Password Requirements and Tips

Password Requirements

Your Marquette password must be 16 characters or longer. It must include three of the following:

UPPERCASE characters (A through Z)
lowercase characters (a through z)
Numbers (0 through 9)
Non-alphabet characters, for example !,$,#,%

It must not include all or part of:

your username
your first name
your last name

You may not use the same password as either of your last 12 passwords.

Password Tips

Having trouble building your next password? Here are some helpful tips.

Make Sure Your Passwords Are Long and Complex

The more characters your password contains the better. Don’t just stop at the bare minimum. Marquette systems support up to 40 characters in your password.

Passphrases are typically a better choice than passwords. In addition to being long and complex, they are more memorable and easier to type than complex eight-character passwords.

Action Password Strength relative to a basic password (ItSl2hs!) Meets ITS requirements? Pick something meaningful itshelpsstudents Same (roughly) No Increase the length itslovestohelpstudents Good, but not great. No Add capitals for complexity ITSlovestohelpstudents Good, but still doesn't meet requirements. No Swap in a number for additional complexity ITSloves2helpstudents Better, but more can be done. Yes Add punctuation for even more complexity ITSloves2helpstudents! Better, but still more can be done. Yes Add spaces for normal sentence structure and natural typing ITS loves 2 help students! Best Yes

Make Your Password Hard to Guess

Hackers use content from social websites, compromised password lists, movie scripts, songs, etc., so avoid nicknames, pet names, birthdays, anniversaries, and other things that can be found about you on social websites.
Avoid famous quotations and predictable keyboard sequences.
Don’t just add numbers or substitute special characters for letters – attackers have password guessing tools that check for these combinations.

Make Your Password Unique

Do not re-use your passwords on different sites. Attackers will reference hacked password lists to access your email, social media, bank, and Marquette accounts.
Important: Your Marquette password should only be used for Marquette University systems.
Use a password manager. If you are having trouble remembering your unique passwords, IT Services recommends using a password manager to store and secure your passwords. Most major browsers now have password managers, and several commercial sites offer password management services.

Password Do's and Don'ts

DO the following:

DO pick a password you will remember so you DON'T have to write it down.
DO use a mix of uppercase and lowercase characters.
DO use punctuation marks and special characters such as #, $, %.

DON'T do the following:

DON'T include all or part of your username, first name, or last name.
DON'T share your password with anyone.
DON'T use an alphabet sequence (lmnopqrst), a number sequence (12345678) or a keyboard sequence (qwertyuop).

Changing your Marquette Password

Learn how to change your Marquette password.
If you forgot your password and you previously set up password recovery, visit the Password Reset site at reset.mu.edu.
If you do not know your username or password, contact the IT Services TechSquad at (414) 288-7799.

Note: As of March 8, 2023, new passwords no longer expire after 180 days.