Computer Accounts and Resources

We expect some of these instructions will change and be delayed for Fall 2026 incoming students as UCSD is rolling out a new enrollment system.

You can set these up about a week after admission:

• See GEPA and IT support pages on creating your accounts, including your student ID number (TSN - Triton Student Number), UCSD email and password, and DUO (two-step login).
• Many campus pages still reference the old type of student ID number, called a PID. Students entering Fall 2026 and later will only get a TSN (format 123456789), not a PID (format A12345678).
   

Campus computer and network access:

• Student Account Lookup: Shows ITS-managed accounts, servers, and computer labs you can access.
• On-campus wireless overview: Set up your devices to access campus WiFi.
• UC Library Search / OpenAthens: Off-campus access to journals and other content requiring the UCSD Library subscription. (OpenAthens is now preferred over the VPN for accessing library content.)
• UCSD VPN: Off-campus access to the UCSD network.
• For more information, see Network Services and Network Connections.
   

Some campus-wide tools you'll need:

• My TritonLink: Tools: List of campus-wide online tools. Help pages.
• UCSD Zoom account: Video conferencing. User guide.
• Canvas (canvas.ucsd.edu) for many course websites
• Course planning and registration (campus-wide page, BISB page): Schedule of classes, WebReg (for course registration), EASy (for add/drop petitions).

Your official UCSD email address on @ucsd.edu:

• You are responsible for checking your @ucsd.edu email on a timely basis. Most emails from UCSD administrative offices, course instructors and TAs, etc. are sent to your @ucsd.edu address.
• BISB students' @ucsd.edu accounts are Google Workspace accounts with Gmail, Google Docs, etc. See UCSD's Google Workspace FAQ for a comparison with regular Gmail accounts.
• While much of campus is on @ucsd.edu Google accounts, it varies by department and by when someone joined UCSD. The School of Medicine uses another system, and their @ucsd.edu addresses may not be Google accounts.
   

Spam and email security on UCSD accounts:

• UCSD uses two spam filtering systems. To find messages sent to spam, you must check both:
  1. UCSD Spam Quarantine: ProofPoint screens messages before they even reach your Gmail account! You'll receive alerts about them as emails from "UCSD Spam Quarantine" with a subject line like "End User Digest: 2 New Messages".
  2. Gmail Spam folder: In the list of folders/labels (Inbox, Starred, Snoozed,...): scroll to the bottom, select "More", and then "Spam".
• URL Defense: Links are rewritten to go through urldefense.com for safety scanning.

• Labs: You may be issued additional computer accounts for the lab or department in which you do your rotations and thesis research.
• Campus licensed software: See here.
• Calendar: Please regularly check the UCSD Graduate Bioinformatics Program calendar for seminar schedules and other items concerning the program. You can add it to your Google account by clicking on the "+ Google Calendar" link in the lower left corner.
• Facebook: UCSD Bioinformatics and Systems Biology.