Update (May 8, 2026 at 8:30 a.m.) — Canvas is operational. Students, faculty and staff should continue to use the system. It is recommended that you make local backups of your work. 

Montana State University is monitoring nationwide disruptions to the Canvas learning management system that began on May 7, 2026. This page contains communications sent to students, faculty and staff. 

Current Communications

Email to students

Sent at 8:07 a.m. on May 8, 2026

Dear Students,

Canvas is now operational.

If you have outstanding coursework to complete in Canvas, please continue to use the system. I recommended that you regularly back up your work by saving files to your personal computer or an external drive.

Email to instructors

Sent at 8:15 a.m. on May 8, 2026

Dear MSU Instructors,
 
Canvas is operational. 
 
The vendor has notified the university that Canvas is up and running. Instructors should continue to use the system as normal. However, we recommend that you make local backups of your grades as a precaution. 
 
As a reminder, the grade submission deadline remains extended to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 13. 
 
If you have questions or need guidance on making adjustments to your courses, please contact your department head or dean. If you have technical questions regarding Canvas, contact Academic Technology and Outreach at canvas@montana.edu or 406-994-3255. 
 
Thank you for your patience during this disruption. 

Previous Communications

Sent at 5:50 p.m. on May 7, 2026

Dear MSU Community,

Canvas is currently down across the country, including the Montana University System, due to a service disruption beyond our control. We do not currently have any indication of when access to Canvas will be restored. The university is aware of the outage and is monitoring the situation.

We trust faculty to determine the best course of action to finish the semester in a way that fits with their courses. Faculty will need to decide the appropriate mechanisms to close out courses and communicate to students.

We encourage flexibility, but your approach must be consistent for all the students in your course. Please keep in mind that your adjustments must remain consistent with existing accommodation plans coordinated through the Office of Disability Services. Please make sure you document the approach you’ve used for all students.

Guidance

  • If you are scheduled to give an in-person final exam, continue as planned.
  • If your final exam or remaining assignments/work were disrupted by the Canvas outage, please communicate next steps via NavMSU for course completion with your students as soon as possible.
  • This is an evolving situation. The stability of Canvas, even if it seems to come back online, is not assured. We recommend that you pivot to accepting assignments and submissions via an alternate platform such as email, OneDrive, SharePoint or other MSU tool and not wait for Canvas.
  • If Canvas comes back online, it is recommended that you backup outside of Canvas.

At this time, the deadline for submitting grades has been extended to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 13. We’ll continue to monitor the situation and provide any updates as needed.

We recognize this is an unanticipated disruption. If you need additional guidance, please contact your department head or dean.

(Attached to this email is a copy of the email that went out to students a short while ago.)

Sent at 5:31 p.m. on May 7, 2026

Guidance for Final Exams Affected by Canvas Outage

Dear MSU Students, 

Canvas is currently down across the country, including the Montana University System, due to a service disruption beyond our control. We do not currently have any indication of when access to Canvas will be restored. This is an evolving situation. 

Please know that the university is aware of the outage and is monitoring the situation. At this time, MSU recommends the following actions:

If you are scheduled to take an in-person exam, attend your scheduled exam time. 
If you were in a final exam that was affected by the outage, watch for an email or other communication from your instructor.
If your final is impacted by the Canvas outage, watch for an email or other communication from your instructor.
If you have a paper or other assignment to turn in via Canvas, watch for a communication from your instructor.
Candidates for graduation should attend the ceremonies as planned. 

We recognize this is an unanticipated disruption and are here to offer you support to close out the semester. If you need further help or have questions, contact your instructor through NavMSU or contact Academic Technology and Outreach at canvas@montana.edu or 406-994-3255.