Username and password
Your username is printed on your Student ID Card. You will need this to log into computers on campus, as well as for various other login services. As part of our enhanced security measures, you may also be required to confirm your identity when you log in.
Your username is usually a lowercase letter, followed by a series of numbers e.g. i1234567 or s1234567. For most students, your email address is your username followed by ‘@bournemouth.ac.uk’.
Password expiry
Please note the BU password protocol requires students to update their password every 365 days. Staff are required to update their password every 60 days.
Changing your password
You can change your password as follows:
- On campus: Press ‘Ctrl’ + ‘Alt’ + ‘Delete’ on any BU computer on campus – and select ‘Change a Password.’
- On and off campus: Register for BU’s password reset tool, once registered you can reset your password by selecting the 'forgotten password' option.
For security reasons, your password must:
- Be a minimum of 12 characters long (with no spaces)
- Be different to your last 12 passwords
- Include a combination of at least 3 of the 4 character types below with no spaces:
- Lower case letter
- Upper case letter
- A single digit number (0-9)
- A special character (e.g. ! @ # $ % ^ & * () = - {} [] “ ; ? , /)
- Please do not use | or :
We also recommend your password doesn’t contain single words or a recognisable combination of words, letters or numbers or personal details such as your name.
Never share your password, username or access with others.
Don’t know what password to choose?
Take a look at our information on managing your passwords.
Need a little help?
You may find answers to your queries in our FAQs.
What to do if your account gets locked out
A common cause for this is when a password has been modified but has not been updated on all devices e.g. you still have an old password on your smartphone /iPad or network drive.
If you are having trouble with your account locking out before you phone the IT Service Desk have a look at our troubleshooting guide. This will take you through exactly what you need to do to fix it.
If you have any trouble logging in, or you have forgotten your password and need some help, contact the IT Service Desk on 01202 965515, or freephone 0808 196 2332. You will need your student ID and will need to answer a series of security questions.
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
As an additional security measure to help protect your BU account, we have introduced Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to a number of BU systems, including Office 365, Zoom, and Brightspace.
It means that, in addition to your username and password, you will sometimes be required to confirm your identity through an additional step such as via an authenticator app, SMS text, or call.
You’ll be asked to set up at least one of these methods when you first log in to www.office.com.
You’ll need to have access to your chosen method (e.g. have your smartphone on you) when prompted to authenticate periodically in the future, or when you’re using a new device (e.g. a PC on campus).
The details you provide will always be kept securely and will only be used for authentication. Further privacy information is available here.
Email account
All students have a BU email account. You can access your emails by going to https://studentemail.bournemouth.ac.uk.
You will be redirected to the university sign-in page and will need to enter your BU email address (if not already populated) and password. As part of our enhanced security measures, you may also be required to confirm your identity when you log in.
It’s really important that you check your BU email account regularly. This is where your tutor, programme support team and other university departments will send important updates and information.
How to access your BU email on your mobile device
You can easily link your BU email account to your smartphone (once you have access to it after registering for your course online). Setting up your emails on your mobile device will allow you to create and read emails on the go. For help setting this up, view the following guides:
myHub
myHub is BU's online portal for both applicants and students to access information related to their electronic student record. The login details to your myHub account are sent to your BU email account soon after your application has been received. If you need help with logging into myHub, contact our IT Service Desk on +44 (0)1202 965515 or log a ticket via the IT Services Portal.
For applicants, myHub is used to facilitate interviews and open days, as well as to collect supplementary information. It is important that you access and log into myHub regularly for information and communication about your application.
Successful applicants will then enrol via myHub, and once enrolled, additional content and options become available in your myHub account. This includes online registration, payment of fees, course module selection, access to results and transcripts, management of personal contact information, registration for additional learning support, requests for certificates and registration for award ceremonies.
It’s important to ensure your contact information is always up to date in your myHub account.
Brightspace - your virtual learning environment
Brightspace is your virtual learning environment (VLE) and includes all the information you need to support your studies, including unit information, study materials and study skills resources.
Complete the Getting to know Brightspace training module to learn about how to use Brightspace and ensure you are fully prepared for your studies.
We also recommend downloading Pulse - the mobile app for Brightspace. This app will help you keep track of important announcements and deadlines, and access lecture notes, your course content and your grades, so you can spend less time organising and more time learning.
For further information on Brightspace visit the Brightspace FAQ page.
Need help?
Useful guides can be found on the Brightspace Help page. You can also contact our IT Services team - available 24/7 - if you have any issues logging in or using the system.
Online learning
Some of your lectures, seminars and engagements with your teaching team will be conducted online. The Zoom video-conferencing application will be used for lectures and seminars whilst other appointments may take place on Microsoft Teams. Please see the Zoom video conferencing or Free Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus sections for further help and guidance with using these applications.
Further guidance on using these platforms can also be found on the Brightspace Help page.
You can also find useful tips for studying online on the [email protected] Online Learning page in Brightspace.
