CCSFmail is the official student email account used at the City College of San Francisco.

City College of San Francisco automatically creates CCSFmail (Google Gmail) accounts for all students. All official CCSF communications are sent to this account and not to any other email accounts.

The benefits of CCSFmail to students are:

  • An email address, a reliable, secure email service, and a powerful anti-spam service
  • Useful collaboration tools such as Google Docs, and web-based tools such as word processing, spreadsheets and presentations
  • Access to calendaring, tasks, and scheduling features
  • The .edu address entitles you to educational discounts to software, etc.
  • A Google Workspaces account with 1GB of storage
Frequently Asked Questions

  • Subject: Alert – Notice of CCSFMail Account Deletion 

    Dear [Student Name], 

    CCSF email account guidelines require CCSF to delete inactive email accounts with no academic activity and/or College Services within the past 12 months.  Your CCSFMail account, [username]@mail.ccsf.edu, will be deleted on [date].  You are strongly encouraged to back up your email and Google Workspace files before your account is deleted. 

    If you would like to read about what to do before your account is deleted and for answers to common questions, please see the CCSFMail Account Deletion FAQ.  For assistance, email helpdesk@ccsf.edu.   

    Note: This email is not a phishing scam. A copy of this message is available at https://www.ccsf.edu/about-ccsf/administration/finance-and-administration/information-technology-services/ccsfmail-faq-students 

  • Please note that after the CCSFmail account is deleted, any third-party services (Youtube, Spotify,iHeartradio, Reddit) that uses the CCSFmail account for login will be disabled.
  • For more information, please visit CCSFmail Standards and Guidelines.
  • Help with Transferring Files
    • If you don’t already have one, create a Google account to transfer the files to.
    • To copy content that other people have shared with you, make sure those files have been added to your My Drive and are not only available in “Shared with me”.
    • Sign into the CCSF Gmail account and go to takeout.google.com/transfer (Links to an external site.).
    • Enter the email address of the destination Google account.
    • Select Send code.
    • Check your personal Gmail account for the confirmation email, and in the email, select Get confirmation code. A new tab will open with a code.
    • Return to takeout.google.com/transfer and enter the code, and choose Verify.
    • Choose the content you’d like to copy and select Start transfer.

City College automatically creates an email address for you when you apply.

You get two messages sent to the email address you supplied City College on your application.

  • The first message contains your CCSFmail address and the URL used to access mail.
  • The second email contains the initial password for your CCSFmail account.

There are two ways to find out your CCSFmail address:

  • Look at the emails sent to the email address you supplied City College on your application.

or

  1. Login to the myCCSF Login Portal
  2. Click on the myRAM Portal Tile
  3. Select the Student Portal
  4. Click on myProfile
  5. On the left column, click on CCSF email/password reset
  6. You will now see your CCSFmail address, username, and initial password.
  1. Go to the Google Mail login portal for CCSF.
  2. Enter your username and password.

The first time you access your CCSFmail account, you have to choose a password. Please enter the password twice, once in the "Choose a password" box and then in the "Re-enter password" box.

  1. If you want the menus displayed in a language other than English, select the language you want.
  2. Finally, type in the characters you see in the box
  3. If you agree with the terms and conditions of usage, press I Accept.
  4. Click the Create my Account button and you can begin using your CCSFmail account.
  5. If you do not agree to the terms and conditions, press the Cancel button and an email account will not be created for you.

To change your CCSFmail password:

  1. Log on to your CCSFmail account.
  2. Click on your Account Icon on the top right. It may be a circle with your first initial.
  3. Click on Manage Your Account.
  4. On the far left, click the Security link.
  5. Under Signing in to Google, click the right arrow for Password.
  6. After confirming your current password, follow the instructions to create a new password.
  7. Click Change Password or your changes won't stick!

To reset your CCSFmail password:

  1. Go to https://ramid.ccsf.edu and login.
  2. Click the "myRam Portal" Tile
  3. Click the "Student Portal" button
  4. Click the "myProfile" link
  5. On the left-hand side menu, click "CCSF email/password reset" link, a new window/browser tab will open.
  6. In the new window/browser tab, click the "Reset password" button.
  7. Copy the Default Password
  8. Click "Log in to your CCSFmail account" link. 
  9. Login to your student gmail account with the Default Password from step 7.  From there, you can change the password inside the Gmail Settings.

