UAlert notifications are sent when there is an immediate threat or concern for the health or safety of the campus community. In addition, the university may send precautionary UAlert notifications for emergency situations occurring in or affecting nearby areas. 

UAlert may be activated in cases of:

• Violent activity, including:
  • Active shooter.
  • Immediate threat or concern to the health or safety of the University of Arizona community, including off-campus events.
• Hazards, including:
  • Major fires.
  • Hazardous material leaks or spills (with a threat to health and safety).
  • Health issues such as infectious diseases (following consultation with the Critical Incident Response Team).
• Major disruptions to university activity, including:
  • Severe weather.
  • Power outages.
• Other events presenting an immediate threat or concern for health or safety.

When possible, UAlerts include a brief description of the emergency, the location of the emergency, any action to take (e.g., stay away from a dangerous area, shelter in place, follow evacuation plan), a suspect description if a crime has been committed (language is from witness description), and a link to a map or the Campus Incident page.

In an emergency, UAlert information will be shared in the following ways:

• UAlert email and text message notifications.
• SafeCats app push notifications.
• Office of Public Safety X (Twitter) @UofA_Safety.
• Message Boards: Some classrooms on campus have message boards that show UAlert notifications.
• Campus Incidents page: UAlert notifications are posted to the Campus Incidents webpage.

Yes. UAlert is a cross-carrier service that sends to U.S. cellphone numbers.

No. At this time only 10-digit U.S. cellphone numbers can be registered for UAlert messages. If you do not have a U.S. cellphone number, you are encouraged to download the SafeCats app and enable push notifications to receive UAlerts. You will also receive UAlert emails to your university email address listed in UAccess.

No. UAlert uses the industry standard SMS text messaging protocol to send messages to your phone. Your cellphone will need to have text messaging services enabled in order for you to receive the messages.

You can also receive UAlert notifications by downloading the SafeCats app and enabling push notifications.

Maybe. If your current wireless service plan includes charges for incoming text messages, that rate will apply to UAlert text messages. Check with your carrier. You can choose to unsubscribe from text messages in one of two ways:

1. Reply to a UAlert text with STOP.
2. Log in to your UAlert profile and remove your cellphone number.

UAlert notifications are currently available for Tucson, Greater Phoenix (including Chandler and Gilbert), Oro Valley and Sierra Vista. 

The university has effective communication systems in place and makes every effort to communicate in the event of an emergency. The university contracts with a third party vendor to provide emergency communications and cannot guarantee the service will always perform as expected. In rare circumstances, there may be service interruptions due to system errors or maintenance. In critical and life-threatening incidents, the university has a partnership with Pima County that provides alternate tools for communicating during emergencies.

Emails will come from ualert@safecats.arizona.edu.

Text messages may come from any of the following numbers: 226787, 67283, 77295, or 78015. Please save these numbers as a UAlert contact so that you can quickly recognize a UAlert is being sent.

Delivery time varies by notification method. Expected delivery times are:

• Push notifications via the SafeCats mobile app: usually arrive within 30 seconds
• Text messages: typically delivered within 5–7 minutes
• Email messages: may take up to 15 minutes

Delivery speeds can vary depending on your carrier or service provider. You can enable multiple notification methods (push, text, and email) to ensure you receive alerts as quickly as possible. 

No. You can add your cellphone number in your UAlert profile to receive text notifications. You can also download the SafeCats app and enable push notifications.

Visit UAccess. Log in to UAccess Student or UAccess Employee.

• Students, navigate to "Personal" in the top left of the navigation bar, and select "Personal Summary."
• Employees, select the "Personal Information" tile. 

UAccess data syncs with the UAlert system every night. Phone numbers can be edited by individuals in UAccess, but email address cannot.

UAccess data syncs with the UAlert system every night. 

You can log in to your UAlert profile and add the non @arizona.edu email address to your UAlert account.

No. You will receive both email and text notifications. Each phone number or email address you add to your profile will receive all Tucson messages plus the messages for each location you have opted into.

Smart911 is a free service that allows non-university users to receive UAlert emergency notifications by text or email. Users who already have a Smart911 profile should log in through the University of Arizona’s Smart911 link and opt-in to UAlert notifications. 

Yes. 

1. Log in to your UAlert profile to add or remove email addresses and cellphone numbers. There is not an option to remove your university email address.
2. If you are a current student, employee or designated campus colleague, update your cellphone number in UAccess Employee or UAccess Student and the new number will be automatically registered to receive UAlert text notifications, replacing the previous number. UAccess syncs with the UAlert system nightly.

To confirm, add or update your cellphone information in UAccess Employee, log in, select the "Personal Information" tile. Under “Personal Details,” select “Phone Numbers,” add or update your information, and select “Save.” UAccess syncs with the UAlert system nightly.

To confirm, add or update your cellphone information in UAccess Student, log in, select to "Personal" in the top navigation, then "Personal Summary." Select "Update information," then "Phone numbers." Add or update your information, and select “Save.” UAccess syncs with the UAlert system nightly.

You can choose to unsubscribe from text messages in one of two ways:

1. Reply to a UAlert text with STOP.
2. Log in to the UAlert profile and remove your cellphone number.

Generally, text messages are received more quickly than email messages.

If you are a university student, employee or designated campus colleague, your university email address in UAccess is automatically subscribed to receive Tucson UAlert messages. You cannot opt out of receiving these emails. If you added personal email addresses to your UAlert profile, you can remove those addresses from your profile.

For non-university subscribers, log in to your Smart911 account and remove the email accounts you would like to unsubscribe. You may unsubscribe from email alerts only, text alerts only, or the entire service.

For the new UAlert system launch, your university email and U.S. phone number listed in UAccess were automatically registered to receive Tucson UAlert notifications starting Aug. 18. If you do not have a cellphone number in UAccess, you can add it in UAccess or you can update your UAlert profile to receive text messages. If your information is correct in UAlert, please contact the 24/7 Support Center. 

The new UAlert system launches Aug. 18, 2025. Non-university users who enrolled in UAlert before Aug. 8 must create a profile using the University of Arizona's Smart911 link.

The UAlert system uses the email address listed in UAccess. First, check your personal information in UAccess.

Also, check your email settings to make sure you don’t have an existing rule in your email sending UAlerts to a folder or deleting them upon receipt. Some people prefer to forward messages out of their university email account and delete them as part of the forwarding. If you are still not receiving messages, please contact the 24/7 Support Center. 

The university contracts with a third party vendor to provide emergency UAlert notifications. Additionally, the university's contract with the vendor states that the vendor will not sell or share the contact information of our subscribers to third parties.

No. UAlert enforces a ZERO SPAM policy that clearly prohibits unsolicited messages, and the university’s vendor does not sell or share the contact information of our subscribers to third parties. You should only receive safety-related text messages and/or emails from the University of Arizona UAlert system.