Ensure your IT account is ready
You’ll have received your unique University of Manchester ID in communications sent by your Admissions team. You’ll have also received instructions for activating your IT account.
Once you’ve signed up for your IT account, you’ll be given your username, which you’ll need to access various services at the University.
If you haven’t already, check your IT account is ready. You’ll need it to:
- complete any outstanding admissions processes;
- register as a student.
If you’ve not yet activated your IT account
To activate your IT account, you’ll need your University ID number. This can be found on all communications you've received from us and will typically be eight digits long.
To activate your IT account, go to iam.manchester.ac.uk and select ‘Activate your IT account’.
You'll be asked to enter your surname, date of birth and University ID. This will create your username.
You will also be asked to set a password of your choosing – please make a note of both your username and password as you’ll need it to login.
Please note: for best results, IT sign-up and registration should be completed using a PC or laptop, as errors may occur if using a mobile or tablet. If you encounter errors, try using a different browser.
If you’ve been at the University before either as staff or a student, you'll keep your previous username and University ID, so you can skip this step and recover your account.
2-factor authentication
As part of the IT account activation process, you’ll be prompted to set up 2-factor authentication from Duo. This is an additional layer of security that prompts you to verify your identity when you log in to certain University systems, including Microsoft 365 (for University email) and Canvas.
In the IT Account Manager (or when you access a protected system for the first time) you’ll need to follow the Duo set-up instructions to register a device to receive this prompt, such as a mobile phone or tablet. As part of the set-up process, you‘ll be asked to download the free Duo Mobile app on to your smartphone. If you don’t have a smartphone, or you have specific needs that aren’t catered for, you’ll be directed to contact the IT Support Centre.
Please note that you won't be required to set up 2-factor authentication if your account is in applicant status.