Your CCSFmail account is where the college will send all your official City College email: registration dates and details, announcements, etc. It is important that you read these emails.

In your classes, some instructors may be sharing Google documents with you through Canvas. Also, as more features become available, you will be able to use the various applications, called Google Apps, attached to the start page.

The best way to ensure you receive all CCSF communications is to use your CCSFmail. Because forwarding email has not been reliable, CCSF does not recommend relying on this feature. We have evidence that some bulk notifications and system email messages, like messages about waitlist registration, are often blocked by third-party email services. If you choose to forward your email, it is your responsibility to verify that you receive and read all CCSF messages. 

Students who choose to have their CCSFmail email forwarded to an unofficial email address (e.g., hotmail.com, yahoo.com, etc.) outside the college network domain (ccsf.edu) do so at their own risk. The College is not responsible for any difficulties that may occur in the proper or timely transmission or access of email forwarded to any unofficial e-mail address.

So, although it's possible to do, we will not post the instructions and encourage you not to do it.

No, once a mail message is deleted, we are unable to recover it.

Screenshot of Google drive options

Google offers CCSF employees and students a Google Drive and Shared drives.

Google Drive (My Drive)

  • "My Drive" is linked to a Google account.
  • "My Drive" is used to store content from Google Docs, Slides, Sheets, and other Google applications linked to the CCSF Google account.  
  • The content in "My Drive" can be shared with internal and external Google accounts.

Google "Shared drives"

  • These "Shared drives" are not My Drive (your CCSF student or employee Google Drive.)
  • "Shared drives" support files owned by a group rather than an individual user.
  • The content in "Shared drives" can be shared with internal and external Google accounts.

Note: Starting May 10, 2021, Google will no longer allow City College account holders (students and employees) to create new Google Shared Drives, and external sharing will be disabled. Google Drive (My Drive) external sharing will not be affected.

  1. Open Google Drive in your browser by going to https://drive.google.com.
  2. Log in with your CCSFmail account.
  3. Scroll down the left sidebar and click on "Storage".

Google Drive Storage option

Storage example:

Google Drive Storage quota

 

On occasion messages intended for your inbox may go to your SPAM (junk) folder. Below are the steps to retrieve the messages and prevent future legitimate messages from being tagged as SPAM.

1. Open Gmail in your browser. 

2. Scroll down the left sidebar until you see the "More" option, then click on it. 

Gmail Spam folder check

3. Click on "Spam" folder. 

Gmail Spam folder check

4. Tick the checkboxes on the left beside emails you want to unmark as spam. 

Gmail Spam folder checkbox

5. Select the "Not Spam" option above the message list. The email will appear in your Inbox folder. 

Gmail Spam folder not spam button

 

 

Use of Email

College use of Email

Email shall be considered the primary mechanism for delivering official communication by CCSF to students. The College retains the right to send official communication via email to the official CCSFmail email addresses of students with the full expectation that those communications will be received and read in a timely fashion.

It is recognized that certain communications may be time-sensitive. Therefore, students are expected to check their email on a frequent and consistent basis to stay current with College communications. Although you can easily forward your CCSFmail to another account, forwarding is not always reliable. The best way to ensure that you get all your CCSF email is to actively use your CCSFmail account.

Official CCSF communications contain information that students must have to conduct business with the College and for which they will be held accountable. Examples of official communication can include, but are not limited to:

  • Web registration date
  • Testing and prerequisite information
  • Financial Aid information
  • Online class access
  • Knowledge of information mandated by federal, state or local laws
  • Library materials reminders
  • Faculty communication to students

Faculty Use of Email

Email shall be considered an appropriate means for official communication by faculty with students. As such, faculty can require students to check their CCSFmail email on a specific and/or regular schedule.

Student Use of Email

Once a student receives a CCSFmail email account, all official communication from the College shall be directed to that account. Students are expected to check their CCSF email account on a frequent and consistent basis.

Forwarding Email

Students who choose to have their CCSFmail email forwarded to a private, unofficial email address (e.g., hotmail.com, yahoo.com, etc.) that is outside the college network address (ccsf.edu) do so at their own risk. The College is not responsible for any difficulties that may occur in the proper or timely transmission or access of email forwarded to any unofficial e-mail address.