Frequently Asked Question

Welcome to Jersey College! This guide explains the three things you need to sign in for the first time: your username, your full email address, and your initial password. The same account gives you access to your Jersey College email, Canvas, and Microsoft 365.

Your username

• Your username is your first name and last name with a dot in between: firstname.lastname
• For example, a student named Jane Doe would have the username jane.doe
• Your username does NOT include @jerseycollege.edu.
• Use this username when a site asks just for a "username" (for example, when resetting your password or unlocking your account).

Your full email address

• Your full email address is your username plus @jerseycollege.edu.
• For example, jane.doe would have the email address jane.doe@jerseycollege.edu.
• Use your FULL email address when you sign in to email at https://outlook.office.com and when you sign in to Microsoft 365 / Office.com.

Your initial password

• Your initial (first) password is provided to you by Jersey College. If you weren't given one or can't find it, contact the Help Desk (see the closing line below) and they'll help you get started.
• For your security, you'll likely be asked to change this password and set up Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) with Microsoft Authenticator the first time you sign in.

Step 1 - Sign in to your email

1. Open a web browser and go to https://outlook.office.com.
2. Enter your FULL email address (firstname.lastname@jerseycollege.edu).
3. Enter your password.
4. If prompted, follow the steps to set up Multi-Factor Authentication using the Microsoft Authenticator app. (There's a separate guide for first-time MFA setup.)

Step 2 - Sign in to Canvas

1. Go to the Jersey College Canvas sign-in page and sign in: https://jerseycollege.instructure.com/login/ldap
2. When asked, sign in with your Jersey College (Microsoft 365) account - the same username/email and password.
3. The same password works for both Microsoft 365 and Canvas. (After a password change, Canvas can take about 5 to 10 minutes to sync.)

Good to know:

• One password covers everything: Microsoft 365 (email/Office) and Canvas use the SAME password. If you change it in one place, it changes everywhere.
• Username vs. email: enter just the username (firstname.lastname) on the password reset and unlock pages, but enter the FULL email (firstname.lastname@jerseycollege.edu) when signing in to Outlook and Office.
• If your name has a suffix, hyphen, or multiple parts, your username might look slightly different. If firstname.lastname doesn't work, contact the Help Desk to confirm your exact username.
• Keep your password private. Jersey College staff will never ask you for your password.

If you're still having trouble, contact the Jersey College Help Desk at 201-645-1164 or itsupport@jerseycollege.edu.