Setting Passwords

Before you can check your Illinois email account or register for classes online, you will have to set a few passwords. Different services on campus have different passwords, so it may look like you will have to remember quite a few. Don't worry, it's possible to lower that number to two:

• Use one password for your NetID and EnterpriseID
  This password will allow you to set up your other passwords or download reduced price software. Once you get to campus, this password will also let you connect to the network, or do homework for class online.
• Use the other password for Express Email, Active Directory, and computing labs
  This password will allow you to check your University email account. Once you get to campus, this password will also let you store files online using NetFiles and log in to an ICS lab or the computer labs found within the University Residence Halls.

The requirements for acceptable passwords are different depending on the services that use them. For example, a password that is acceptable for use as a NetID password may not be acceptable for use as an EnterpriseID password. However, CITES has provided a list of requirements on the Suggestions for Simplifying Your Password Collection page; if your password conforms to these rules, then it will work for all of the services listed.

The following pages will explain to you more about setting your passwords. Please click NetID Claiming for Undergraduate Students or NetID Claiming for Graduate Students, depending on what your student status will be when you start at Illinois.

Visit the Guide to Passwords page for useful information about setting and using passwords. The CITES Password Quick Reference Guide gives an overview of which services use which usernames and passwords.

To help you remember your passwords, CITES recommends PasswordVault. You can learn more about PasswordVault on the Password Protection page.