Passwords and Accounts
This page provides important information about the different accounts and passwords you’ll use at Grossmont College. You may also find guidance on how to reset passwords and troubleshoot any access issues.
Three Accounts
Grossmont Students and Faculty have three different accounts/passwords to manage. Each one is used to access different campus systems:
Username Exceptions
Name Too Long or Name Collisions
As indicated above, for most systems your username is simply your firstname.lastname. However, there are a few notable exceptions:
- If your first name and last name combination is common (e.g., John Smith) it may create a duplicate in our system. In this case, you may have numbers appended to the end of your username -- for example: john.smith47725.
- Students with very long names or multiple last names may need to truncate, or cut, their username to 20 characters total (including the "."). Leonardo Michelangelo Donatello-Raphael's username, for instance, would be cut to: leonardo.donatellora.
- In rare instances, the two conditions may be combined. You may end up with a username with truncated digits at the end -- George Lincoln Washington may have a username of george.washington539.
*Note: Whatever form your username takes, the password formats are always as described in the Three Accounts section above.
Apple Computers
The campus has a limited selection of Apple Mac computers. These are used in specific courses. When logging in to Apple computers:
- Please use your main campus account password.
- Alter your username by adding @students.gcccd.edu -- for instance: george.washington539@students.gcccd.edu.
Zoom Accounts
Students do not need a Zoom account to join their instructor's Zoom Session. Instructors should be providing Zoom links for their students to join.
If you encounter difficulties joining or within a meeting, please review the Troubleshooting Zoom Meetings articles on their support site.
For Faculty/Staff: Grossmont's Zoom instance is managed by our District Enterprise Computing team. If you are a faculty or staff member and you need a school-linked Zoom account, please reach out to the District IT Help Desk at helpdesk@gcccd.edu
Updating or Resetting Passwords
No password is forever. Students and faculty must regularly update their passwords. If you receive a notice to update your email/campus account password, please follow the instructions in our Update Email Password guide.
*Note: You don't have to wait until expiry; you may change your password to Self-Service, Canvas, or your main campus account at any time.
If you have lost access and need to reset a password, see the instructions in the Three Accounts section at the top of this page.
Need further assistance?
If you have questions or need clarification about this guidance, please reach out to the Technology Help Desk.