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Updated June 6, 2023 - This is an updated copy of the document: CCCID: The Use & Significance of the CCCID in the CCC SSO Initiative. Pending approval, it will replace the original. |
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OpenCCC & The CCCID
OpenCCC is the federated identity initiative and systemwide student account system for the California Community Colleges system. Developed by the CCC Technology Center, the OpenCCC system has generated over 25 million unique student accounts (as of June 2023) supporting single sign-on access to many systemwide technology applications.
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The CCCID is the master link between the identity management system, community colleges, and all systemwide technology services. When a user is authenticated to use an application or service such as CCCApply or MyPath, the CCCID is passed to that service to identify the unique individual. In this way, services and applications can maintain personal accounts for the user anonymously, thus ensuring the privacy and security of the user’s data.
See the section below: What information do students need to create their OpenCCC account?
CCCID Facts
The CCCID is unique to each individual student
The CCCID is generated when the student/user creates an OpenCCC account
The CCCID is used to identify the student during sign-on by systemwide technology applications
The CCCID is securely stored in a systemwide identity management system and delivered to the college via SuperGlue for Apply or via Data Warehouse Direct Connect service
The CCCID can be used for student identification and deduplication by the college
The CCCID is the mandated student identifier for every California Community College student
How do students get a CCCID?
Every student is assigned a unique CCCID during the OpenCCC account creation process which is required in order to apply to a California Community College or use any systemwide web application or service. Therefore, most students create their OpenCCC account when they apply for admission using the CCCApply online application or as part of the MyPath onboarding process. However, regardless of when and where, every student must start the account creation process by clicking the Create an Account link on the OpenCCC Sign In page.
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For more information, see How To Create A New OpenCCC Account. |
How long does it take to create an OpenCCC account?
Creating an OpenCCC account is simple, secure and user-friendly using a desktop computer or a mobile device. With access to their personal email account handy, students on average are able to setup and validate their account in under 7 minutes, including creating a secure password and completing the short account profile section.
What information do students need to create their OpenCCC account?
To create an account students need a unique email address or mobile phone number, whichever they prefer, to receive a time-sensitive verification code to validate their identity. Once validated, only a few other details are required to complete the Account Profile process, including:
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For more information, see How to Sign In to Your OpenCCC Account. |
The significance of the CCCID for Single Sign-On (SSO)
The CCCID is used for multiple purposes across the California Community Colleges system. The CCC Chancellor's Office and other systemwide organizations rely on the CCCID to track the student progress and the educational choices made throughout the course of their academic journey. Students that attend multiple colleges across the system are tracked in one central location (OpenCCC Student Account System) and their CCCID can be used for research (locally and systemwide) to better align support and services across the system.
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For more information, see the CCC SSO Federation Resource Guide. |
How do colleges get the CCCID?
Most students create their OpenCCC Account - which generates their unique CCCID - during the application for admission process to their selected California Community College, either via CCCApply or the CVC/OEI program. The CCCID is passed to the college with the student’s account data when the application is submitted. Application and student account data is delivered to the college via SuperGlue for Apply
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SuperGlue for Apply: Account data is delivered to the college as part of the student’s submitted application data via SuperGlue for Apply and the College Adaptor.
Data Warehouse Report Server: The college can also gather student account data including the CCCID from applications that have been started by a student but not yet submitted (in-progress application) from the CCC Data Warehouse Report Server.
CCCApply Report Center: Account data (including the CCCID) can be accessed in the CCCApply Report Center for submitted applications.
SSO Proxy
Are there a significant number of duplicate CCCID accounts found?
No. The number of duplicates CCCID account across the entire system is approximately .2% and decreasing. Though some colleges have raised concerns about the potential for duplicates, at this time we are finding that very few duplicates are being reported (less than 100 duplicates at most colleges, and in even more cases - less than that). The CCC Technology Center recommends that colleges use the account that aligns to the most recently submitted CCCApply application when associating duplicates to student college accounts.
For the OpenCCC Accounts that are created via the SSO Proxy, how do the colleges get these accounts back into their systems?
The CCC Technology Center is currently developing a mechanism to return the OpenCCC accounts (CCCIDs) created for students who did not previously have a CCCID at the time they first encounter the SSO Proxy via the CCC Report Center.
What is the EPPN?
The EduPersonPrincipalName (EPPN) is the unique identifier for a user (applicant, student, faculty, staff) across all college IdPs.
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The EPPN has the syntax of an email address, but it should be considered a "globally unique federated identifier" rather than an email address. It is generally the most important attribute to be shared with federated services. Note that the value of EPPN does not have to match what the user fills in as their username when they login, and the user does not need to know what their EPPN is, as it is shared between the IdP and the service. It should be unique, rarely change, and not be reassigned to another user.
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The significance of EPPN to the CCC SSO Federation
The EduPersonPrincipalName (EPPN) is the unique identifier for a user for across all college IDPs.
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