Acceptable characters

Use these rules to create a secure username, password, and email address. Make sure your username and password are different.

Usernames

  • Use at least 4 characters and up to 120 characters.
  • Use any alpha characters from a to z.
    Note: You can use uppercase letters to make the username or email address easier to remember. However, they are saved as lowercase to make sure they are unique.
  • Use any special characters part of the Unicode character set, such as é (acute).
  • Use any numeric characters from 0 through 9.
  • Use blank spaces, but not as leading or trailing blank spaces.

Passwords

  • Use at least 8 characters and up to 120 characters.
  • Use at least one alpha character from a to z.
  • Use at least one numeric character from 0 through 9.
  • Use at least one capital letter from A to Z.
  • Optionally, use these special characters: @ (at sign) . (period) - (hyphen or dash) _ (underscore).

Password security

  • Do not use the same password you use on your credit card, bank, or other financial accounts.
  • Do not use any personal information, such as your last name or birth date.
  • Do not use regular words from a dictionary.
  • Replace letters with numbers. Use the number 3 instead of an e, a 1 instead of an i, or a zero instead of an o. For example: b0st0ndud3 (bostondude) or 1mag1n3that (imaginethat).
  • Create a phrase instead of just one word, for example: MyGrade100.
  • Use an alternate spelling like those in text messaging, for example: fud for food.