MSCS IMAP, POP, and SMTP Servers

This page describes how to configure your mail client to use the MSCS POP or IMAP servers.

NOTE: if your email address is ****@uic.edu then you should use the ACCC server, not the MSCS server. Instructions are on this webpage.

We do not recommend using POP. If possible, you should use IMAP instead. If you are forced to use the POP server, we suggest you enable the option in your mail reader that leaves your mail on the server.

Incoming mail:

IMAP SERVER: imap.math.uic.edu
POP SERVER: pop.math.uic.edu

Outgoing mail:

MSCS does not relay email. Therefore you may only connect to our outgoing mail server through an encrypted connection which requires your MSCS username and password. (You should only need to enter the username in your mail client preferences. You should be prompted for the password when the connection is attempted.)

We use a self-signed certificate. Follow the directions for your specific email client to arrange that the certificate be accepted permanently.

The best choice for security is TLS:
SMTP server: smtp.math.uic.edu
Advanced settings:
PORT: 587
SECURITY: TLS
USERNAME: your MSCS username

A second option, using the older SSL security, is:
SMTP server: smtp.math.uic.edu
Advanced settings:
PORT: 465
SECURITY: SSL
USERNAME: your MSCS username

Notes for specific clients

PC-pine users can use one of the following configuration strings:
smtp-server=smtp.math.uic.edu:587/user=MSCSUSER/tls/novalidate-cert
smtp-server=smtp.math.uic.edu:465/user=MSCSUSER/ssl/novalidate-cert
where MSCSUSER should be replaced by the users MSCS login name.

The Macintosh Mail.app (as of version 2.1.3) does not have a separate checkbox for TLS. After clicking the "server settings" button, check the "Use Secure Sockets Layer(SSL)" checkbox, select Password Authentication and set "Server Port" to either 465 or 587. Port 587 is preferred.

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