Information Technology Services

New Student Account and Email Activation

If you are an accepted student at Alfred University (AU) you are eligible to access the University's computer network and receive a free e-mail account on the AU server. Your account will automatically be activated during the enrollment process and provided to you by our Admissions team to the e-mail address you used to apply to the University.

Self service password reset process
Accepted students will be notified what their Alfred account is from Admissions. If you are still unsure of what your Alfred email is please contact the ITS Helpdesk at 607-871-2222 or at [email protected].

Open a web browser and navigate to https://aka.ms/sspr
In the Get back into your account screen, type your Alfred email address, prove you aren't a robot by entering the characters you see on the screen, and then select Next.

Note: If you don't know your Alfred email address, please contact Admissions

3. Select one of the methods to verify your identity and set your password and add the requested information.

Reset methods

Reset your password using an email address

This reset method sends an email to the email address you have listed in Banner.

Select Email my alternate email, and then select Email.
Type the verification code from the email into the box, and then select Next.
Type and confirm your new password, and then select Finish.

Reset your password using a text message

This option sends a text message to the phone number you have listed in Banner.

Select Text my mobile phone, type your phone number, and then select Text.
Type the verification code from the text message into the box, and then select Next.
Type and confirm your new password, and then select Finish.

Reset your password using a phone number

This method places an automated voice call to the phone number you have listed in Banner.

Select Call my mobile phone, type your phone number, and then select Call.
Answer the phone call and follow the instructions to verify your identity, and then select Next.
Type and confirm your new password, and then select Finish.

How to change your password

If you just want to change your password, you can do it through the Office 365 portal, the My Apps portal, or the Windows 10 or Windows 11 sign-in page.

Use this method if you typically access your apps through the Office portal:

Sign in to your Office 365 account, using your existing password.
Select your profile on the upper-right side, and then select View account.
Select Security & privacy > Password.
Type your old password, create and confirm your new password, and then select Submit.

To change your password from the My Apps portal

Use this method if you typically access your apps from the My Apps portal:

Sign in to the My Apps portal, using your existing password.
Select your profile on the upper-right side, and then select Profile.
Select Change password.
Type your old password, create and confirm your new password, and then select Submit.

To change your password at Windows sign-in

At the Windows login screen, you should see a link to Reset your password.

Select the Reset password link to start the password reset process without having to use the normal web-based experience.
Confirm your user ID and select Next.
Select and confirm a contact method for verification. If necessary, choose a second verification option that's different from your previous one, filling in the necessary info.
On the Create a new password page, type and confirm your new password, and then select Next. Strong passwords typically have 8 to 16 characters, including upper and lowercase characters, at least one number, and at least one special character.
After you get the message saying that your password has been reset, you can select Finish. If you still can't access your account, you should contact your organization's administrator for more help.

Problem: When I try to change my password, I get an error.
Description: Your password has a word, phrase, or pattern that makes your password easily guessable.
Solution: Try again using a stronger password.
Problem: After I enter my User ID, I go to a page that says, "Please contact your administrator."
Description: "Microsoft has determined that your user account password is managed by your administrator in an on-premises environment. As a result, you can't reset your password from the "Can't access your account" link.
Solution: Your administrator hasn't turned on password reset for your organization from the "Can't access your account" link, or hasn't licensed you to use the feature. To reset your password, you must select the "contact an administrator link" to send an email to your company's administrator, and let them know you want to reset your password.
Problem: After I enter my User ID, I get an error that says, "We couldn't verify your account."
Description: The sign-in process was unable to verify your account info.
Solution: There are two reasons you could be seeing this message:
1. Your administrator turned on password reset for your organization, but you haven't registered to use the service. To register for password reset, see one of the following articles, based on your verification method: Set up security info to use an authenticator app (preview), Set up security info to use a phone call (preview), Set up security info to use text messaging (preview), Set up security info to use email (preview), or Set up security info to use security questions (preview).
2. Your administrator hasn't turned on password reset for your organization. In this situation, you must select the "contact an administrator link" to send an email to your administrator, asking to reset your password.

A network account allows you to access AU library databases from off-campus.
A network account allows you to log onto the public access computers in the computer labs and print from these computers. Without a network account you will be unable to use the printers in the open computer labs.

Electronic mail is the official means of campus-wide communication. All students, faculty, and staff are required to read and monitor their Alfred University e-mail account.