IT at University of Checter

Two people at a computer

IT at the University of Chester

To help get you started with your IT journey at the University of Chester, we have gathered all you will need to know from accessing your Chester.ac.uk Account, connecting to the campus Wi-Fi to download software on your personal device, and more.

Your UoC Account

Your username will have been sent to you in your welcome email.  Some systems, such as Microsoft 365, will ask for your email address which is your: 'studentnumber@chester.ac.uk.'

Changing your Password

Your initial password when you begin your studies will be CheYYYYMMDD where YYYYMMDD is the format of your date of birth.  For example, if your date of birth is March 2nd, 1996, you would type: Che19960302​​​​​

It is very important that you change this initial password we give you, to something different from any of your other passwords. We highly recommend doing this straight away once you have been provided with your login details.

In order to do this, you need to login to Portal and click the password tile. This page contains guidance on choosing a secure password walks you through changing it. Never share this password with anyone.

Free Software for Students

All students are provided with a free copy of Microsoft Office 365 for the duration of their studies. So please do not purchase this yourself.  Students on certain courses get access to the Adobe Creative Cloud suite of software, please contact your course admin team to ask if this is the case.

We also provide free access to Endnote referencing software along with training from LIS and Academic Skills on how to use the software to its full potential. Finally, we provide NVivo and SPSS for all students doing statistics research.

Other free software is available, so please get in touch to find out what software is useful for your studies.

Buying your own Laptop

Avoid...

  1. Chromebooks entirely. They do not run much of the software you will be using and are not suitable devices for studying at university level.
  2. Laptops running in Windows S mode. This is a good sign that the laptop is not built for university level work.
  3. Laptops with very little storage space. Anything less than 256GB is a good sign the laptop is not suitable.
  4. Running old versions of software. Your laptop should be able to run a minimum of Windows 10. If it cannot please seek advice on upgrading it or replacing it.

Minimum hardware specs

For most students who require the use of Microsoft Word, referencing software, and web browsing, the following would be a minimum recommended spec:

  1. Windows 11
  2. CPU: Core i5 / AMD Ryzen 5
  3. 8GB RAM
  4. 256GB M2/SSD drive. Avoid a hard drive and instead use a solid-state drive (SSD).
  5. Graphics card: Built-in/onboard

For this spec, you would be looking to spend approximately £500.

For courses that involve more heavy use such as programming, and graphics design:

  1. Windows 11
  2. CPU: Core i7/AMD Ryzen 7
  3. 16GB RAM
  4. 1TB M2/SSD storage
  5. A dedicated graphics card that is capable of running the relevant CAD/Graphics design software. Contact your course leader for advice.

For this spec, you would be looking to spend approximately £1000.

The university provides a single account - this is called Single Sign On.  This accesses all our core services like Portal, Moodle, Microsoft 365, and more.  You will find out more about these as part of your induction sessions. 

Printing, Scanning and Photocopying

The University has its own multi-functional devices (MFDs) called Ricoh. If you need to scan a document to work on your computer, we have a scan to OneDrive feature which you can use for free. If you want to print or photocopy a document, you just need to add credit to your Chester account via the Chester App. We have a 'Bring your Own Device policy' for printing whereby you can print from your personal computer to a University Ricoh MFD, or you can always sign into one of the many open-access computers we have on our different sites and print from there.

For more bulk printing requests such as dissertations or large posters, we have a dedicated Print Unit team who can help you at very competitive rates.

Email

The University uses Microsoft Office 365 platform which involves providing you with email access. You will be given an email account in the format of your studentnumber@chester.ac.uk - You will retain access to this for 18 months after your course finishes.

You can access your email via the Outlook web app, which is linked from the Portal home page, or by going to Outlook office

OneDrive

The University provides students with 1TB of free storage on OneDrive for the duration of their studies. This is where you will store all your content, including backing up your work.

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is the University's instant messaging communication platform. All students are provided with Teams access to talk to your fellow peers and staff members. You will be able to get further information and announcements about your modules as well as contact your tutor.

Getting Online

University of Chester (UoC) WiFi is broadcasting across all our sites. To connect you will normally need the same username and password as your UoC IT account. Please be aware that some devices will need some extra settings or details.

To get help with connecting to the UoC WiFi please follow our guide to get started. 

University Libraries

The University of Chester has numerous libraries across its different campuses, and all staff and students of the University are welcome to use any of the libraries. In addition to books, journals, and other resources, all libraries have computers, study areas, and bookable study rooms. Subject-specialist staff are available at all sites to support learning. Online resources can be accessed through the University Portal and books can be requested for collection from the most convenient site. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout all the libraries and some libraries offer 24/7 access with a university card.

All staff and students can borrow a number of books using their University Card. We have RFID self-issue in the Seaborne and Wheeler Libraries, and issue and return services are offered at our other locations. Full details on locations and opening hours can be found on the libraries website

How to contact LIS

If you need help, contact Learning Information Services (LIS) via email at lis.helpdesk@chester.ac.uk or by calling 01244 511234. Remember to quote your full name and student number.