Student Accounts

The Office of Information Technology (OIT) maintains and issues several different types of student computer accounts. A student’s primary UHCL computer account, sometimes called a PCLAB Domain account, is automatically created once a student is admitted to UHCL and registered in a course. Accounts are automatically renewed for Fall and Spring semester through re-enrollment at UHCL. Use the UHCL Account Pickup & Policy Agreement link to find your username, create a password, and set up your challenge questions. PCLAB credentials (username and password) are used to access the following UHCL services and systems:

• On-campus computers, including those within the computer labs and within the library
• Office 365 (O365), including Outlook Email
• Blackboard
• Zoom
• Apporto Virtual Computer Lab

PCLAB password information and an overview of other types of specialty student computer accounts are described below.

Acceptable Use Policy

All accounts are subject to UHCL's Acceptable Use Policy. Students should familiarize themselves with this policy before using any account.

Password Rules

Student account passwords expire every 360 days. Use the Reset Password tool to change your PCLAB account password. If you somehow get locked out of your account, please allow 30 minutes for your account to be systematically unlocked or contact the Support Center during our business hours to unlock your account.

• Must be at least 14 characters long
• Must not contain any part of your first or last name
• Must contain 3 of these 4 criteria:
  • Upper-case Letters
  • Lower-case Letters
  • Numbers
  • Symbols

Account Expiration

Student accounts will expire approximately 15 months after census date of the next long term. For an international student, the account is set to expire 30 months after the student's first non-attendance in a long term. For an ACC student, accounts will expire based on the end date set for the student. Student accounts will be permanently deleted approximately 90 days after the account expires. If a student returns to UHCL before the account is deleted, the account will be automatically re-activated.  

Important: Students will lose access to Office 365 after the account has expired. Any documents stored in the cloud should be retrieved prior to the account's expiration.  

Email Accounts

Email accounts for all UHCL users are managed through Outlook within O365. As described above, you will use your PCLAB username and password to access O365 and you can then open Outlook to retrieve your school-related email. Your email address will be your username@uhcl.edu.

Important: Your UHCL Outlook mailbox is where all UHCL critical emails (e.g., financial aid information, campus closures, registration reminders, email from within Blackboard) will be delivered. Students should develop a habit of checking their UHCL email every few days. 

Student Worker Accounts 

Students employed by UHCL (including TAs, RAs, and general student workers) will have UHCL staff account auto-generated. You should use your staff account (also referred to as a UHCL account) for all work that you perform as a student worker. Access to file shares and Blackboard will always be granted to the staff account, not the student account.

Accounts will be expired based on the termination date determined by the hiring department. Find your username, create a password, and set up your challenge questions. If your UHCL staff account is expired, you will need to contact the department in which you are hired so that they can correct your employment dates in eServices/PeopleSoft.

• Accounts will expire based on the termination date determined by the hiring department. If your UHCL staff account is expired, you will need to contact the department in which you are hired so that they can correct your employment dates in eServices/PeopleSoft.

• UHCL staff accounts become your primary email address in PeopleSoft when you are hired as a UHCL employee. Therefore, all school-related emails (from Blackboard, financial aid, etc.) will go to your staff email address, if you have one. There is nothing that can be done to change that in PeopleSoft.