How to change your password

Your account is as good as your password. It is important for you that you choose a good and rigid password.

This password is strictly personal so do not share it with anybody (not even ICT). If you need to share information with someone else, there are a lot of possibilities do to this in a controlled way. Just contact the ICT Helpdesk for more information.

Password rules

To make sure only rigid passwords are used, we are forcing you to follow some rules

  • The password should be minimum 12 and maximum of 255 characters long
  • At least 3 of the following 4 rules should be followed
      - at least one uppercase letter (A to Z)
      - at least one lowercase letter (a to z)
      - at least one number (0 to 9)
      - at least one non-alphabetical character such as . , ; ! ? $ # % - _ + * = etc.

Choose a passphrase

It is better to choose a passphrase than a password. Not only because it is easier to choose a phrase with more than 12 characters but also a phrase almost always follows 3 of the 4 above-mentioned rules.

Good examples are - but please do not copy them:

  • "This is my 1st password!"
  • "You will never guess my password!"
  • "Hi, it's me!"
  • "On and on and on."
  • "I can count up to 1000."

Other ways to make your passphrase more complicated is to replace standard characters by non-standard characters but still keep it as a readable whole. You could replace "E" with "3", "I" with "1", "O" with "0" (letter with a number), "I" with "!", "ait" with "8", "you" with "U", etc.

Some examples:

  • "Th!s !s my 1st passw0rd!"
  • "Y0u w!ll n3v3r gu3ss th!s!"
  • "H!, !t's m3!"
  • "W8! N0t s0 fast!"

Where to change it?

You can change your password on the Change My Password page (https://password.coleurope.eu).

You need to use your e-mail address of the College and remember your current password to do so.

Note: After changing your password it can take up to half an hour before you can use the new password to log in on Office 365 (e-mail, OneDrive, SharePoint, etc)

What if I forgot my password?

If you have provided additional information via the Self Service Password Reset, you can reset your password here.

If this does not work for you, send a request to the ICT Helpdesk (helpdesk.be@coleurope.eu) specifying your full name, a phone number where we can contact you and proof of identity such as a scan of an ID Card or Passport.

Or hop into our office in Dijver

Please note

Before you change your password, please make sure you have paused all systems and services that automatically connect (e.g. mail on a smartphone, Wi-Fi to COE-AUTH) with the exception of your current connection of course.

Failure to do so could result in having your C-Account locked as these systems will try to connect with your old (and wrong) password.

For Mac users only

Mac users often do not receive the prompt to enter the new password. In that case, you have to remove the old password from the Keychain:

  • Open the Keychain > Click Finder > Go > Utilities > Keychain Access
  • In the Keychain select Passwords and search for services where you used your college account.
  • Right-click the site or service and choose Delete