Your University Computing Account — your username, password, and Pitt Passport identity — is provisioned, managed, and retired through the University Account Management System. This article describes the account types issued by the University, how to manage your account at myPitt, and the responsibilities that accompany account ownership.
Choose Your Action
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✓ MANAGE
Manage Your Account at myPitt
Update personal information, change your password, review your print quota, and review the sponsored accounts you own or sponsor.
Go to myPitt →
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NEW STUDENT
Activate a New Account
First-time activation for new students. You will need the activation information sent to the personal email address on your application.
Activate Account →
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Note: Your username never changes.
Your Pitt username (for example, jdoe99) is also your University email address at @pitt.edu. It is the official address of record for University students and employees and cannot be changed.
Account Types
The University Account Management System issues three account types, plus an Alumni status that Primary accounts transition into at graduation. Each has distinct provisioning rules and lifecycle expectations.
University account types, who they're for, and how they expire
| Account Type |
Who Receives It |
Provisioned By |
Expiration |
| Primary |
Students, faculty, and staff |
Automatic at affiliation |
End of enrollment or employment |
| Sponsored |
Individuals with legitimate University business who are not eligible for a Primary account |
Responsibility Center Account Administrator |
Annual; date set at creation |
| Resource |
Shared rooms, equipment, mailboxes, calendars, and service accounts — not individuals |
Responsibility Center Account Administrator |
As long as the resource exists |
| Alumni |
Graduating students (Pitt Email mailbox only) |
Converted from Primary at graduation |
Retained as long as the account is used at least once every 180 days |
Select an account type below to expand its details.
👤 Primary Account Automatic
A Primary account is created automatically when your affiliation with the University begins. Students receive activation information by email at the personal address they provided during application; faculty and staff receive their account information from their Responsibility Center Account Administrator.
New Student Activation
- Watch for an activation email sent to the personal address on file with the University. The message contains your activation information.
- Go to the Self-Service Account Activation page.
- Complete the steps in the activation wizard. You will set your initial password and enroll in Duo Multi-Factor Authentication.
Note: Activate only at activateaccount.pitt.edu.
Verify the domain in your browser's address bar before entering activation details. If you receive an activation-style message linking anywhere else, contact the Technology Help Desk before acting on it.
Lifecycle
Primary accounts remain valid throughout the period of active enrollment (students) or employment (faculty and staff). Graduating students are transitioned to Alumni status for continued mailbox access.
🤝 Sponsored Account Time-Limited
Sponsored accounts provide access for individuals who are not eligible for a Primary account but have legitimate, time-bounded University business — visiting researchers, consultants, and contractors are common examples.
Roles
- Account owner — the person who will use the account.
- Account sponsor — a Primary-account holder within the responsibility center who accepts responsibility for the account's use.
- RC Account Administrator — provisions the account and reviews renewals.
Sponsor Responsibilities
- Provide accurate identifying information for the account owner.
- Confirm a legitimate business reason exists to create the account, and continues to exist throughout its lifetime.
- Set the expiration date to the first date the account is no longer needed. Do not set the expiration beyond the end of the fiscal year.
- Review sponsored accounts regularly at myPitt and remove, renew, or reassign sponsorship as circumstances change.
Note: Reviewing your sponsored accounts.
Sign in to
my.pitt.edu, search for
Accounts Administration, and select the matching result to view and manage the accounts you sponsor. The Bulk Account Update page indicates which accounts the sponsor has recommended for renewal and the justification provided.
🗂 Resource Account Shared Resource
Resource accounts are not tied to an individual. They manage access to shared assets — rooms, equipment, mailboxes, calendars — and to automated system interactions. Resource accounts are provisioned in the Account Management System and then published to Enterprise Active Directory, where they can be used to access Office 365, PittNet Wi-Fi, and AD-authenticated systems.
Four Resource Account Sub-types
Resource account sub-types and their typical use
| Sub-type |
Typical Use |
| Service Account (no mailbox) |
Running an application under a specific identity, LDAP binds, scheduled jobs and batch processes. |
| Room |
Exchange resource for scheduling a classroom or conference room. Includes a mailbox. |
| Equipment |
Exchange resource for scheduling laptops, projectors, or specialized hardware. |
| Shared |
Shared inbox or calendar — departmental help-desk mailboxes, survey-response collection, vacation calendars. |
Note: Access is normally delegated, not shared.
