This page provides information and instructions for resolving issues with your OpenCCC 2.0 account.
Sections:
About Account Recovery
What is an OpenCCC account and why do students need one?
OpenCCC is the California Community Colleges federated identity initiative, which includes a student account system that assigns each user a unique California Community Colleges ID number (CCCID) and allows access to systemwide web-based technology applications via one common single sign-on account.
Why is account recovery important?
To securely access many of the systemwide technology applications, such as CCCApply, MyPath and others, students are required to have a verified OpenCCC single sign on account. Over time, it is common for users to change their email address and/or phone number, or forget the password they used during the account setup process. The Account Recovery service helps students get back in to their accounts information so they can successfully sign in to services.
The new Account interface design has greatly streamlined this process with clean, simple messaging and querying the system one attribute at a time, until a match is identified.
See More Account Recovery FAQs below.
Steps to Recover Your Account
From the Sign In page, enter your mobile phone number or the email address you used to create your account, in the input field.
Click Next to validate your credentials.
Reminder: If your primary phone is a landline phone, or your mobile phone number is not unique to you, use your email address to sign in to your account.
Search Success: If the system recognizes your credential, the enter Password page is displayed and you will be prompted to enter your secure password.
Search Failure: If the system does not recognize your mobile number or the email address used to sign in, an error message is displayed like the one below.
Retry Attempts: If you know you have an account, try re-entering your credentials again. The system allows 3 retry attempts before auto-directing you to the Recover Account page.
Not sure why you can’t Sign In? Read Resolving Sign In Issues below for ways to avoid getting blocked.
Next: Recover Your Account to Sign In
However, if your retry attempts continue to fail or you forgot which credentials were used to create your account, the recovery process will attempt to find your account with additional information. Click the Recover Account link to provide more information.
The Recover Account Process
When the Sign In process cannot confirm a match based on your email address or mobile phone number, the recovery system will attempt to find your account with additional information, starting with your Date of Birth and Last Name. Used together, the system is queried to find a unique match. If more than one match is found, you’ll be asked for more information until a unique match is found. Click the Recover Account link to provide more information.
On the Recover Account page:
Enter your birthdate in the Date of Birth field.
Enter your last name in the Last Name field.
Click Next to validate your personal information.
Unique Match Found: If the system finds a match to your “birthdate + last name” combination, the Sign In page re-displays requesting your Password.
4. Enter your secure account password in the Password input field.
5. Click Next to validate your password.
Unique Match Not Found: If the system fails to match your password with your birthdate + last name, you can re-enter the password and try again, or you can use the Forgot your password? process to validate a new password. Click the Forgot your password? link to continue.
Password Policy
Forgot Your Password? Create a New One.
Clicking the Forgot your password? link displays the Forgot Your Password? page which will allow you to request a new validation (security) code using your preferred method.
Select the best option to receive your password verification (security) code: email or mobile text message.
Copy the six-digit security code from the message and enter it in the Validation Code page. Click Next to continue to the Edit Profile page.
Update Your Password
On the Update Password page:
Enter a string of letters, numbers, and special characters into the Password input field. The combination must meet the criteria requirements listed on the left, adjacent to the input fields.
Re-enter the password in the Confirm Password field to ensure it matches the Password field exactly (both fields must match).
Click the Update Password button to submit your password and finish creating your account.
Reminder: the password you choose must meet the following security requirements:
be at least 8 characters in length
contain at least one uppercase letter
contain at least one lowercase letter
contain at least one number
contain at least one of the following special characters ( !, @, #, $, %, ^, &, or *)
must NOT contain your name
Password Security: When your password meets the requirements criteria, the “Password must:” box will appear solid green, as shown in the screenshot below.
New Password Validation
After creating a new, secure password that meets all configuration requirements, OpenCCC will display the Validation Code page, and send you an email or mobile phone text message containing your new six-digit validation (security) code.
Log in to your Email account and open the email message from the CCC Tech Center containing your six-digit Validation code. Alternately, view the text message sent to your mobile phone and copy the six-digit Account security code.
Return to the Validation Code page in the OpenCCC application and enter your six-digit security code in the Validation Code input field. Click Next to validate the new code and verify your identity.
If the security code is valid, the Edit Profile page will display with the focus on the Contact Information fields.
Review the responses/values and make edits as needed to your Contact Information.
Ensure your Preferred Method of Contact is set and verified correctly.
.For security purposes, two-factor validation is used to verify your identity. A time-sensitive, six-digit validation code will be sent to the user through their preferred method of contact. The code must be retrieved and used within 10 minutes of requesting your code. Below is an example of the verification code message received by email.
Reminder: The verification security code is time-sensitive and must be retrieved and entered on the Verify Your Account page within 10 minutes of receipt.
Success? If your security code is valid, the Create & Verify Account process is complete and the Create Profile section will display.
Didn’t receive your code? Click the Resend Code link to receive a new security code. If you want to switch to the other method of contact, click the Back to Sign In link to start over.
