Carnegie Mellon University
Office of the CIO  ›  Computing Services  ›  Services  ›  Security Services  ›  Identity and Access Management  ›  Account and Identity Management  ›  Sponsored Accounts

Visitor Access

Visitors and guests that do not have a direct affiliation with Carnegie Mellon may be granted visitor access or issued a visitor account to gain access to different services.

Who can create or request a visitor account?

Who can use a visitor account?
Faculty and staff with an active Andrew account and valid, permanent affiliation can request a visitor account and become the sponsor for that account while it is active. Individuals who are not officially affiliated with Carnegie Mellon University. Examples include: 
  • Conference attendees
  • Contractors or vendors
  • Visiting scholars and researchers
  • Alumni that no longer have an active account

Types of Visitor Accounts & Services

The type of visitor account that is needed depends on the access and services that are required.

Visitor

Type

Best For

Services

Term
CMU-GUEST Visitors on campus who need network access for email and web browsing.

Network Access

90-day maximum
Guest Visitors/participants in special programs or conferences on campus requiring a temporary userID.

Computer Labs
Network Access

Short Term (five months or less)
Sponsored Visitors not affiliated with the university but acting on their own behalf as they conduct university-related work. See the guidelines below for more information.

Computer Labs
Email (upon request)
File Storage (AFS)
Network Access
Web Publishing

Note: Access to Box and Zoom are not included with Sponsored Accounts. 

Long Term
(more than five months)
  • Use of sponsored accounts must comply with the intent of the sponsorship as stated by the account sponsor.
  • All questions or changes related to the account must be referred to the account sponsor.
  • Cooperation is expected from both sponsors and sponsored account holders in any official resource management activities led by Computing Services that may require cooperative participation.
  • See the Andrew Account Holder Responsibilities page for information related to policies, password security and links to set your password.

  • You will set an expiration date when an account is created or renewed. Two renewal notices are sent to both the owner and the sponsor of the account. The sponsor for the account may renew or suspend the account early by following the instructions in the renewal notice. If there is no response to the notification, the account is allowed to expire.

  • Sponsored account holders are not eligible to install software under the university licenses. However, you may use software installed in university computer labs.
Can a visitor request an account directly?
No. Only full time faculty or staff can provide guest access and accounts.

Can I request a sponsored account for a future student, staff or faculty member?
No. Andrew accounts are created as part of the onboarding process for all new students, faculty and staff.

Can I request a sponsored account for an individual that used to have an Andrew account but is no longer affiliated with the university?
There are situations when a staff or faculty member or student needs an Andrew account to perform university-related work but they no longer have a current staff, faculty or student affiliation with the university. In this case, the Andrew account that the individual had while affiliated can be converted to a sponsored account. 

NOTE: If the individual has a current affiliation of staff, faculty or student, that account cannot be converted to sponsored.  They must wait until their current affiliation has expired. Visit What Happens to my Account When I Leave for more information.

How will I know when a visitor account has been created?

  • CMU-GUEST: You can create an access code and immediately distribute the code to your visitor(s).
  • Guest: Submit the Guest Account Request form, and then you will be notified via email when the accounts are created. A separate email will be sent with the password information. As the Guest Account sponsor, you are responsible for the secure distribution of the account userID and password information to your visitor.
  • Sponsored: Request a new account using the Request Accounts Portal, and then you will be notified via email when the account is created. The visitor (account holder) will be directly notified via email of their Andrew userID and password information.
Can I renew, extend or suspend visitor accounts?
  • CMU-GUEST: The start and end dates (maximum of 90 days) are defined when you create the access code. The account will expire on the end date. If additional time is needed, you can create another access code.
  • Guest: The start and end dates (maximum of 5 months) are defined when you submit the Guest Account Request form. The account will expire on the end date. If additional time is needed, you can submit a new form for a new guest account or consider a sponsored account.
  • Sponsored: Yes. You can use the Request Accounts Portal to renew or suspend accounts.

Can I update sponsored account information after the account is created?
Yes. Account sponsors can use the Request Accounts Portal to manage and update information for their sponsored accounts at any time.

Managing Sponsored Accounts Just Got Easier!

Sponsors can now manage and update information for their sponsored accounts using the Request Accounts Portal. Just click Manage Accounts to get started. 

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