The challenge
High costs for separate email infrastructure, administration of thousands of accounts, security concerns with dormant accounts, limited integration with alumni database systems and growing storage needs.
University alumni email case study summary
Forward Email's published case study describes how the University of Cambridge, the University of Maryland, Tufts University and Swarthmore College run alumni email on Forward Email. This page summarizes it and links to the full text.
Who is in the case study?
The full case study states that Forward Email powers the alumni email systems of four institutions:
- University of Cambridge
- University of Maryland
- Tufts University
- Swarthmore College
These names come from Forward Email's own publication. This site is not affiliated with these universities, and none of them has reviewed or endorsed this page.
What problem were the universities solving?
The case study describes why full mailboxes do not fit graduate addresses:
- Cost. Per-user licensing becomes hard to sustain for large graduate populations.
- Administration. Thousands of accounts take IT time to manage.
- Security. Dormant accounts increase exposure.
- Flexibility. Mailbox systems are not built for forwarding-only addresses.
- Privacy. Many providers scan message content.
What approach did Forward Email take?
The case study lists five parts of the model:
- Email forwarding instead of hosting
- Flat-fee pricing instead of per-user costs
- Open-source code for transparency
- No content scanning
- Features for university identity management, such as API provisioning, batch operations and alias management for departments
What did the case study report for Cambridge?
The University of Cambridge wanted to give alumni @cam.ac.uk addresses while reducing IT overhead and cost. According to the case study:
The solution
Forwarding for all of these @cam.ac.uk addresses, a custom-branded portal for alumni self-service, API integration with Cambridge's alumni database and email security setup.
The results
A substantial cost reduction compared with the previous solution, 99.9% email delivery reliability as reported in the case study, simpler administration through automation and positive feedback from graduates on usability.
What did each university save?
The case study publishes these annual figures:
| University | Alumni count | Annual cost with Google | Annual cost with Forward Email | Annual savings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Cambridge | 30,000 | $90,000 | $3,000 | $87,000 |
| Swarthmore College | 5,000 | $15,000 | $3,000 | $12,000 |
| Tufts University | 12,000 | $36,000 | $3,000 | $33,000 |
| University of Maryland | 25,000 | $75,000 | $3,000 | $72,000 |
The Forward Email figure is the Enterprise plan at $250 per month. The cost comparison page puts these numbers next to other providers and includes a calculator.
How was it implemented?
The case study describes a phased process:
- Assessment of the current email system, graduate records and requirements, with IT, alumni relations and administration.
- A migration plan by graduating cohort, with both systems running in parallel during the transition.
- Technical setup: DNS configuration and verification, API integration and email authentication (SPF, DKIM and DMARC).
- Branded portals, plus documentation for IT staff and graduates.
- Ongoing support after launch.
The how it works and migration guides cover the same steps in more technical detail.