Need Help? If you need assistance during the Create Profile process, click on the Help link in the footer to contact technical support.
Your password is required if you forget your Sign in credentials (email or mobile phone number), or if you need to edit your account.
Solving Issues with Account Recovery
[ brief description of account recovery processes and how they get users back into their accounts and more importantly, signed in so they can access systemwide applications. ]
Resolving Sign In Issues
Issue: System cannot find a match to your Email address or Mobile Phone number when signing in
Issue: Your Email address is not unique to your account.
Issue: The attribute being used to sign in has not been validated yet.
Issue: The user is trying to sign in with a landline phone number.
Issue: The entered Before clicking on the Recover Account link
What’s preventing you from signing in?
Common Access Issues & Resolutions
Below are some of the common issues that users may experience when they can’t sign in to their OpenCCC account. If you encounter an issue that isn’t listed here, contact a CCCTC Support Representative for assistance.
Q: I need to create a new Password but I didn’t receive the new validation (security) code by email or text message. What do I do?
A: First, confirm that you are accessing the right email account or provided the correct mobile phone number. If you are sure you are using the correct email address or mobile phone number, contact CCCTC Support Representative for assistance.
Q: Why do I keep seeing the Session Expiration message? I am still active in the system.
If you are seeing the Session Expiration message, the system is saying it has not had any user activity in the past 10 minutes. This is standard functionality in web applications that are concerned about security and privacy of personal information.
To keep that message from appearing, continue to move through the account creation process and complete the set up of your account. If you are seeing this message - even if you have been active in the account creation process - check your internet connect and, if necessary, refresh the page for a more stable connection.
Q: I keep getting a message that my account already exists. Why is this happening and what do I do now?
A: if you are seeing this message during account creation, it means that an account has already been created using more than one piece of personal information associated with you.
Stop creating a new account and return to the Sign In page. Click on the Recover Account link to recover your account sign in credentials.
Q: The system is not accepting my mobile phone number. Why is this happening and what do I do now?
A: It is possible that your mobile phone number was already validated by another user. This could happen in error, or if you shared your mobile phone number with a family member, they may have validated the number before you.
We recommend using your unique email address to validate your account. From the Verify Your Account page, click on the Use email instead link to use your email address to validate your identity.
Q: I didn’t receive my validation (security) code. What do I do now?
Why am I getting a message telling me to verify my US address?
Domestic (US) addresses are run through a USPS validation service to ensure the address is valid. If the system detects an invalid address, the Verify Address message will display with a suggested address and the following message: “To ensure an accurate address, we suggest the one below. Would you like to use this suggested address?”
The continue, the user is required to make a Yes or No selection. Selecting Yes will prompt the system to override the original address and replace with the suggested address. Selecting No will prompt the system to maintain the original address, or the user can return and edit the original address provided.
If the system does not display the Verify Address message, the user will be prompted to proceed without incident.
Is customer support available if I get stuck during account creation?
Yes! User support is available 24/7 through the Helpdesk phone center (800) xxx-xxxx , by email support@openccc.net, or online through the self-support community site, CCCHelp.info.
More Account Recovery FAQs
What information do I need when going through account recovery?
If you have already created an OpenCCC account but you're unable to sign in to your account, you’ll need to have your mobile phone to retrieve your validation code, or access to the email account that you provided during account creation. More times than not, the account recovery process will require you to create a new Password, which involves getting a new security code to your verified method of contact (email or mobile phone).
In addition to your Email address, Mobile Phone number, and Password, you may be asked to provide the information below, depending on the recovery path you’re on.
Last Name
Date of Birth
City & Zip Code
Where do I find the Recover Account link?
Since an OpenCCC account is required to access services such as CCCApply, the online admission application to every California Community College, the vast majority of students and other users will land on the OpenCCC Sign In page when they begin or resume a CCCApply application. Therefore, if you are unable to sign in to OpenCCC, the system recovery algorithm will guide you through the recovery process.
prompts leadto get to your application, simply their way to CCCApply . Even high school students, applying for the first time, or even exploring careers with Career Coach, are required to create an OpenCCC account. All students and potential students are required to create an OpenCCC account before they can sign in to any CCC systemwide technology application.
How long does it take to recover an account?
The simple, mobile-friendly account creation process is designed to be clean, clear, and convenient - allowing users to create & validate a new account and complete their profile in under 7 minutes.
Q: I think I already have a CCCID account but it’s been a long time. I don’t have my original email account. Do I need to create another account?
Q: Can I sign in with my existing (legacy) account?
Q: What’s the difference between the legacy OpenCCC and the new Account?
Q: I am more comfortable reading Spanish. Is there any way to translate the onscreen text to Spanish?
A: Yes! Every page of the OpenCCC account system, including account creation, recovery and edit profile, is available in English and Spanish. All onscreen text, error messages, help text, and confirmation emails and text messages, can be viewed in either language by selecting the Switch to Spanish/English link found in the header of every page.
More How To Guides
How to Edit Your Account with OpenCCC 2.0