablet:
- Log in to the NetID Two-Factor Authentication (Duo) page with your NetID and password.
- Click the Enable Multi-Factor Authentication button (if your Duo account status is not already active).
- Click on the red Register Device button on the right side of the Two-Factor Authentication page.
- Provide a unique Device Name (e.g., Cam’s iPhone14).
- Click on the Type dropdown and select Duo Mobile App.
- Click on the Platform dropdown to select the device platform (e.g., Apple iOS, Google Android, etc.).
- Click the Save button to save the device information.
- After saving, the page will refresh to the Two-Factor Device Activation page with a QR code displayed. Leave this page open and move to the next step.
- Activate Duo Mobile on your smartphone/tablet:
- Open the Duo Mobile app on your smartphone/tablet.
- Tap + Add next to the Accounts section.
- Use the Duo Mobile app’s QR code scanner to scan the QR code displayed on the Two-Factor Device Activation page of your desktop/laptop computer screen.
- Once the device activates, the Duo Mobile app will display Colorado State University as an account.
- Click on Return to display your registered devices.
- Use Duo Mobile to access your CSU email:
- On your laptop/desktop computer, go to https://outlook.office.com.
- Enter your NetID@colostate.edu (C83…@colostate.edu) as your username.
- Enter your NetID password.
- Your computer screen will display a three-digit code.
- Open the Duo Mobile app on your smartphone or tablet. Enter the three-digit code in the app.
- That’s it! You’ll now be able to access your email account.
How to log in to your university email account
- Ensure you have set up Duo authentication.
- On your laptop/desktop computer, go to https://outlook.office.com.
- Enter your NetID@colostate.edu (C83…@colostate.edu) as your username.
- Enter your NetID password.
- Your computer screen will display a three-digit code.
- Open the Duo Mobile app on your smartphone or tablet. Enter the three-digit code in the app.
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.
If you follow all these steps and still encounter issues, please contact the IT Help Desk at ithelp@colostate.edu or (970) 491-7276.
Still need help?
If you need help activating your NetID or logging into your university email, we’re here to help.