What are the requirements for a password for your University account?

To ensure passwords are not easily guessable or breakable by brute force the following rules apply to creating a password:

• Passwords should be made up of at least 8 characters, and must contain:
  • At least one lowercase letter
  • At least one uppercase letter
  • At least one number
  • At least one symbol.

Please avoid using the following details in your password, as these can be easily guessed:

• The password is a common usage word such as:
  • Your own name or family name
  • Names of pets or friends
  • Computer terms and names, commands, sites, companies, hardware, software
• The words University, UON, Northampton, password
• Birthdays and other personal information such as addresses and phone numbers or car registration number
• Word or number patterns (such as qwerty or 12345)

Here are some tips and advice

• Keep your password secret and safe, don't tell anyone and don't write it down anywhere
• If you think you have accidentally told someone your password you should reset your password immediately
• Create a strong password, longer passwords 
• Your password is only for University systems, don't use this password as a password for any other accounts.

The University uses Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to add an extra layer of security to your University account.