UGANDA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY

ICT On-boarding Guide for New Students

Complete these steps before you report to campus — about 15 minutes.

USERNAME (everywhere)

AccessNumber@students.ucu.ac.ug

e.g. B40000@students.ucu.ac.ug

PASSWORD (everywhere)

Your active Alpha password

Forgot it? Reset at alpha.ucu.ac.ug

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Find your Access Number — on your admission letter/email

1

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Log in to Alpha & the Student Portal — confirm registration and email work

1

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Log in to Moodle — check your courses appear

1

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Make sure your personal email & phone are current — needed for password resets

4

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Set up eduroam on your devices — on arrival, or pre-install from cat.eduroam.org

3

Student Portal & Email

students.ucu.ac.ug

Official university email — check daily

Alpha (Registration)

alpha.ucu.ac.ug

Registration, timetable, fees, password reset

Moodle (LMS)

moodle.ucu.ac.ug

Course materials, assignments, announcements

eduroam Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi network "eduroam"

Campus internet (and worldwide)

Helpdesk Tickets

helpme.ucu.ac.ug

Log and track support requests

ICT SERVICE DESK   Try self-service first — then contact us

EMAIL

helpdesk@ucu.ac.ug

PHONE

0741 902525

TICKETS

helpme.ucu.ac.ug

WALK-IN

Hamu Mukasa Library, Rm 307

HOURS

Mon–Fri, 8:30–5:00

1 Accessing Key University Systems

Your Access Number is issued on admission; a Registration Number follows once you register. Keep both.

1

Find your Access Number — on your admission letter or acceptance email. Some systems ask for your Registration Number instead.

2

Student Portal — go to students.ucu.ac.ug and sign in with AccessNumber@students.ucu.ac.ug + your Alpha password.

3

Alpha (Registration System) — go to alpha.ucu.ac.ug. Confirm registration status, timetable, fees statement and personal details.

4

Activate university email — at students.ucu.ac.ug (e.g. B40000@students.ucu.ac.ug). This is your official channel — check it daily.

5

Moodle (LMS) — go to moodle.ucu.ac.ug with the same username and password. Courses, assignments and announcements live here.

Student Portal — students.ucu.ac.ug

Alpha — Note “Forgot Password? Reset Here”

Moodle — moodle.ucu.ac.ug

2 Resetting Your Password

Self-service through Alpha — takes about 2 minutes.

1

Open alpha.ucu.ac.ug

2

Enter your Access Number on the login screen.

3

Click “Forgot Password? Reset Here” — just below the sign-in box (see the Alpha screenshot above).

4

Check your email for a “UCU Notifications” message and click “Click to Reset Your Password.”

5

Set a new password — at least 8 characters, with upper & lower case, a number and a symbol. Don’t reuse other passwords.

Reset email never arrives?   Your Alpha email is probably out of date. Visit the ICT Service Desk with your student ID (Hamu Mukasa Building, Rm 307), or see Section 5.

3 Connecting to Eduroam (Campus Wi-Fi)

Secure internet at UCU and at eduroam institutions worldwide.

1

Be within coverage — “eduroam” appears in your Wi-Fi list inside campus buildings.

2

Select “eduroam” on your phone, laptop or tablet.

3

Sign in — Username: AccessNumber@students.ucu.ac.ug (the @ part is required). Password: your Alpha password.

4

Accept the certificate when prompted — this is expected and confirms a secure connection.

5

Optional: install the eduroam assistant from cat.eduroam.org (UCU profile) to pre-fill the settings.

Won’t connect? Forget/delete the saved eduroam network and try again, making sure you typed the full @students.ucu.ac.ug ending — the most common cause of failure.

4 Updating Your Alternative Email & Phone

Your recovery route if you lose access. Updated by the Service Desk, not self-service.

1

Contact the ICT Service Desk — by email, phone, walk-in or ticket (all contacts in Section 5).

2

Give your details — Access/Registration Number, full name and program.

3

Provide your new personal email & phone — ones you’ll still control after graduation (avoid shared family accounts).

4

Wait for confirmation that Alpha has been updated.

Tip: Update this again whenever your personal email or phone changes — it’s the fastest way back into your account.

5 Requesting Technical Support

Try self-service first (Sections 2–3). Still stuck? Use these channels.

• Email helpdesk@ucu.ac.ug — include Access/Registration No., full name, program and the issue.
• Call 0741 902525 — for urgent issues in registration/orientation week.
• Walk in — Hamu Mukasa Library, Rm 307, Mon–Fri 8:30–5:00. Bring admission letter + ID.
• Log a ticket at helpme.ucu.ac.ug — and track its progress online.

Helpdesk sign-in — use your UCU email

1

Be specific — “Can’t log into Moodle — reset link not received,” not “portal not working.”

2

Prove who you are — Access/Registration Number, admission letter or ID.

3

Say what you tried — reset, another device, other network.

4

Allow for office hours — out-of-hours requests are handled the next working day.