How will Google and Yahoo's new requirements affect email deliverability for universities using multiple email platforms?
Michael Ko
Co-founder & CEO, Suped
Published 12 Jun 2025
Updated 17 Aug 2025
7 min read
The email landscape for bulk senders changed significantly starting in February 2024, as Google and Yahoo implemented stricter requirements aimed at reducing spam and enhancing email security. These changes, while broad in their application, pose unique challenges for complex organizations like universities.
Universities often operate with a decentralized email sending structure, utilizing various platforms such as marketing CRMs, student information systems, and even direct sends from departmental accounts. This fragmented approach can complicate compliance with the new authentication and deliverability mandates.
My aim is to shed light on how these crucial updates specifically impact the intricate email ecosystems found within higher education institutions, particularly those managing multiple email sending platforms and diverse audience types.
Understanding the new requirements for universities
The new guidelines from Google and Yahoo focus on three main pillars: strong email authentication, easy one-click unsubscribe options, and low spam complaint rates. For universities, this means that all outgoing email, regardless of its origin within the institution, must meet these standards to ensure delivery to recipients, especially those with Gmail or Yahoo addresses.
Many universities use a mix of specialized higher education platforms, like Slate or Destiny One, alongside general marketing tools such as Mailchimp or Constant Contact. Each of these platforms sends email on behalf of the university's primary domain. This setup requires careful configuration of authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC across every sending service to maintain domain reputation.
A critical aspect for universities is the distinction between internal and external email. While the primary focus of the new requirements is on bulk email sent to external recipients (e.g., prospective students, alumni, donors), email sent internally, from one university email address to another within the same domain, might also be affected depending on the internal mail system's configuration and how it processes DMARC policies.
It is essential for university IT departments and communication teams to collaborate closely. This ensures that all sending systems are correctly configured and monitored, preventing widespread deliverability issues that could impact critical university communications.
Authentication: the cornerstone of deliverability
The foundation of Google and Yahoo's new rules lies in robust email authentication. This includes properly configured SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) records. If these are not aligned, emails are at a high risk of being blocked or sent to spam folders. I've seen many questions arise about what DMARC and DKIM updates are needed for these new requirements.
For universities, maintaining correct DMARC, SPF, and DKIM across various platforms can be complex. Each external email service provider (ESP) used by a department must be authorized to send email on behalf of the university's domain. Without this, emails sent from these platforms will likely fail authentication checks, negatively affecting overall email deliverability. This also applies to emails sent directly from non-person or individual person accounts if they reach a large external audience.
Here’s how common sending scenarios might be affected:
Internal email to external recipients: Emails sent to @gmail.com or @yahoo.com addresses must comply with all requirements. If a university is using Google Workspace for Education, internal emails might be implicitly trusted, but those leaving the domain are subject to strict checks.
Email from non-person accounts: Mass emails sent from accounts like information@university.edu to external audiences must have correct DMARC alignment and meet all other requirements. Without this, they risk severe deliverability issues, including being sent to spam or outright blocked.
Email from individual person accounts: If an individual faculty or staff member sends bulk email directly from their university email account to an external list (e.g., for research participation or alumni engagement), these emails are also subject to the new rules. The volume of email often determines if it's considered bulk and thus requires compliance.
Internal email to internal recipients: While primarily focused on external email, a university's internal mail routing can still be affected. Depending on how your IT department has configured DMARC policies for incoming mail, emails that fail authentication (even if sent from within) could be flagged. This scenario highlights the importance of discussing your internal email settings with IT.
Proper DMARC alignment is particularly vital, as both Google and Yahoo require emails to be DMARC authenticated. You can learn more about a simple guide to DMARC, SPF, and DKIM. Incorrect DMARC policies can lead to significant deliverability problems, manifesting as temporary errors.
Strategies for navigating the new email landscape
To ensure compliance and maintain high email deliverability, universities need a comprehensive strategy that addresses their multi-platform reality. This begins with a thorough audit of all email sending sources associated with the university's domain.
Implementing a centralized approach to email authentication and monitoring is key. Even if departments use different sending platforms, their email must adhere to a unified authentication policy. This involves setting up DMARC records with a strict policy (quarantine or reject) and ensuring all legitimate sending sources pass DMARC alignment. You can use our DMARC record generator to create a starting policy.
Universities should also prioritize keeping their spam complaint rates below the required threshold of 0.1% to avoid being blocklisted (or blacklisted). This involves sending relevant content, maintaining clean mailing lists, and implementing a clear one-click unsubscribe mechanism for all bulk mail. This threshold impacts subdomain and domain reputation.
Regular monitoring of email metrics, including delivery rates, bounce rates, and spam complaints, is crucial. Tools that provide DMARC monitoring and domain reputation insights can help identify and resolve issues quickly, before they escalate into major deliverability problems.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Conduct a comprehensive audit of all email sending platforms and domains used across the university to identify potential compliance gaps.
Centralize DMARC, DKIM, and SPF management under the IT department to ensure consistent and correct configurations for all sending sources.
Educate all departments and individuals involved in email sending about the new Google and Yahoo requirements.
Implement a consistent one-click unsubscribe option across all marketing and bulk email sends, as required by the new regulations.
Regularly monitor your domain's spam complaint rates across all sending platforms, aiming to stay well below the 0.1% threshold.
Common pitfalls
Assuming internal email is exempt from all deliverability best practices, potentially leading to internal email filtering issues.
Ignoring emails sent from non-person accounts directly from departmental inboxes, as these can also be flagged as bulk if volume is high.
Failing to update DMARC, DKIM, and SPF records across all disparate email service providers used by various departments.
Lack of a unified email governance policy, allowing departments to use unapproved sending methods or platforms.
Not monitoring domain reputation and complaint rates across all sending IPs and domains, missing early warning signs of deliverability problems.
Expert tips
Leverage DMARC aggregate reports to gain visibility into all email sending sources using your domain, including unauthorized ones.
Consider segmenting email lists to reduce complaint rates and improve engagement for different university audiences.
Prioritize consolidating email sending to fewer, well-managed platforms where possible, simplifying compliance efforts.
Set up alerts for changes in domain reputation or sudden spikes in complaint rates to react quickly to potential issues.
Collaborate with your IT department to review and harden email security protocols for all outgoing mail from the university domain.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks says: You should discuss internal email settings and special casing your own mail with Google and your IT department to ensure compliance.
2024-01-12 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks says: Reining in diverse departmental email sending practices will be a significant challenge, requiring strong messaging about the impact on communication with students and alumni.
2024-01-12 - Email Geeks
Navigating the future of university email
Google and Yahoo's new email requirements represent a significant shift for all bulk senders, and universities with their multi-platform email strategies are particularly affected. Ensuring robust email authentication, low spam rates, and easy unsubscribes across every sending system is no longer optional.
While the task of coordinating multiple departmental email platforms might seem daunting, adopting a proactive and centralized approach to email deliverability is paramount. This includes auditing current practices, consolidating authentication configurations, and continuously monitoring email performance.
By addressing these new mandates thoughtfully, universities can safeguard their email reputation, ensure critical communications reach their intended audiences, and maintain the trust of their students, faculty, staff, and external stakeholders.
Gmail or 
Yahoo addresses.
Google Workspace for Education, internal emails might be implicitly trusted, but those leaving the domain are subject to strict checks.
