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Incoming Students

From Swarthmore Knowledge Base

Swarthmore Account

All students registered for a Swarthmore class are assigned a student ID and username. Accounts are created automatically for new students in the fall and spring. You will be sent instructions for accessing your account upon initial enrollment.

If you do not have a username please contact the Registrar's office (mailto:registrar@swarthmore.edu).

Bryn Mawr College, Haverford College, University of Pennsylvania, and Strath Haven High School students who need to log into Moodle

You must be registered for a Swarthmore course to log into Moodle, and you'll need to use a Swarthmore Account to do so. After registering for a course, you will receive an email with your username and instructions for setting up your Swarthmore password. If you have not yet registered for a course, but need access to the content, ask your professor about guest access

Account Usage

Your username and password can be used to access most campus digital services, such as:

  • The campus network (Wi-Fi)
  • Google Workspace, including Gmail, Google Drive, Docs, and Sheets
  • mySwarthmore
  • Moodle, Swarthmore's learning management system

For guidelines on responsible conduct while using Swarthmore accounts and services, please review our Acceptable Use Policy for Swarthmore College computer systems and networks.

Setting Your First Password

  1. Visit password.swarthmore.edu and click the Claim Your Identity link at the bottom of the login screen.
  2. You will see a Welcome screen, click Next.
  3. Enter the username and employee or student ID number provided to you by the college. Click Submit.
  4. You will be asked to review and agree to the Swarthmore College Acceptable Use Policy. A link will be provided for review. Once done, check the box to agree to the terms and click Next.
  5. Enter at least one recovery option, but both are recommended. After you enter the option(s), click Update. The options include:
    1. A non-Swarthmore email address
    2. A non-Swarthmore mobile phone number
  6. Set up your Duo 2-factor authentication device registration. You will be walked through the Duo set up process depending on the device type you chose.
    1. You will need to install the Duo Mobile app to complete device registration. Contact the Help Desk if you are not able to install the Duo Mobile app.
  7. You will be asked to enter a password. When you click into the text field, the requirements for setting a password at Swarthmore will show as a dropdown window below the text field. As you fulfill the requirements, they will automatically be checked on the list. Once you have a password that passes the checklist, re-enter it in the field below to confirm it. Click Next.
    1. At any time you can click on the eye icon on the right-hand side of the text fields to see the password.
    2. View our page on tips for creating strong passwords.
  8. You will see a confirmation screen that you have completed the process to claim your account. Click Complete.

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

Duo Two-Factor Authentication

Swarthmore uses Duo two-factor authentication to help you keep your Swarthmore account secure. This kind of authentication requires something you know (like your account username and password) coupled with something you have (a device registered with the service such as your cell phone). Requiring interaction with a device you have with you ensures that only you are able to access your account, even if your password were to be compromised. For more information about Duo please visit Getting Started With Duo. You will be prompted to register your duo device during Swarthmore account setup, when you Claim Your Identity.

It is highly recommended that you register more than one device with Duo to make sure you never have an issue logging into your account. 

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 Computer below).
    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)

When you're working online remotely, use SwatVPN (VPN = virtual private network). The VPN client software for SwatVPN is called Cisco AnyConnect. Not only does VPN secure the network communication between your computer and the College, but it also provides you access to resources only available from on-campus and the same level of network protection that you have while on campus. Note that if you don't "control" or own the network you're on (e.g. public WiFi), you should absolutely use VPN for any college-related activities. By the way, VPN isn't just for Macs and PCs, you can also install it on Chromebooks as well as iOS and Android devices.

Install the Swarthmore VPN

On a computer:

  1. Open a web browser
  2. Go to https://swatvpn2.swarthmore.edu/ShibSSO
  3. Log in using your Swarthmore user name and password
  4. Wait while it checks for Java (may take a minute or so)
  5. If Java detection fails, you will be directed to download and install VPN
  6. Click the AnyConnect VPN link to download and save the file to your computer
  7. Go to the installer that downloaded to your computer, and double-click on it to install

On a mobile device:

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.

  1. Search for and launch the Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client.
  2. In the blank text field enter the server name “swatvpn2.swarthmore.edu/ShibSSO” then click Connect.
    1. This connection may already be listed as SwatVPN Login in the connection dropdown. Access the dropdown by clicking the arrow on the right-hand side of the text field.
  3. A new window will open with the Swarthmore login page. Enter your Swarthmore credentials and click Login.
  4. The DUO prompt will then appear in the window. If you have logged in and verified with DUO recently, this page may skip past the prompt. If not, verify with your DUO method to continue.
  5. You are now connected to VPN! The next time you open Cisco AnyConnect this connection should already be listed in the text field for you.n Cisco AnyConnect this connection should already be listed in the text field for you.

Anti-Virus Protection

Make sure you are running up to date antivirus (AV) software whether on a PC or Mac (yes, definitely Macs too). Being up to date includes the AV software itself and the signatures. Also, be sure to schedule a periodic scan of your computer (scheduled to run at least once a week).

There are several companies that provide free antivirus software. These are just a few:

This information about antivirus updates applies primarily to personally-owned, non-ITS-managed computers.

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 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 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:

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