Creating a strong password

Using a strong password or passphrase is essential in protecting access to your University accounts.

A strong password is:

• Long - A minimum length of 14 characters.
• Contain characters from three of the following four categories:
  • English uppercase characters (A through Z)
  • English lowercase characters (a through z)
  • Base 10 digits (0 through 9)
  • Nonalphabetic characters (for example: !, $, #, %)
• Unique - Only used for University accounts
• Difficult to guess
• Memorable (for you)

Three random words

To support service users in creating memorable passwords, the University recommends the use of the National Cyber Security Centre's “Three Random Word” guidance when creating the alphabetic component of a password.

• For the avoidance of doubt, the words MUST be both random and non-obvious.
• For example, Applenemobiro13 would meet the minimum length and password complexity requirements for a standard user account, be “long enough” and “strong enough” for most purposes, but which can also be remembered more easily

Find out more about the three random words password approach. 

Reset your password

If you think someone has discovered your password, you must change it immediately.