Summary
Forgotten your Mount Holyoke College Account password, or just need to reset it? Resetting your MHC Account password using the instructions below will change your password for Google Mail and Apps, Moodle, my.mtholyoke and all services that require MHC credentials.
Body
Instructions for resetting your MHC Account password.
Overview
Starting with the launch of DASH in April 2026, the password reset process is different for alums than it is for students, faculty, and staff. Please go to the correct section of this article for password reset instructions relevant to your role.
Instructions for students, faculty and staff:
Resetting your MHC Account password will change your login for MHC Google, Workday, Moodle, my.mtholyoke and all services that you log into with your MHC Account.
1. Submit the forgot password form
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- Go to the forgot password page.
- Enter your MHC username (it should be all lowercase and not include the @mtholyoke.edu).
- Enter the personal recovery email address that you have on file with the College.
- Click off somewhere on the side in the white space of the page to get the submit button to turn blue so you can interact with it.
- Submit.
- If the form submission details match our system, a password recovery email will be sent. You'll see a green success box either way.
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2. Set a new password
The link in the password recovery email is only active for 15 minutes; if you miss the window, just submit the forgot password form again.
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- In the password recovery email, select the “reset your password” link.
- Enter your MHC username (it should be all lowercase and not include the @mtholyoke.edu).
- Provide and confirm a NEW password of your choosing.
- Choose Reset Password.
- The screen will confirm that your password has successfully changed.
- You’ll also get a message in your MHC email inbox notifying you that your MHC password has been changed.
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Be sure to update your MHC Account password wherever you have it saved, including:
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Before you Start, you will need to know:
- Your MHC Account username
- Your current MHC Account password
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- Go to the change password page.
- Enter your MHC username (it should be all lowercase and not include the @mtholyoke.edu).
- Enter your current password.
- Provide and confirm a NEW password.
- Choose Change Password.
- The screen will confirm that your password has successfully changed.
- You’ll also get a message in your MHC email inbox notifying you that your MHC password has been changed.
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Be sure to update your MHC Account password wherever you have it saved, including:
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Be aware that your initial one-time use password can only be used to set your MHC Account password. It will NOT allow you to log into any MHC systems (including email).
Before you Start, you'll need:
- Your MHC Account username
- Your initial MHC Account password
How and when will I get that information?
- New students will receive their initial password from admissions in May (fall entrants) or October (spring entrants)
- New staff will receive their initial password from their supervisor on their first day of work or in New Employee Orientation
- New faculty will receive their initial password from the Provost's Office in their welcome packet
- New Five College and dual enrollment high school students will receive their initial password via a system email sent within the first two weeks of classes the first semester they take a class at MHC
Learn more about MHC Accounts for undergraduate students, faculty, staff, and other groups.
I haven't gotten my username and initial password!
If you know that your MHC Account has been created but haven't received that information, you may be able to use the instructions in the "I forgot my MHC Account password" section to set your password for the first time.
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- Go to the change password page.
- Enter your MHC username (it should be all lowercase and not include the @mtholyoke.edu).
- Enter your initial password.
- Provide and confirm a NEW password.
- Choose Change Password.
- The screen will confirm that your password has successfully changed. You’ll also get a message in your MHC email inbox notifying you that your MHC password has been changed.
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Password reset instructions for Alums (and other DASH users)
These instructions only apply to alums who have already claimed their MHC Accounts for DASH (and staff in the Alum Association, College Relations, and LITS whose MHC Accounts are already managed by the Fischer identity management system).
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Open a web browser and launch the forgot password process. Choose Next to begin.
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On the "Let's look you up!" screen, enter your MHC Account username and Submit.
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Select one of your configured verification methods to receive a PIN to continue.
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Enter the PIN you receive and select Verify. If you don't receive the pin, you can select "Try another way" and select a different verification method.
- Enter a new password in the first Password box. This should be a unique password that you aren't using for any other online accounts. To ensure your account’s security, your password must also meet the College’s password complexity requirements. You will be guided on the requirements in real time as you type.
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Enter the new password again in the Confirm Password box.
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When you're ready, select Set Password.
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Be sure to save your new password in your password manager or somewhere else safe.
Password complexity requirements
MHC requires that passwords meet these complexity requirements to help protect your data. LITS recommends also referring to our password safety tips.
Faculty, staff, and student passwords must meet the following criteria:
- Not contain your MHC username or parts of your full name that exceed two consecutive characters
- Be at least 12 characters in length (and no longer than 127 characters)
- Contain at least one English uppercase character (A through Z)
- Contain at least one English lowercase character (a through z)
- Contain at least one base 10 digit (0 through 9)
- Contain at least one symbol from this list: ! * + - # _ % ^
- Other symbols including [space] will be rejected
| Example username and password |
Meets complexity requirements? |
| mlyon | B0!dVisi0n-aRy_LEad3r |
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| mlyon | MtH@lyoke$ |
Contains "lyo", which is more than 2 consecutive characters in the username
Doesn't include a number
Includes $ and @, which aren't on the list of accepted symbols
Is only 10 characters, which is shorter than the required 12 characters
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Alum/DASH user passwords must meet the following criteria:
- Not contain your first or last name
- Not contain your MHC username
- Be at least 14 characters in length (and no longer than 127 characters)
- Contain at least 2 letters
- Contain both uppercase and lowercase characters
- Contain at least 1 number
- Contain at least 1 special character
| Example username and password |
Meets complexity requirements? |
| lyon333ma | BoLdVisi0n@Ry_LEad3r |
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| lyon333ma | MountH0lyoke |
Contains "lyo", which is more than 2 consecutive characters in the username
Doesn't include a number
Doesn't include a symbol
Is only 12 characters, which is shorter than the required 14 characters
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Select employees only: Manage your legacy system password
These instructions can be used whether this is your first time setting a legacy system password or you're resetting a forgotten legacy system password. Only a few linux systems continue to require legacy system passwords.
Before you Start, you'll need to:
- Log in to the legacy system password profile page with the password you use for your MHC email account (instructions for setting/resetting that are above)
- We know our password profile page isn’t the most beautiful website we’ve ever made — but rest assured, it is secure and will do the job
- On the Password policies page that you land on, use the Yes, continue button to continue
- Next you will see the Review your recovery email address page. Check that you have a current personal email address on this page. Your recovery email address ensures your ability to recover access to your account if you forget your password. Use the Submit button to continue
- Next you will see the MHC computer account profile page. In the section Change primary MHC password, enter a new password in both fields, paying attention to the password requirements
- Once you have entered a new password and confirmed it, use the Change password button
- You will see a green confirmation screen with the message Primary MHC password set. You have successfully reset your password!