Activate Your VISTA Account

Welcome to Virginia State University. As a new student you will receive a welcome email from vista@vsu.edu. This will be sent to the personal email provided to us during the application process.

  1. Open the welcome email and click the “Activate your VISTA Account” button to get started.
  2. When you click the link, you will be taken to the “Set up security methods: screen on your browser. The first step will be to create a password. Click the “Set Up” button to do so.
  3. Follow the instructions on the next screen to create a password for your account. You will not be allowed to proceed until all the requirements are met.
  4. After your password has been created, you will then be asked to set up a second security method. It is strongly suggested that you choose the “Okta Verify” option.

  1. Select Okta Verify from the security methods list.
  2. Follow the instructions for your device to download and install the Okta Verify App.
    1. Once the app is installed, open it and:
  3. Click the plus sign to add a new account.
  4. Choose Organization as the account type
  5. Select “Skip” when asked to add account from another device
  6. Scan the QR code when prompted.
    2.  

    3. You will be taken to your VISTA dashboard.

If you prefer to use text messaging as an option:

  1. Select Phone from the security methods list
  2. Enter your phone number including the area code on the next screen
  3. Enter the code you received via SMS

What is VISTA?

VISTA (VSU Identification System for Technology Access), our Identity Access Management (IAM) and Single Sign-On (SSO) solution. Powered by Okta, VISTA represents our commitment to providing a secure, efficient, and user-friendly access management solution.

What is MFA?

MFA stands for Multi-Factor Authentication. It's an extra layer of security for logging in to accounts on top of just a password.  With MFA, you need to provide two or more pieces of evidence to verify your identity.

For VSU this will be:

  • You user name
  • Your password
  • A code from the authentication method you have selected.

VSU allows the following MFA methods:

  • The Okta Verify App
  • The Google Authenticator App
  • Text Message (SMS)

ITS recommends that you use the Okta Verify Authenticator App.

The time to activate my account has passed, what do I do?

You can still activate your account by going to https://login.vsu.edu

Enter the username provided in the email to begin the activation process.

Why does VSU recommend the Okta Verify App?

Using the Okta Verify app give you access to self-service options that are not available with other methods. These include:

  • Self-service password reset
  • Self-service account unlock
  • Access your account without needing cell service
  • Securely access your account without needing to enter your password. (using FaceID, or fingerprint)

Can I have multiple authentication methods?

Yes. VSU recommends having both the OKTA Verify App with SMS as a secondary method.

Full FAQ

You can also view the full VISTA FAQ.

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