Our systems support selecting either a passphrase or password to log in to your Cal Poly account.
Visit Password Help if you can't log in to your Cal Poly account.
Passphrase
(Recommended)
Character Length
Minimum length = 16 characters
Maximum length = 40 characters
Requirements
CAN INCLUDE any of the following special characters: ! $ % & , ( ) * + - . / ; : < = > ? [ \ ] ^ _ { | } ~ and spaces.
Password
Character Length
Minimum length = 8 characters
Maximum length = 15 characters
Requirements
MUST CONTAIN at least one (1) character from three (3) of the following:
Uppercase letters (A-Z)
Lowercase letters (a-z)
Numbers (0-9)
Any of the following special characters: ! $ % & , ( ) * + - . / ; : < = > ? [ \ ] ^ _ { | } ~
Passwords that are less than twelve (12) characters SHOULD NOT CONTAIN any of the following:
Any words of 3 or more characters, including non-English words
Any groups of 3 or more characters of the same character type
Any names, person, places, or things found in a common dictionary
Any of your names (first, middle, last) or any current Cal Poly username
Any previous Cal Poly Portal passwords used within the last two (2) years
Repetitive characters (sequences)
Instead of using a short, complex password that is hard to remember, consider using a longer passphrase. This involves combining multiple words into a long string of at least 16 characters. The extra length of a passphrase makes it harder to crack while also making it easier for you to remember. (use of passphrases are recommended over passwords according to recent cyber security professional findings; source - fbi.gov)
After you reset your password, don’t forget to update your old password anywhere it may be saved to prevent a temporary lock on your Cal Poly account, including:
All devices including desktops, laptops, and mobile devices (phones, tablets, etc.) If you have a state macOS computer, learn how to update the device password.
Email programs
Wi-Fi settings
Password managers
Web browsers