Your University IT account gives you secure access to digital services at Essex — including email, wifi, online learning, Microsoft 365, and other systems you’ll use during your studies.
You’ll receive an email when your account is ready to set up. This will include your personal record identifier (PRID), which you’ll need during setup.
Please complete this before you start your studies.
During setup you will:
If you have any issues, please contact the IT Helpdesk.
Your default email address is your username@essex.ac.uk (for example: ab12345@essex.ac.uk).
This is the address the University will use to contact you.
Postgraduate research (PGR) students can such as firstname.lastname@essex.ac.uk. Your username-based address will continue to work alongside it.
Important: you will still need to use your username (for example: ab12345@essex.ac.uk) to sign into University services.
You can change or reset your password, and update your sign-in methods, at any time using Microsoft’s secure password site.
We recommend:
If you can’t recover access yourself, the IT Helpdesk can help you regain access after verifying your identity.
Your University IT account will close 93 days after you complete or leave your studies.
After this point you’ll no longer be able to access services such as:
Before your account closes, please:
Your Office 365 subscription will end when your IT account closes.
If you have questions or need assistance with your IT account, please contact the IT Helpdesk.