鈿� Verify: Sender addresses for Brightspace and campus offices can vary. Open one real message and confirm the exact From address before finalizing a filter.

Step 1 鈥� Create your core labels

Required

  • VIP 鈥� Brightspace
  • VIP 鈥� Professors
  • Financial Aid & Billing
  • Registrar & Advising

Nice to have

  • Courses (nested: EGL 101, MTH 129)
  • Calendar Invites
  • Daily Sweep (low-stakes promos/newsletters)

Step 2 鈥� Add filters (copy & paste)

Gmail 鈫� Settings 鈫� See all settings 鈫� Filters and Blocked Addresses 鈫� Create a new filter.

Purpose Filter query (paste in Gmail search) Actions
Brightspace notifications from:(notifications@brightspace.* OR brightspace) OR subject:"Brightspace"
鈿� Confirm your campus sender, e.g., no-reply@brightspace.yourschool.edu.		 Apply label VIP 鈥� Brightspace; Never send to Spam; Mark as important; optionally Star it.
Professors (all .edu faculty) from:*.edu -from:no-reply -from:listserv
Add individual professor emails for tighter control.		 Apply label VIP 鈥� Professors; Mark as important; optionally Star.
Financial Aid & Billing subject:(financial aid OR FAFSA OR scholarship OR billing OR tuition) OR from:(financialaid@* bursar@*) Apply label Financial Aid & Billing; Mark as important.
Registrar & Advising subject:(registration OR "add/drop" OR transcript OR "degree audit" OR advising) OR from:(registrar@* advising@*) Apply label Registrar & Advising; Mark as important.
Course codes to course folders subject:("EGL 101" OR "MTH 129") Apply label Courses/EGL 101 (or relevant course); optionally Skip the Inbox but Mark as important.
Calendar invites has:invite Apply label Calendar Invites; keep in Inbox.
Low-stakes promos/newsletters category:promotions OR unsubscribe Apply label Daily Sweep; Skip the Inbox (Archive).

Step 3 鈥� Stars & mobile notifications

  • Settings 鈫� General 鈫� Stars: drag two icons to 鈥淚n use鈥� (e.g., Star = Action Today, Exclamation = Action This Week).
  • On the Gmail app: Notifications 鈫� choose High priority only. Gmail learns from your Important marking so VIP mail pings you, not promos.

What this looks like

Gmail filter setup with Brightspace query and label 鈥榁IP 鈥� Brightspace鈥� selected
Create a Brightspace VIP filter and apply label, star, and important.
Gmail left sidebar showing branded labels (VIP 鈥� Brightspace, VIP 鈥� Professors, Financial Aid & Billing) and an inbox preview.
Use clear, branded labels so VIP mail is one tap away.
Phone screen showing Gmail Notifications set to 鈥楬igh priority only鈥� with brand colors.
On mobile, set notifications to High priority only so VIP mail gets your attention.

5-Minute Daily Sweep

  1. Open VIP 鈥� Brightspace and VIP 鈥� Professors. Star items that need a response or work.
  2. Open Financial Aid & Billing and Registrar & Advising. Add dates to your calendar if needed.
  3. Open Daily Sweep and bulk-archive after a quick skim.

Accessibility: Use clear, descriptive label names (e.g., 鈥淰IP 鈥� Brightspace鈥�). Avoid tiny color chips as the only indicator; keep contrast high.

Need help? Book an advising setup session

Have questions about a specific Brightspace sender address? Bring one example email and we鈥檒l tailor your filters in minutes.