Incoming Students

Swarthmore Account

Setting Your First Password

For instructions on how to reset your password in the future, please visit our Password Reset instructions page.

Connecting to Campus Wi-Fi (eduroam)

Connecting to eduroam

1. Connect to the eduroam Wi-Fi network.
2. For username, enter your full email address (e.g. jdoe1@yourinstitution.edu).
3. Enter your home institution password.
4. For Android devices and Chromebooks: follow these configuration instructions.
5. Accept/trust the security certificate if prompted, and follow any instructions to launch the registration webpage (see Register your Computerbelow).
   1. You can review the certificate and verify that it is the correct one by comparing with the following fingerprints (not case sensitive), as of December 2025:
      1. SHA1 fingerprint: D8 5B 86 04 B0 B0 9B 1E 60 0B F0 FA 70 13 E5 7A A7 E0 2F 6C or
      2. SHA256 fingerprint: 8E 3D A8 37 D5 32 9B 09 48 43 AA 94 8C BA A9 A4 FF C8 73 AF 7B 7C D9 4F 16 EC 51 35 7F E0 C4 15

After connecting to the eduroam wifi network for the first time on a computer, you will need to install the Swarthmore Policy Key. To do so, please follow the Register Your Computer directions below.

Register Your Computer

Computers running Windows and macOS operating systems will have to install software at this stage. The software is an agent from SafeConnect that runs in the background called Policy Key. (The Policy Key software is not required for Android, iOS, and Linux computers.) A few moments after you first connect to eduroam, a web page should open with the Swarthmore network registration process; if not, open up a web browser and go to any off-campus webpage (e.g. http://cnn.com ), which will redirect you to the registration page. Enter your Swarthmore username (leave off @swarthmore.edu) and password, then download and install SafeConnect to install the Policy Key. If prompted, install antivirus—an up-to-date and fully functional antivirus is required to obtain access to the network.

After installing the required software, it may take up to three minutes for your network connection to reconfigure. When it does, you should be online! If it does not automatically redirect you to the Swarthmore home page, open up a new tab or window, and try to go to your off-campus webpage again (e.g. http://cnn.com or http://facebook.com , etc.).

Register Gaming or Other Devices

1. Disable Private and Randomized Wi-Fi MAC Addresses, which interfere with the SwatDevice registration process. If the MAC address changes, the device is treated as a new device and will no longer be able to access the internet.
2. Find the device's MAC address
   • See the instructions for finding the MAC address of many common devices
   • If your device is not listed in the instructions, check your user manual or contact the device manufacturer for device-specific instructions
   • If your device has both wired and wireless connections, be sure to use the '''wireless''' MAC address
3. Submit a Service Request with the following details (requires Swarthmore account login):
   • The device's MAC address
   • The type of device
   • MAC address of second device, if it needs to pair with another device to complete setup (like Google Home)
4. Wait for email confirmation that your device has been registered – depending on how busy the Network Team is, this may take a few days.

For more information, tips on how to find your device’s MAC address, and examples of the kind of devices that require this type of registration, please visit our Gaming and Device Registration page.

Swarthmore Virtual Private Network (VPN)

Logging Into the Swarthmore VPN

Below are the instructions for how to connect to the Swarthmore VPN from a macOS or Windows computer. For more information on how to connect to the Swarthmore VPN from other devices, please see our VPN and Off-Campus Access page.

Information Security

Keeping your account and data secure is very important. Using Duo, the Swarthmore VPN, and having up-to-date anti-virus protection is only a small part of a number of things you can do to ensure you keep your data secure. Please check our page on how to work and learn safely while remote. Please also check out our tips for better wifi.

Zoom

Zoom video conferencing with a pro license is available for all Swarthmore students. You can use this service to attend remote classes, meet with study groups, or virtually attend various campus events. You can access Zoom via the web at swarthmore.zoom.us or download the desktop or mobile applications. For more information on Zoom please visit our Zoom Video Conferencing page.

Software

Swarthmore provides software for download to assist our students in their learning. You can browse and install available software from our Software Installation page.

Please note that not all software listed on our installation page is available for students to download. Check the Access column - if it lists Students or Everyone it is available for student download. Make sure to also check the Platform column to ensure the software is compatible with your computer's operating system.

Printing

Students have printers available to them in each dorm, as well as in areas such as the libraries and some public computing spaces. For more information on printer locations and how to print on-campus please visit our student printing page.

Contact the Help Desk

Below is a list of all of the ways you can contact ITS or find information:

• ITS Service Portal: http://support.swarthmore.edu
• Phone: x4357 (HELP) or 610-328-8513
• Email: support@swarthmore.edu
• Check out our remote resources at https://swatkb.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/remote/overview
• Check our homepage at http://swarthmore.edu/its