To access resources at Boston University you will need an account to access said resources. The type of account you will need depends on your affiliation and business need. Below are the types of accounts that we provide to Boston University affiliates.
Web Accounts:
When you become an applicant of Boston University, you will get a Web Account which allows you to access your applicant information. These accounts generally have limited access until they are converted to a full personal account with a BU email. Although, the majority of all attending Boston University students will receive a full person BU email Account at some point, there are some certificate programs that only use Web Accounts. as they do not need access to the same range of services a Boston University student needs.
Staff/Faculty/Student/Alum BU Email Accounts:
After accepting your offer at Boston University, a student’s web account will be converted over to a full BU email account. This account will allow you to access your email (Gmail or Office 365), Wireless/VPN, and other resources such as Blackboard. If you graduate from Boston University, you will have your account with Gmail indefinitely. However, other resources such as Wireless/VPN will be deprovisioned once you leave as a student.
As a Staff/Faculty member, you will get access to your email (Office 365), Wireless/VPN, and BUWorks. You will lose access to this account once you leave the university unless you have another affiliation (Alumni/Student) that entitles you to keep your account. If you retire from Boston University, you are entitled to an email account but other resources such as Wireless/VPN are disabled.
Affiliate Accounts:
An Affiliate account is needed if a guest needs access to electronic resources at Boston University. This group can include affiliations such as retiree or alumni who need access to additional Boston University resources. To get an affiliate account, you will need to be sponsored by a compensated employee of Boston University. The sponsor will request the required entitlements and length that the affiliate will need. After their last day as an affiliate of Boston University, the account (or just the additional requested resources) will be deprovisioned.
You can submit a request for an affiliate account with the link below:
https://www.bu.edu/tech/support/guest
Then click on “Sponsors – Set up a guest account”
Departmental/Service Accounts:
A departmental account is used by groups of people within a department to access a resource. If you need a shared email inbox for multiple people in your department to use, you should request a departmental account.
A service account is used for machine-to-machine communication. The password is rarely entered manually and might be saved in a configuration. Service account passwords must be at least 25 characters.
You can request a Service/Departmental account using the link below: