Despite significant progress to reduce storage, there are many cases in which users may wish to retain data that significantly exceeds their storage quotas. To accommodate the need for extraordinarily large storage capacity while being sensitive to the overall campus storage and budget constraints, DTS is working on a process to give select user groups the ability to pay for additional storage space for their own personal or shared Google drive.
Continue reading below for more information.
What to Know
- The Google Workspace storage renewal and purchase period is now open to UCLA faculty, staff and academic appointees who need to purchase additional storage beyond their standard UCLA allocation. The deadline to submit renewals and/or new orders for the upcoming storage term (January 1 – June 30, 2027)is Friday, October 30. 2026.
- Official Purchase Form Launch — Action required by Friday, October 30, 2026: Current paid-storage subscribers must renew, change, or discontinue their subscription through Software Central. New subscribers who are interested in purchasing additional storage must also submit new orders by this deadline.
- Important Storage Form Launch: Storage purchased beyond the free allocation associated with your eligible UCLA affiliation for the upcoming term January 1 - June 30, 2027 will be subject to the applicable storage fees, and you will be billed for purchases made for the upcoming term. Users will not be billed for storage purchases previously made for the current pilot term (July 1 – December 31, 2026).
Eligibility
At this time, groups eligible for storage purchases will include:
- User (Personal) Drives
- Faculty
- Research
- Academic Appointees
- Staff
- Registered research shared drives – Registration required
Note: Non-research shared drives are not eligible for individual storage purchases. However, you may be able to work with your department leaders to purchase a high-volume department shared drive once the purchase process is live.
How Google Workspace Purchasing Will Work
To support a seamless transition to this new purchase model, DTS is proactively launching a pilot purchase phase for the term July 2026 – December 2026.
- Eligible users may submit online order(s) via Software Central during the limited purchase period for their desired storage tier. Users (“subscribers”) will not be charged for this purchase during the pilot term.
- Subscribers will receive a renewal order in fall 2026 for the 6-month term beginning in January 2027. At this time, users will have the opportunity to increase or decrease your storage limit. You will be charged for this storage purchase. New subscribers may also submit new orders for Google Workspace storage.
Refer to the Google Workspace Storage Purchase user guide for step-by-step guidance on submitting orders through Software Central.
All UCLA Google Workspace users and shared drives are assigned to a baseline storage limit “tier” based on your affiliation type. This storage limit tier corresponds to your Permanent Baseline Quota.
The storage quota represents the maximum amount of storage space that is available to you in your UCLA Google Workspace account.
By purchasing a storage tier, you are unlocking additional access to use up to the designated storage limit. For example, if your storage tier limit is currently 500GB and you purchase access to the 1TB tier, you will be then able to use up to 1TB of storage space.
Google Workspace storage purchases will be offered in in six (6) month terms: January – June, and July – December.
- Eligible users will submit a storage purchase order during the limited enrollment periods leading up to the start of each term.
- Please note that orders may only be submitted during the designated purchase / renewal period leading up to the next storage term. The storage tier you purchase cannot be changed until the next purchase / renewal period, and you may not purchase additional storage until the next registration period.
- At the end of the 6-month term, you will receive a notification to renew your purchase. At this time, you may choose to maintain the same storage tier, as well as increase or reduce your storage tier.
- Please estimate the most appropriate amount of storage you may need for the upcoming storage term. As we cannot accommodate mid-cycle increases, we recommend purchasing the upper limit of your storage needs.
PLEASE NOTE: The upcoming storage term 7/1/2026 – 12/31/2026 is a pilot purchase term, and users will not be charged for purchases made using this form during this period.
The Google Workspace storage fees noted below will apply beginning with the 1/1/2027 – 6/30/2027 term.
Google Workspace Storage Fees:
| Eligibility | Storage Tier Amount | Cost (Per 6 Months) |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Drives | ||
| Alumni, Retirees, Non-Affiliates | 5GB (Gmail Only) | No Cost |
| Students | 20GB | No Cost |
| Staff, Faculty, Researchers, Academic Appointees (Not Academic Students) | Staff: 20GB – 500GB Faculty, Researchers, Academic Appointees: 50GB – 500GB | No Cost |
| Staff, Faculty, Researchers, Academic Appointees (Not Academic Students) | 1TB | $36 |
| Staff, Faculty, Researchers, Academic Appointees (Not Academic Students) | 2TB | $108 |
| Staff, Faculty, Researchers, Academic Appointees (Not Academic Students) | 5TB | $324 |
| Staff, Faculty, Researchers, Academic Appointees (Not Academic Students) | TBD – Custom 5TB+ Storage Tier Per Request Only* | TBD |
| Shared Drives | ||
| Non-Research Shared Drive (Standard) | 20GB | No Cost |
| Registered Research Shared Drive | 20GB – 2TB | No Cost |
| Registered Research Shared Drives, Non-Research Department Shared Drives | 5TB | $222 |
| Registered Research Shared Drives, Non-Research Department Shared Drives | TBD – Custom 5TB+ Storage Tier Per Request Only* | TBD |
*Custom storage requests will be reviewed by the UCLA Google Workspace team. If approved, the Google Workspace team will contact the requester to confirm the storage costs prior to fulfillment.
All Google Workspace Storage purchases will require a UCLA Full Accounting Unit (FAU). Storage purchase will incur a charge starting with the January 2027 term.
Start working with your department leadership now to include Google Workspace storage costs in your 2027 budget plans.
What to Do
- Current Subscribers: Renew your Google Workspace Storage Purchase by Friday, October 30
- Starting October 19, 2026, current subscribers will receive a renewal notification for the 6-month term beginning in January 2027. Please note that the associated FAU administrator will also receive a notification for informational purposes only; they do not need to take any action.
- At this time, you will have the opportunity to maintain, increase or decrease your storage tier. You will be charged for any storage purchase made at this time.
- New Subscribers: Submit new orders for the upcoming storage term by Friday, October 30
- Submit a new order through Software Central. Be sure to select the appropriate product based on your storage type (Personal or Shared Drive) and desired storage tier.
Support & Resources
- Refer to the Google Workspace Storage Purchase user guide for step-by-step guidance on submitting orders through Software Central.
- The Google Workspace Service Adjustments website will be updated with the latest updates, news and support resources for this initiative; bookmark and visit the site regularly to stay up to date.
- Visit the How Am I Affected? page for the most current information on how you are impacted by this change. Also, visit the Tips for Data Hygiene page for instructions on reducing storage usage in compliance with your Permanent Baseline Quotas.
- For any further assistance or questions, please contact help@it.ucla.edu.