Welcome to the University of Southampton

Welcome

Welcome to your Pre-sessional course. Here you will find information on what you need to do before starting your course.

It is important to complete the following steps before the start of the pre-sessional programme.

For more information and our meet and greet service please visit our Welcome and Induction page .

Your IT account

On this page you will find all the information you need to get started with your university IT. This includes:

• Setting up your student IT account
• The systems you need for your coursework and campus life
• How to connect to the Wi-Fi on campus and in halls of residence
• How to get help with your IT

So, let’s get started.

How do I set up and access my student IT account?

Before you start your course, you need to set up your university computing account and email address. This process can take around 15 minutes.

*Important* Setting up an IT account must be done by the student and not by an agent or representative . It is essential that students know their username, email address, password and the answers to the security questions when they arrive at Southampton.

What do I need?

You can set up your IT account from any computer with an internet connection. You will be asked to provide:

• your pre-sessional student ID number (you will find this in the emails from the pre-sessional admissions team)
• your family name
• your date of birth

Step 1: Setting up my IT account

• Go to https://subscribe.soton.ac.uk.
• Select 'Create your university computing account'.
• Follow the prompts to create security questions and set a password.
• When you create the security questions / answers, please enter them in English as this means we can help you more quickly if you need support.

Step 2: Setting up MFA

Next, you will be prompted to set up multi-factor authentication (MFA).

• This is to verify your identity when logging into your IT account
• Please allow 1 hour for your IT account to synchronise before moving onto this step
• Setting up MFA is essential, and you will be unable to access university IT services until this is complete

More detailed instructions can be found in this step-by-step guide, How to set up and manage Microsoft Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) .

• You will need your mobile device to complete this step
• Follow the prompts
• Please use the Microsoft app and install it from the Apple App store or Google Play Store for Android. (These apps won’t cost you any money)
• Once MFA is set up, you will be asked to verify your identity when you log in to your IT account, by adding a code from the app

Your account will become fully active within 1 hour. It can take up to 24 hours for the university systems and services to activate (including email and enrolment). At busy times there can sometimes be a delay in setting up MFA too, so you may need wait before completing this essential step of your account set up.

Step 3: Additional information
Lastly, you need to add some additional information. Your account set up isn’t complete until you have completed this.

• Go back to subscribe https://subscribe.soton.ac.uk
• A second email address. This means you can reset your password yourself if you forget it
• 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 lose or upgrade your phone. Log in here , select 'Add sign-in method' and follow the prompts. We recommend using SMS.
• If you are studying on campus and use a different mobile phone when you return home, please make sure you add this phone number to your account before you leave the UK. This means you will still be able to sign in if you can’t access your UK mobile phone.

During your time at the University, you will use these online tools and services.

Email
Once you have set up your University IT account, please check your emails regularly. The University will send important information to you using this email address. For example, information about your course, fees and accommodation.

To access your emails, go to SUSSED , sign in using your new username (e.g. ab1c15@soton.ac.uk ) and password and then click on the 'Email' icon from the 'Home' tab.

Web browsers

We recommend you use the following web browsers for your studies.

• Firefox if you are based in China – see this quick introduction to the Firefox browser .
• Chrome for non-China based students.

Blackboard

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 Firefox (or 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.

How do I get connected on campus and in halls?

Eduroam is the University's free Wi-Fi service. It is available across all our campuses and in Halls of Residence.

Connecting to eduroam is easy. Log in with your university username ( e.g. ab1c15@soton.ac.uk ) and password that you created when you set up your account.

Get more information on connecting to eduroam .

Connecting to the network remotely

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 .

What software is available to students (including Microsoft 365)?

Many software applications are available to you under a University licence whilst you are studying with us.

Microsoft 365: Once you have set up your IT account, you can sign in to the Microsoft 365 apps online or visit this link to download Microsoft 365 apps to your personal computer.

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 .

Other software applications: If you require a specific software application for any of your courses, there are a number available on our software download site .

How do I get help with my IT?

As you progress through the checklist you might have difficulty with some instructions. Please be persistent and try again.

If you are still having issues, you can access telephone, in-person and online support via the Getting Help page .

Enrol - officially join the University

Enrolling is how you officially join the University. You can be withdrawn from your course if you don’t enrol.

To do this, you will need the username and password you created when you set up your IT account (see step 1), so it is important to create your IT account in advance and remember your log in details.

You will need to wait for 30 minutes after setting up your IT account before you can enrol.

You can enrol online before you arrive at the University of Southampton by clicking on the Start enrolling now button below.

Please note that you MUST complete your enrolment before your induction.

Enrolment deadlines:

Course	Enrolment deadline	Induction	Teaching starts	End Date
16 weeks Online	16 May	16 to 17 May	20 May	5 September
16 weeks On Campus	16 May	16 to 17 May	20 May	5 September
11 weeks Online	20 June	20 to 21 June	24 June	5 September
11 weeks On Campus	20 June	20 to 21 June	24 June	5 September
6 weeks Online	11 July	11 to 12 July	15 July	22 August
6 weeks On Campus	11 July	11 to 12 July	15 July	22 August

Sort out your accommodation

Organising and confirming your accommodation before you arrive, and knowing what to do when you get here will ensure that you get off to the best start. It is important that you read this information carefully and ensure you have completed each step that applies to you before you continue.

Once we make you an offer, you will receive an email advising you to log in to your accommodation account to view and accept the offer. Please be aware the accommodation offer will have a deadline that you need to accept it by.

If you are interested in applying to stay in University accommodation after your Pre-sessional course, you can also do so now.

Compare our different options here to see which accommodation suits you best.

Arriving at your accommodation

When you arrive at your accommodation, the Residences team will be there to greet you and welcome you to our Halls community. The Residences team offer 24-hour support and assistance so there is always somebody to contact to reassure you and answer any questions.

We are unable to assist you moving in to your accommodation block so you will need to be able to carry your belongings yourself - please remember this when packing!

If you pay your Pre-sessional tuition fees yourself, they must be paid in full before you start the course. It is easy to do so using our secure online payment facility or via our international bank transfer service.

You must also let us know if your fees are being paid by a sponsor or other funder. You can give us their details by completing and emailing this form Sponsorship Form SP1 (PDF, 226KB) or an official letter from your sponsor to sponfee@soton.ac.uk .

Welcome and Induction

We look forward to welcoming you as students of the University of Southampton and have arranged induction tasks which will give you all the essential information about your pre-sessional online course. Completing the tasks will help you to prepare to get ready for your studies.

If you have any questions, please contact the Pre-sessional Team via email: studenthub@soton.ac.uk

Pre-sessional 16, 11 and 6 weeks - Online Study:
Your induction tasks are online via our Blackboard pages.

We will send a Pre-sessional Welcome Newsletter with more details before the start of the programme.

Pre-sessional 16, 11 and 6 weeks programme – On Campus Study:
Your induction tasks are partly online via our Blackboard pages, with some sessions in person.

We will send a Pre-sessional Welcome Newsletter before the start of the programme.