With an online tool, you can request and sponsor a Princeton University guest account for a person not directly affiliated with the University, to allow the person access to a specific Web-based application over which you have authority.
General Questions about the service
What can someone with a guest account do?
A guest account allows a person not directly affiliated with the University the ability to authenticate to a specific web-based resource at Princeton. Resources can be a SharePoint site or many other Web services that use Princeton authentication services to authorize access.
Guest accounts do not provide general access to Princeton University IT services, only to specific Web application(s) for which authorization can and has been given.
Who can sponsor a guest account?
Only Princeton University faculty and staff may sponsor a guest account. Note: University generic or service netIDs may not be provided as the identity of a sponsor: the faculty or staff member must specify his or her own individual ID.
Who can be a guest?
Any person that does NOT have a Princeton University account but does have an active, valid external e-mail address may be given a guest account for use with a specific Web-based application. The guest account is extended when the Princeton sponsor feels participation by the outside guest is necessary in support of the University mission.
This form should not be used to request a Department Computer User (DCU) account. Accounts requested through the Guest Account Program have limited access; for DCU acocunts please see the DCU request form.
Sponsor Help and Instructions
How do I obtain a guest account for a non-Princeton person?
A guest account is requested by the sponsor. The sponsor must be a member of the faculty or staff of Princeton University. Use the steps below to create a guest account.
- Go to the Guest Account Provisioning service, on Sponsor Services and login with your Princeton netid and password. If this is the first time a sponsor accesses the service, s/he will be prompted to agree to the Terms of Use.
- Click the Add Guest Account button.
- Enter the external e-mail address of the prospective guest and select an expiration date for the account and click Submit Request. Guest accounts can be activated for up to one year. The guest's e-mail address ordinarily will become the Princeton University guest account netID. (If there is a conflict with an existing university netID, a message will prompt that a different e-mail address be provided.)
- E-mail is sent on behalf of the sponsor to the prospective guest, indicating that a guest account has been created. The guest has seven days to activate the account by completing the guest account registration process.
- The prospective guest navigates to the guest account link included in their e-mail and completes the guest account registration process (including setting a password).
- Once the registration process is complete, the guest account is activated. The sponsor is sent an e-mail stating that the guest account is now active. The guest account can then be used to authenticate to specific Web-based applications at Princeton.
Note: Additional permissions (authorization) may need to be given to resources before the guest can access the resource. The sponsor will need to take steps appropriate to the resource to provide access; please see the individual service website for specific instruction.
How many guest accounts can I create?
A sponsor can sponsor a total of 25 guests.
I'm leaving the University and have sponsored guest accounts. What happens to them when I leave?
Guest accounts are active only as long as they are associated with an active, valid sponsor. When a sponsor leaves the university and the sponsor's own account is disabled, all guest accounts associated with that sponsor are disabled as well. The sponsor can contact the OIT Service Desk at 609-258-HELP(4357) and request that the guest accounts be transferred to another faculty or staff member who has agreed to be responsible for these guests. However, the Service Desk also will need confirmation from that party.
What if I need to disable guest account prior to its scheduled expiration?
Guest accounts automatically expire and are not usable to log in after their expiration date. If you need to disable a guest account prior to the expiration date, please contact the OIT Service Desk at 609-258-HELP(4357) and request the accounts be disabled.
Notification of Guest Access Expiration
Prior to an account expiring, an email notification will be sent to the guest account sponsor. The email notification will occur 14 days, 7 days, and 1 day prior to the guest account holder’s expiration date. Upon notification, the sponsor should determine if guest access is still required and if so initiate the renewal process through the Guest Account Provisioning website. If continued guest access is no longer required, no additional action is required of the sponsor as the guest account will simply expire. A copy of the expiration notification email sent to their sponsor is below.
Help and Instructions for Guest Accounts
What is a validation e-mail? I never got the validation e-mail.
When a guest account is created by a sponsor, the guest is sent email containing a validation code that is needed to complete the guest account registration process. Some Internet e-mail systems may mistake the e-mail as spam. Be sure to check your spam/junk mail folder before contacting the OIT Service Desk at 609-258-HELP(4357).
How do I get access to SharePoint?
If you have any questions regarding how to access a particular resource, you should work with your sponsor. Your guest account sponsor needs to make provisions to grant you authorization to the resource(s) they want you to access. If you have any questions about who your sponsor is, you can find their information in the original e-mail notification of your guest account. You can also look up your sponsor at any time by navigating to the My Guest Account Info page.
I registered my account, but I can't log in! Help!
There are several reasons why you may be having difficulty logging in to your guest account.
- You are not typing your guest account correctly: The guest account login is the same as registered external email address (ie: myname@gmail.com). It is a common mistake to drop the text after the @. Guest accounts are in the same form as a valid e-mail address. This differentiates them from regular Princeton University netIDs.
- You are not typing your password correctly: If you've forgotten your password, you can reset your password. Go to the Service Now Password Reset page for Guest Accounts to reset your password.
- You are not authorized to login to the site: Some applications require additional permission (authorization) before they can be accessed. You will need to coordinate with your guest account sponsor to secure authorization to access the resource or web application.