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What you need to know
Frequently asked questions about eIDs
- What is a K-State eID?
- How do I register for an eID?
- How do I choose my eID?
- Can I change my eID?
- I need a shared account (formerly group eID) for my department. How do I get one?
- I forgot my eID. What do I do?
- I'm a new employee and registered for my eID, but I don't have access to email or other resources.
- What happens if I leave and don't copy my files and email?
- How often do I have to change my eID password?
- Where is my eID and password stored, and is it secure?
What is a K-State eID?
All K-State employees, students and those needing access to university computing systems are required to have an eID. Additionally, undergraduate students applying for the fall 2013 semester or later must have an eID to submit an application.
Your eID is your K-State user name and is used to access saved applications, enroll in classes, accept financial aid, sign in to K-State e-mail, view online paychecks, access student financial records, and much more. You must be 13 or older to register.
With your eID you can also manage your eProfile to change your password, turn email forwarding on, sign up for K-State Alerts emergency text messages and phone calls, and more.
How do I register for an eID?
New K-Staters must register for an eID through eProfile. If you already have an eID you should not register for another one. If you are unsure whether you have an eID or want to change or reactivate an old eID, please contact the IT Help Desk. If desired, you can review the step-by-step instructions for registering your eID.
Those applying for undergraduate admission for fall 2013 semester or later will register for an eID during the application process. If you were previously a student and want to re-apply as an undergraduate for the fall 2013 semester or later, please do not register for a new eID. Instead, contact the IT Help Desk to have your old eID reactivated.
Parents, guardians and others needing access to their student's financial records through Designated Access must have an eID. If the designee doesn't already have an eID, the designee can register now or wait to register until their student requests that they have access.
How do I choose my eID?
- Your eID must be 3-20 characters long, with letters from "a-z" and/or numerals from "0-9", and no special characters such as @ or ^. The first character must be a letter of the alphabet. Please note that eIDs were previously limited to a maximum of 8 characters. They maximum character length was increased to 20 characters on November 1, 2011.
- Choose carefully. Your eID becomes part of your K-State email address (eID@k-state.edu). It will be seen by your instructors, future employers, and others.
- If the eID you want is already taken, choose another one. eID assignments are made on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Can I change my eID?
Yes, anytime you want. There is a $50 fee for each eID change. When your eID is changed, your old eID becomes an alias that points to your new eID. This causes email sent to your old address to be forwarded to your new address. You will need to submit an eID change form, which is available at the IT Help Desk
Note:The $50 fee can be waived if any of the following criteria are met:
- You legally changed your name after July 1, 2006 and your current eID is based on your old legal name. Verification of legal name changes for faculty and staff are done through Human Resources and personnel records. Verification of legal name changes for students are done through the K-State ID Center.
- If you are a former student who is now an employee and had a license plate eID (initials and 4 numbers, for example 'abc1234'). However, if you chose your eID as a student and are coming back as an employee, the fee will not be waived. License plate eIDs were assigned to all students who attended K-State prior to the spring 2003 semester.
I need to get a shared account for my department. How do I get one?
A shared account (formerly group eID) allows several K-Staters, such as a college or department staff, to share a single K-State Zimbra account, which includes email, calendar, contacts, document, and more.
Advantages of shared accounts include:
- No password to remember, change, and distribute to every group member.
- Only those who have been designated by the account owner can access the account.
- The shared account's email inbox and calendar is added to each member's K-State Zimbra account. No need to toggle between your personal and group email. Think of it as an account within an account.
Learn more about shared accounts, including requesting a shared account or converting to a shared account from a group eID.
Please note: Shared accounts cannot be used to manage K-State webpages. Contact the ITS web team at webmaster@k-state.edu to update the list of authorized users for your webpage. The Axio Survey system allows for sharing surveys with other K-Staters. You do not need a shared account to allow a group to work on a survey.
I forgot my eID. What do I do?
You should contact the IT Help Desk if you forgot your eID. You should not register for a new eID because you forgot your other one.
If you are again affiliated with K-State through employment or student status, you should reactivate your old eID by contacting the IT Help Desk and changing your old eID password. You should not register for a new eID. They will be able to assist you with reactivating your eID and changing its password.
I'm a new employee and registered for my eID, but I don't have access to email or other resources.
New employees whose information is not yet available in the Human Resource Information System (HRIS) and need access to K-State email and other university resources should contact their department's personnel specialist. Your personnel specialist will need to grant you preliminary privileges.
If you registered for an eID before you became an employee, you will need to first verify your eID through eProfile instead of registering for a new one. If you do not have immediate access to email or other resources after verifying, please contact your department's personnel specialist. If desired, you can review the step-by-step instructions for verifying your eID
Contact the IT Help Desk for assistance.
What happens if I leave and don't copy my files and email?
Once you are no longer enrolled at, employed by, or associated with K-State, you will be notified via your K-State email address that access to your K-State email and other resources is going to be removed. You then have about two weeks to make any copies needed.
Once your access has been removed, there is a $50 fee for one week of access to copy any data you forgot. Contact the IT Help Desk to request access to your data.
After you've been gone from K-State for 180 days, all files and email associated with your eID are destroyed and removed from the central backup systems.
How often do I have to change my eID password?
Most eID passwords must be changed every 180 days. See the password FAQs for details.
Where is my eID and password stored, and is it secure?
Your eID and password are stored in KEAS, a secure directory service that is managed by the Office of Mediated Education. Your eID only is visible in the K-State People Directory (unless you've specified otherwise) because it is the address for your K-State email. The People Directory is the online searchable database of K-State faculty, staff, and students. You can search the People Directory from the Search website or by entering search criteria in any 'Search K-State' box on the K-State website. Your People Directory display settings can be updated at any time through eProfile.