Student IT log-in guide

Student IT Log-In Guide

This page provides a guide for students accessing College IT systems at City of Glasgow College including setting up your College IT account to use with Microsoft 365 email, College Wifi (also known as Eduroam) and the College’s Virtual Learning Environment, Canvas. 

Please note:

• After you have enrolled on your course, it takes one working day (24 hours) before you can setup your college account and become active on all our systems.

• You will know that you have been enrolled when you are given a student ID.

• Please wait at least one working day after your enrolment before you follow these instructions.

• After that you will be able to log in and access the college services, but your lecturer will inform you when you can access your class materials on Canvas.

Step by Step Guide to Logging into Your College IT Account

Please ensure you wait a full 24 hours after enrolling on your course before setting up your college IT account.  

If you applied or enrolled through the college website you will find your student reference number listed there.  It should also be on any email correspondence you've received from the college.  If you are still unsure of your reference number please contact student records on 0141 375 5196.

You can set up your college IT account from home if you have access to a browser and a separate smartphone.

If you are setting up your account in College you can use any college PC, Thin Client or Mac to complete the full setup of your account.

You can check you have completed your College account setup properly by visiting our new Account Checker.

​If you are setting your account up from home.  Open https://www.office.com in a web browser on your computer and select 'sign-in' on the page (also available in the top right hand corner).

1.  Login using your email which is:  studentnumber@cityofglacol.ac.uk 

2.  Type in your initial default password. This is the word City followed by your own date of birth - CityDDMMYY.

For example, if your student number is 12345678 and your date of birth is 21/11/01, your login details would be:

Username: 12345678@cityofglacol.ac.uk
Default initial password: City211101

 3.  Once you have entered your initial password successfully you will be asked to provide ‘More Information' as part of the initial configuration for Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). 

By setting up MFA, you add an extra layer of security to your Microsoft 365 account sign-in. For example, you first enter your password and, when prompted, you also type a dynamically generated verification code provided by an authenticator app or sent to your phone.

 4.  Click ‘Next’ to continue where you will be prompted to set up Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).   

MFA requires an additional method to confirm your identity.  This can be by using the Microsoft Authenticator app, receiving an SMS text message or by phone call.  We recommend using the MFA Smartphone application detailed in the video below (skip to section 6 to see how to set up SMS text or phone call verification).

You can download the Microsoft Authenticator App either from Google Play or AppStore for iOS using the QR codes below. 

iPhone                                                                                                           

Android

Follow the on-screen instructions to set up the Microsoft Authenticator App.  Once the app is downloaded and installed, you will need to use it for continued secure access to your College account. Please do not delete the app during your time at College.

 5.  On your phone, within the Authenticator App, click on the ‘Add’ button or 3 dots on the top right corner and select “Work or School account” followed by “Scan a QR Code”. Scan the on-screen barcode with your MS Authenticator App.   

After clicking ‘Next’, it will prompt you to do a test of the application.  

If setup has been successful, a message will be shown with a green tick, which means MFA was configured properly. Click ‘Next’ to continue.

6.   If you need to set up MFA another way, please watch the appropriate videos below for SMS and phone call.

7.  Back to your initial browser window where you will be asked to change your initial default password. Re-enter your initial default password (CityDDMMYY ) and choose a new password for yourself.  This password should be unique and not used for other websites or services. If you try to use a common password an error message will be displayed. 

If your password choice was accepted and everything is completed successfully, your new password will be set.   

You will see the next prompt asking you if you want to ‘Stay Signed In’.  If you are logging into your own device, choose ‘Yes’ to reduce the number of times you are prompted for your password. 

You can now use your College IT account and password to access IT services at College and home. Please now visit CityLife your student intranet, where you'll find lots of useful information about studying at City and links to important college systems and support services. 

When you sign in to College services from home or your personal devices, you may be prompted for your MFA code via the Authenticator app or text message.

Further Information

You can check you have completed your College account setup properly by visiting our new Account Checker.

If you need help or support please contact the IT Service Desk

• IT Service Desk self-service portal
• Guest access for students with account problems who can't log in to College systems