MyAccount FAQs

MyAccount is the service for managing your UCL password. We ask you to:

• register your mobile phone and/or your personal e-mail address which allows you to securely reset your password without having to contact ISD IT Services. 
• set a password (up to 30 characters). The stronger your password the longer you can keep it.
• Check the strength of your password. The password strength meter will show you if your password is acceptable before you submit it.

The use of SMS and e-mail to help users recover passwords is common practice for the likes of Google, Yahoo and Microsoft so many users will be familiar with this approach.

When you first log into MyAccount you will be asked to register your mobile phone number and/or personal e-mail address. This is a one-off exercise, though of course you can change your phone number or email address if you need to.

By registering your phone number and/or e-mail address, you can easily reset your password if you forget it by requesting a password reset code that will be sent to you. By registering both a phone number and personal e-mail address you improve your chances of getting the password reset code at the first attempt.

If you forget your password, you can request that a password reset code is sent to your registered phone and/or e-mail address. By registering both a phone number and personal e-mail address you improve your chances of getting the password reset code at the first attempt.

You'll be asked to register a phone number and/or e-mail address the first time you use MyAccount.

Text message and e-mail reset codes are more secure as they are only visible to you. This is more secure than previous systems where password tokens were created manually.

If you do not have a mobile phone or access to a personal email address, please contact the IT Services.

MyAccount uses a text messaging service, so messages will not appear to come from a UCL phone number.

If you have a UK mobile phone number (international dialling code 44), you will receive texts from "UCLISD".

If you register a US mobile phone number, the SMS message will come from a US number ending 18792

If you register another international mobile phone number, the SMS message will come from a UK number ending 55439.

Note: the full number is not published here, to prevent it being misused. If you wish to verify the number, contact the ISD IT Services.

MyAccount only sends text messages for registering your phone and for sending password reset codes. You will not receive other messages from this ID/number. Details stored in MyAccount are not used for any other purpose and are not made available to other UCL systems.

MyAccount allows you to set passwords with a minimum of 12 characters and a maximum of 30 characters. The stronger your password the longer you can keep it – up to one year.

Please note that your password must be at least of 'Medium' strength. 'Weak' password strengths are not accepted.

One simple trick to pick a new password is to take 3 words and join them together with a number and a symbol (from the acceptable characters list). Although this will be more characters to type each time, using linked words should be both easier to remember and quicker to type.

If you're worried about registering your mobile phone or personal e-mail address, hopefully we can reassure you.

When you register your number and/or email it is encrypted and stored in the MyAccount database.

Your phone number and/or e-mail is not visible to staff and cannot be accessed by any other system. Phone and e-mail details are stored separately from other account information and your registered number is not displayed in full within the application, although your email address is. If someone has your password and can access your account, they will not be able to retrieve your phone number from MyAccount, although they will be able to see your registered e-mail address.

Your number and e-mail address will not be used for any purpose other than sending you phone and/or e-mail registration or password reset codes. You will certainly not receive unsolicited calls or e-mails from ISD staff to your mobile number or personal email address once you've registered with the system.

We have specifically chosen not to import mobile phone or personal e-mail address details that may be stored elsewhere at UCL (for example in the Student Records or HR systems) in order to allow you to register your current number and preferred e-mail address, not one that's possibly out of date or used for other purposes.

Remember: ISD staff will never ask you to tell them your password and you should never tell your password to anyone else.