Access and protect your IT account

• Your username email address (e.g. ab12345@surrey.ac.uk) is your University email address where you can send and receive emails. Please check your inbox regularly to keep up to date with important information from the University.
• To access most University services, use your username (e.g. ab12345) and your password.
• Some University services including Microsoft, require your username email address: username@surrey.ac.uk (e.g. ab12345@surrey.ac.uk) and your password to gain access.

Email formats

• Undergraduate and postgraduate taught student email addresses follow the username@surrey.ac.uk format (e.g. ab12345@surrey.ac.uk).
• Postgraduate research students will need to use their username@surrey.ac.uk to login rather than their initial.surname@surrey.ac.uk email address.

When you login to your University of Surrey email account for the first time you will also need to set up security on your University of Surrey IT account.

This involves setting up:

1. Multifactor authentication and
2. Self service password reset.

To access your email account for the first time, please: 

1. To login to Surrey365 visit: surrey365.surrey.ac.uk  
2. Enter your IT account username and password. Your username must be followed by the suffix '@surrey.ac.uk', for example ab12345@surrey.ac.uk.  

You can find out more about the service in email help. 

Please now follow step 2 (Protect your account with multi-factor authentication) and step 3 (set up self-service password reset) below.

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a security method that ensures that only you can log into your account. It does this by requiring at least two methods of authentication – your password and another authentication method. The most secure and preferred method is to use the Microsoft Authentication App from your mobile phone. 

This additional authentication will only take place every 14 days or if unusual activity is suspected on your account.

We recommend setting this up now to keep yourself protected.

If you have not done so already, you must first access your University email account before you can set up MFA.

You can find out more about the service in email help.

Please now set up your MFA by following the instructions below:

• MFA quick start guide (PDF)
• Multi-factor Authentication | Setup Guide Video.

Once you have set up MFA on your account you will continue to enter your university username and password at the usual login screen; however, following that, you will be prompted to approve your login. To do this, you will need to use the Microsoft Authenticator App (recommended). You will be shown a 2-digit number on your login screen which you will need to type into the Authenticator app on your mobile device. Please do not use text messages as your primary authentication method. This method is less secure than the MS Authentication App. Please only use text messages as an authentication method if you change your mobile phone. Never give the text message authentication code to anyone else. 

You can download the Microsoft Authenticator App on your device using the following links:

• Android
• iOS.

View more information about MFA.

This essential step will allow you to reset your password should you forget it, or if you want to/need to change your password. For self-service password reset to work correctly, please set up the following authentication methods:

• Security questions (for resetting your password)
• A personal email address (for resetting your password).

Please follow the instructions on the set up guide (PDF) or watch this instructional video.

Once set up, if you ever forget your password, you can easily reset it by visiting this Microsoft webpage.

• If you travel internationally, change your phone number or change your mobile phone you will need to change your MFA setup 
• To change your MFA setup visit the Microsoft site. Then choose from one or more of the following options:
• Preferred method – use a Smart phone with the Microsoft Authenticator App 
• You need access to WiFi or a mobile phone signal 
• To avoid receiving text messages whilst roaming, please use the Authenticator App whilst connected to WiFi.