CCCID: The Use and Significance to the CCC SSO Initiative

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.

OpenCCC Account & The CCCID

When a new OpenCCC student account is created, the system generates a unique student identifier for the user called the CCCID (California Community Colleges ID) and stores the user's validated credentials and minimum personal identifiable information in a secure identity management system, enabling single sign-on access to admissions applications and other systemwide web-based services.

CCCID & Student Data Delivered to Colleges

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 Information Required to Create an 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 a requirement in order to apply to a California Community College or use any systemwide web application or service. Most students create their OpenCCC account the first time they apply for admission using the CCCApply online application; however its not the only place for students to Every first-time student, including high school and lower grade students who may be exploring careers with Career Coach, will start the process by clicking on the Create an Account link on the OpenCCC Sign In page.

How long does it take to create an OpenCCC account?

The simple, mobile-friendly account creation process redesign focuses on the student experience first. Using a clean interface style and clear instructions, users can create & validate a new account and complete their Account Profile, on average, in under 7 minutes.

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:

• Name & Address

• Birthdate

• Secure password

These are the only data required to create a new OpenCCC account. Additional information may be needed to submit an application for admission or a financial aid application. 

How do colleges get the student’s CCCID?

Most students create their OpenCCC Account which generates their unique CCCID during the process for applying for admission to the California Community College of their choice, either via CCCApply or the CVC/OEI program. The CCCID is then passed to the college, along with the other student account data, when the admission application is submitted. Application and student account data is delivered to the college via SuperGlue for Apply.

Other ways for colleges to get student CCCIDs:

• 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 duplicate CCCID accounts 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). If a duplicate account is identified by the college, the CCC Technology Center recommends that the college prioritize the account that corresponds with the most recently submitted CCCApply application.

The significance of 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’s 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.

The objective of the CCC SSO Proxy is to ensure that every CCC student has a CCCID. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that colleges store student CCCIDs in their Active Directory or LDAP directory so it can be passed as an attribute with the EPPN when the student signs in to a CCC web application, such as CCCApply, Canvas, and MyPath.