Learn how to claim your NCU account for the first time — including what information you'll need, how to set a compliant password, and what to do once your account is active.
Before you start
You can only claim your account once. If anything goes wrong during this process, contact the IT Service Desk at 612.343.4170 — do not attempt to restart it on your own.
After claiming your account, you will also need to complete Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) setup before you can sign in to any NCU system. MFA is required for all students. Learn why NCU requires MFA.
To complete this process you will need your NCU username, personal email address, and Student ID number. All three were included in the Time to Claim Your Account email sent to your personal email address — that email is what most likely brought you here.
If you can't find that email, you can get this information from any of the following:
- Your admissions counselor
- The Applicant Portal
- The IT Service Desk at 612.343.4170
A note on your username: It is typically formatted as FirstName.LastName. If another student shares your name, yours may include a number (e.g., John.Smith02).
This is a separate account from your applicant account. Your applicant account used your personal email address to apply to NCU. This process creates your official NCU account — the account you will use for email, Canvas, and all university systems throughout your time at NCU.
Claiming your account
Step 2
Click the Claim Account button.
Step 3
Enter your Username in the format FirstName.LastName.
Step 4
Enter the personal email address you used on your application and your Student ID number.
Step 5
Set your new password. Your password must meet all of the following requirements:
- At least 14 characters long
- At least one uppercase letter
- At least one lowercase letter
- At least one number or symbol
- Cannot contain your name
- Cannot be a previously used password
Step 6
Your account is now claimed. The confirmation screen below means the process is complete.
You can only claim your account once
Once the claiming process is complete, it cannot be repeated. If you have trouble signing in after claiming your account, contact the IT Help Desk for assistance.
What's next — set up MFA
Account claiming is only the first step. Before you can access NCU systems, you must complete Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) setup. MFA is required for all students — it protects your account, your financial aid information, and your academic records. Learn more about why NCU requires MFA.
Action required: Go to
myaccount.microsoft.com and complete MFA setup before attempting to sign in to any NCU service.
Check in with your admissions counselor
Now that your account is claimed, reach out to your admissions counselor for any remaining next steps before your program begins. They can help make sure you are set up and ready to go.