Resource accounts are designed to be accessed by delegation from Outlook Online or the Outlook client — direct sign-in with the resource-account username and password is rarely required. If you believe direct sign-in is necessary, consult your RC Account Administrator first.
Managing Your Account
Most account management is self-service at myPitt — change your password, update contact information, review your print quota, and view the sponsored accounts you own or sponsor.
- Sign in to my.pitt.edu.
- In the search field, enter Manage My Account.
- From the Tasks results, select the Manage My Account tile (labeled Accounts Management).
Selecting the tile opens Accounts Self-Service directly to the Contact Information page. From there you can navigate to password change, security questions, sponsored-account review, and other account settings.
Note: Some information cannot be changed here.
Information sourced from Payroll or the Student Information System (PeopleSoft) is read-only in the Accounts system. To correct a legal name, mailing address, or employment record, contact the system of record (Human Resources or the Office of the University Registrar, as applicable).
Responsibility Center Account Administrators
Each responsibility center has a designated RC Account Administrator with rights to create sponsored and resource accounts, approve renewals, and review accounts in their area. Faculty and staff with account questions specific to their unit should contact their RC Account Administrator first. For the current administrator list and the role's full responsibilities, see the Responsibility Center Account Administrators article.
Account Lifecycle and Expiration
The Account Management System enforces deletion and inactivity rules to limit the exposure of unused accounts. Inactive accounts are deactivated automatically.
- Primary accounts remain valid throughout active enrollment or employment and are deprovisioned per University policy when the affiliation ends.
- Sponsored accounts expire on the date set by the sponsor. Sponsors and RC Account Administrators receive renewal prompts; un-renewed accounts are deactivated automatically.
- Alumni accounts are retained as long as the account is used at least once every 180 days. Inactive Alumni accounts are deactivated; recovery may not be possible.
- Resource accounts remain valid as long as the resource exists. RC Account Administrators are responsible for retiring resource accounts when the underlying room, equipment, or shared mailbox is decommissioned.
Account Holder Responsibilities
Every member of the University community has an obligation to use University technology services responsibly. Account credentials are personal — never share them, including with supervisors, family members, or IT staff. Students should also review the requirements in the Student Code of Conduct, and all account holders should be familiar with the University's acceptable use guidance.
⚠ If You Suspect Your Account Has Been Compromised Report Promptly
An unexpected Duo prompt you didn't initiate, mail-forwarding rules you didn't create, sent items you didn't send, or sign-ins from unfamiliar locations are common indicators that an account has been compromised. If you see any of these:
- Change your Pitt Passport password immediately at my.pitt.edu.
- Submit a ticket at services.pitt.edu or call 412-624-HELP (4357).
For full reporting guidance — including what to include in your report and how to handle phishing, malware, lost devices, and unauthorized data disclosure — see the Report a Security Incident article. That article is the canonical resource for security incident reporting; this one focuses on the account-management workflows owned by Pitt Digital's Application Development team.
Good Account Practices
- Use a unique password for Pitt Passport — don't reuse it on other sites.
- Only approve Duo prompts you initiated. Decline anything unexpected.
- Use the Phish Alert Button (PAB) in Outlook to report suspicious email.
- Complete annual security awareness training when prompted at myPitt.
- If you sponsor accounts, review them on a schedule and end sponsorship when the business reason ends.
Troubleshooting
I forgot my Pitt Passport password.
Use the password reset flow at my.pitt.edu. If you no longer have access to your recovery contact methods, call the Technology Help Desk for identity-verified reset.
I activated my new student account but can't sign in to a particular service.
Account provisioning to downstream systems (Office 365, Canvas, PittNet) can lag activation by up to 24 hours. If you still can't sign in after that, call the Help Desk and reference your activation date.
The Manage My Account tile won't let me change something.
Information that originates in Payroll or PeopleSoft (legal name, employment record, primary mailing address) is read-only in the Accounts system. Contact Human Resources or the Office of the University Registrar, as applicable.
I'm a sponsor and I missed the renewal date for a sponsored account.
Contact your RC Account Administrator. Recently expired accounts can typically be reinstated within a short window if the business reason still exists; long-lapsed accounts may require re-creation.
Key Contacts
Technology Help Desk 412-624-HELP (4357)
Password resets, account questions (24/7) |
RC Account Administrator Find yours in the KB
Sponsored and resource accounts, unit-specific access |
Report a Security Incident See KB Article
Suspected compromise, phishing, lost device |