Passwords and Accounts

Related Information

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.

Single Sign-On (SSO)

GCCCD has deployed single sign-on (SSO). This means that a single @gcccd.edu account grants access to Self-Service, Canvas, GCCCD email, and more. This is your primary account with the District, and passwords for this account must be at least 16 characters long.

Credentials are sent to a student's personal email address shortly after they apply to the school. Faculty credentials are supplied to them as part of employee onboarding.

Generally speaking, the email username is either firstname.lastname@gcccd.edu or firstinitial.lastname@gcccd.edu (depending upon when you applied). Notable exceptions are listed in their own section, below.

Your SSO account is used to access:

*Note: Students, faculty, and staff must set up multi-factor authentication (MFA) to access Self-Service, Canvas, or their @gcccd.edu email inbox.

Canvas

Access Canvas using the same @gcccd.edu SSO credentials as used for Self-Service. Please be advised that Canvas will not be accessible until approximately 3-6 hours after registering for a course (waitlisted courses are not considered registered).

When facing Canvas login issues, first please verify you are using your @gcccd.edu SSO credentials (check by attempting to access Self-Service). Next, verify you are registered for at least one course and have waited the proper amount of time as explained above.

For further Canvas support, channels vary. If you need help with:

  • Logging in using your @gcccd.edu SSO credentials - contact your campus Help Desk.
  • An assignment, due date, or quiz attempt - contact your Instructor. You may utilize the Inbox function within Canvas, or follow contact instructions provided in the course syllabus.
  • How to navigate and use Canvas - see the Canvas Student Support page.
  • Technical issues like course materials, submissions, browser errors, or after-hours login support - you may contact the Canvas 24/7 Support Line at 1-844-600-4953. You may also Live Chat with a Support Agent .

*Note: Faculty in need of course support please see the Canvas Support for Faculty page.

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

Username Exceptions

Name Too Long or Name Collisions

There are a few notable exceptions to the SSO username/@gcccd.edu email addresses referenced above. Alterations depend upon when you applied to become a student.

Expand All | Collapse All

Continuing Students
Newer Students (April 2025 Forward)

*Note: If you are unable to discern your username, it can be looked up by any area that services students including Admissions and Records, Counseling, Financial Aid, EOPS, or any Help Desk.

Updating vs. Resetting a Password

Update/Change a Password

Good passwords regularly expire. An expired password will prompt you to change or update it. You may receive a notice that your password is expiring when accessing Self-Service, Canvas, GCCCD Email, or a campus computer. Please update your password when prompted. Off-campus users may follow the directions in our Update Email Password guide.

Please note the following password requirements. New passwords:

  • must be at least 16 characters long
  • cannot be too similar to the past 10 passwords used
  • cannot contain your name or username

*Note: You may update your @gcccd.edu SSO password (Self-Service, Canvas, GCCCD Email) at any time. Please be advised however, you may not do so more than once every 24 hours.

Reset a Forgotten Password

Users with multi-factor authentication may reset their password by using Microsoft's Password Reset tool .

Please note the following password requirements. New passwords:

  • must be at least 16 characters long
  • cannot be too similar to the past 10 passwords used
  • cannot contain your name or username

*Note: Users without multi-factor authentication on their account are unable to reset their own passwords. Please contact your campus Help Desk for assistance.

Need Further Assistance?

If you have questions or need clarification about this guidance, please reach out to the Technology Help Desk.