Set up your University IT account

You need a University IT account to access all of the University's other IT systems, including Blackboard, our online learning environment.

Set up your account

Set up your University IT account and email address on ‘Subscribe Self-service' as soon as you can.

You won't be able to upload your identity documents or enrol until you've done this. 

It’s important to check this email account regularly, as it will be how the University contacts you.

It can take up to 24 hours for the University’s other systems and services to become available to you, which can include your email, and enrolment services. If you still can’t access services after 24 hours, please contact ServiceLine. 

Set up your University IT account

What you need

To set up an account, you’ll need your ‘University ID number’ - also known as your student ID number.

This is in your 'confirmation of place' email from the University. The number has 8 digits.  

Contact The Student Hub if you can’t find yours: studenthub@soton.ac.uk 

You’ll need to set up some security questions and answers. We’ll use these to check your identity if you ever forget your password.

The suggested security questions are:

What is a place that’s significant to you?
What’s the name of your first school?

You can change these questions to something you’ll find easier to remember, if you want.

You should add a personal email address when setting up your IT account. You can use this as a back-up email to get access to your University account if you forget your password.

You will be prompted to set up multi-factor authentication (MFA), which adds an additional layer of security to your account. You can do this by downloading the Microsoft app.

Once set up, you will use the app to verify your identity when logging into your university IT account. It’s essential that you also add a second verification method.

Watch a video to help you set up your account

You can watch a video tutorial that takes you through each step of setting up your account.

How to set up your University IT account

Equipment available for you to use on-campus

Once you’re all set up, you’ll be able to log into and use over 2000 workstations available on our campuses and in halls of residence. You can also access University services using your own laptop and other devices.

If you need to, you can borrow a laptop from the library to use on- or off-campus. To do this, you’ll need your student ID card.

See a map of workstations

Stay safe online

It’s really important to be aware of potential cyber threats. Make sure you check our advice on how to keep yourself, your device and University information safe.

See our advice on:

You can also get more information and help on the University’s cyber security portal.

University staff will never ask you for your password, or send you emails asking you to click a link to login and verify your account.

Getting help with University IT

We want to make it as easy as possible for you to connect to and use all the University’s IT services.

If you need any help, see our 'I'm new' information for students.  