Account Activation

Welcome to William & Mary! The first step towards establishing yourself at William & Mary is to activate your W&M Username and create a password. The W&M Username is the key to access most online and electronic resources on campus. Along with a secure password, it becomes your online identity at William & Mary.

Activate Now!*

*This link is for faculty, staff, and affiliates. Students should use the link provided by the appropriate office of admissions.

Step 1: Get your Banner ID Number

A Banner ID number is a nine digit number beginning with 93... (ex. 930123456). You will be notified of your Banner ID number via the email address used in your application for employment (faculty/staff) or letter of acceptance (students). The message will come from the following departments, depending on your association to the university:

Staff - Human Resources
Faculty - Administrator from your school/department/program
Affiliates - Information Technology
Undergraduates - Office of Undergraduate Admission
Graduate Students - The appropriate office of graduate admission
Unclassified Students (Undergraduate and Graduate) - Registrar

Step 2: Get your W&M Username

Once you have your Banner ID number, you can get your W&M Username. It is usually - but not always - the first initial of your first name, first initial of your middle name (if you have one), and then your last name. (Example: txgriffin)

Go to the activation page for Fac/Staff/Affiliates. Students should refer to the link in their letter of acceptance.
Read and accept the terms in the Acceptable Use Policy for Faculty/Staff or for Students.
Enter your Banner ID Number sent by the department listed above (starts with a 93...) and the email address you used during the application process. (Affiliates - this is the email address your sponsor provided us for you.)
If this information matches, you will be issued a W&M Username (shown on the next screen). The W&M Username issued to you cannot be changed. Also, an email (aka - a "token") will be automatically sent to the email address you provided in your application.

Step 3: Get your Password

You are close to completing the activation process. Now you just need to set up your password.

Open your email used in the application process.
Find the token that was sent to you.*
Open the token and click on the link.
Enter the W&M Username provided by the previous activation process (Steps 1-4 above). You will now be able to create your W&M account's password.
Go through all 3 steps and then click the Change Password Now button in Step 3. Your password is not established UNTIL you click this button.

*You will only have 24 hours to use the token. If necessary, you may request another token be sent to you by going through this process again.

Step 4: Set-up a Password Recovery Email Address (Optional)

A recovery email address allows you to reset your password on your own - just in case! Follow these steps to set it up:

Go to https://changepassword.wm.edu/wm/ or use the Change Your W&M Account's Password link on the W&M IT homepage.

Select Self-Service Password Recovery
Follow the prompts to provide a recovery email address
Confirm the email address (Use the link in the activation email sent to the recovery email address you selected)

I've got my Banner ID Number, W&M Username, and Password

Congratulations! You are finished.

Now you can check-out things like your W&M email account (Faculty/Staff, Students), Blackboard, or use Banner Self-Service (via myW&M).

Keep in mind that your password can be updated an any point, but must be updated annually. You will be sent reminder emails as the date approaches. Use the link on it IT Homepage to access the Change Password system or go directly to https://changepassword.wm.edu/wm/.

Questions? Contact the Technology Support Center (TSC)
757-221-4357 (HELP) | [[support]] | Jones 201, Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm