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Once you have created your account, you will be prompted to set up multi-factor authentication (MFA). MFA will ask you to confirm your identify when you sign in. This adds an additional layer of security to your university account. You may already be familiar with MFA if you use online banking.

MFA can be set up using your mobile phone, via an app, receiving an SMS text message or a phone call. We would recommend that you set up the app and SMS. Read guidance on how to set up MFA in this Knowledge Base article. 

Please note, you will need to add a second method for authenticating. This is really important because if one method fails, you have another way to verify your identity. This minimises the risk of being locked out of your account.  

If you have not already added a second method, log in here, click 'Add sign-in method' and follow the prompts.

Full instructions are in section 5: Setting up a second method of authentication.

This is an important step in setting up your account, so please do it as soon as possible.

You have access to approximately 2,000 computer workstations within rooms across all campuses and in most halls of residence. Log in and use these machines using your university username and password. The Library also offers a laptop loan service that is available to students.

If you bring your own device, you will be able to access university services and software – there are more details on this below.

If you’re considering buying a new laptop, it’s worth discussing with your faculty or school office which is most suitable for your studies (some software will only work on Windows devices). 

All students have access to 5TB of OneDrive secure, backed up cloud storage as a part of your university Office 365 account. You have this for the duration of your studies. On university computers, OneDrive is set as your default saving location and can be found under ‘Documents’. If you have downloaded OneDrive to your personal device it will appear as a folder location. If you haven’t downloaded the app, you will still be able to access OneDrive by logging into www.office.com. For more information login to our Microsoft 365 Support Centre site.

Every student at the University uses Blackboard to access their course materials, view online lectures, and communicate with their tutor.

Please check that you can use Blackboard. Open Chrome and type the following link: https://Blackboard.soton.ac.uk

Login with your username (e.g. ab1c15@soton.ac.uk) and password that you created during the subscribe step on the welcome page.

MySouthampton is the University's official app and gives you access to your timetable, course information, campus maps and much more. You can download the MySouthampton app from your device's app store.

Further information about MySouthampton can be found here.

Once you have set up your IT account, you can sign in to the Office 365 apps online or visit this link to download Office365 apps to your personal device. Office 365 allows you to access your email, contacts, calendars & documents from virtually any device, anywhere you have an internet connection. You can download it on up to five devices. The Microsoft Teams app is widely used for courses across all faculties at the University. It may be helpful to familiarise yourself with Teams before you join us if you haven’t used it before. Microsoft has some free training available online.

You have full, free, unlimited access LinkedIn Learning. This is a library of video-based online training on a wide range of topics. You’ll find courses to support your studies, wellbeing, workplace skills and even instructional videos for using IT applications. You don’t need a LinkedIn account to use this resource – just log in with your university credentials and get started.

If you need a specific software application for your course, get more information on what’s available and how to access it. Please note that some software will only work on Windows devices and is only accessible on university computers, due to licensing restrictions.

You can connect to the internet from your rooms in halls using an Ethernet cable or for Wi-Fi (see section above on eduroam). Please Note: Due to the authentication requirements, you may not be able to connect your printer, smart TV, or voice activated speaker/digital assistant via eduroam. Details on how to connect these devices can be found in this step-by-step guide.

The University uses Follow Me Print, a managed service that enables students to print documents from anywhere to any managed printing device. You can print to any university printer and have 24 hours to release and collect it. More information is available here on printing services, costs, and credit.

You can access many university systems directly via your internet browser (eg: Blackboard.soton.ac.uk, SUSSED.soton.ac.uk, timetable.soton.ac.uk). However, there are some services that require a secure connection to the university network (eg: library resources and licensing of university software applications). You can connect via the Southampton Virtual Environment (SVE), which provides a similar experience to an on-site computer – or via Global Protect. Full information and instructions are available at: Away from campus | iSolutions | University of Southampton.

The Knowledge Base contains simple guides to assist you with common issues. Just login to the Knowledge Base with your usual username and password then enter the topic into the search bar (eg: ‘Reset password’).

It's important that you are aware of potential cyber threats whilst you’re at the University. Please make sure you check the advice on how to keep yourself and university information safe. Some key resources include:

• Phishing emails – how to spot them and what to do
• Staying safe online
• Protecting your device from cyber criminals

More information and advice is available on the Cyber Security site.

This IT skills learning pathway is especially designed for new students.

It includes content from a few LinkedIn Learning courses to help prepare you for your first day – from learning about Outlook to advice on managing your time and wellbeing. You will also find important information about staying safe online, accessing software and cloud storage available to you.

Some of these courses are longer than others. You don’t need to watch the whole course or do it all in one go to benefit. We suggest you bookmark/favourite this page so you can come back to it easily.

Do you want to build your digital skills to help you study more effectively? Perhaps you want to be able to communicate with others across a range of media or make better use of digital tools to manage your work.

The Jisc Discovery tool is a digital skills self-assessment. It asks you questions about your skills and confidence in different areas, then creates a report, highlighting your strengths and areas where you can develop your skills. The report also recommends resources to help you build your skills, including learning pathways we have built in LinkedIn Learning. Please note, the report is anonymous – your name will not be saved.

Access more information and a guide for students, or you can simply log in and get started.

Gartner is a research and consultancy organisation that produces world-leading IT, technology and business resources.

Students can access these for free through Gartner Campus Access.

The resources include real-life business case studies, trends and experts’ opinions, which can be referenced in coursework or dissertations. Plus, there are other resources that provide valuable insight into how businesses operate, which is great preparation for a future career.

Find out more about Gartner Campus Access, including how to login.

iSolutions provides and manages access to a range of IT resources and services on behalf of the University.

In addition to the University regulations, the Director of iSolutions has (with the approval of the University) put in place the following regulations and policies relating to the use of services provided by iSolutions.

• The regulations for the use of computing services apply to use of all services provided by iSolutions.
• University data network - terms and conditions apply to any devices or services connected to the University of Southampton network.
• University data network - halls of residence connections, terms and conditions apply to all users and systems connected in the halls of residence.

Our regulations and policies can be found at Regulations and policies.