All faculty and some students have multi-factor authentication (MFA) enabled on their Microsoft account. Currently, this setting is only turned on for student accounts if the user has an account that is regularly compromised. In the future however, this feature may be required for all students. If you encounter a message upon logging into the GCU Portal that asks for “Additional Security Verification”, it’s likely that MFA has been enabled on your account. See the Initial MFA Setup Process heading below for assistance setting up MFA the first time. If you've already set up MFA and are simply trying to log in, see the Login Process section.
- Sign in to the GCU Portal with your GCU username and password. If you’re prompted with a message that says, “More information required”, then multi-factor authentication may be enabled on your account.
NOTE A “More information required” message also appears during the initial account setup process for Microsoft. Therefore, seeing this message does not necessarily mean that multi-factor authentication is required. If you are signing into the GCU Portal for the first time, see Password Reset Process for assistance setting up recovery options. - Select your verification method and then follow the prompts on the page (we recommend setting it to your mobile phone). Once you're finished, click Next. A verification code will be provided to you via the method of your choosing.
- Enter the verification code that was provided, and then select Verify.
- The next page will provide an “app password” for use with other Microsoft applications. You may not ever need to utilize this password, but we recommend writing it down just in case. If you ever happen to need the app password and did not save it, don’t worry, you can make another one at that time. Click Done once you’re ready to move on.
- Once multi-factor authentication is set up, you will be directed back to the sign in page for the GCU Portal. Enter your username and password.
- A verification code will be sent to the authentication method you chose during the initial MFA setup process. Enter that code in the box provided, and then select Verify.
- You should now be successfully logged in. Multi-factor Authentication will be required anytime you log into a Microsoft application from a new device, and may be required periodically on devices that have already been recognized.
Login Process
After completing the initial setup process for multi-factor authentication, you’ll be prompted to enter a secondary authentication code periodically. This prompt will appear for any application that utilizes the Microsoft login process, including the GCU Portal, the Halo | Learn platform, your GCU email, and Office365 products.
After entering your GCU email address and password, you’ll be notified that an authentication code was sent to the recovery method you used during the initial setup process. This may be a phone text code, call, or authentication via the Microsoft Authenticator app if you’ve set that up. 
Once you receive the code, enter the code in the box provided and select Verify. If the correct code was entered, you will be logged in immediately afterwards.
Add, Remove, or Change Recovery Methods
In order to change your recovery methods, you’ll first need to access your GCU email. This can be done through the Email app in the GCU Portal, or by signing in directly at outlook.office.com. Once you are in your inbox, click your initials in the upper right corner and select View account.
From the left-side menu, select Security info.
From the Security info page, you can add, delete, and change recovery methods. Multi-factor authentication requires a mobile device, so unfortunately you cannot set an email address as your primary MFA method. We recommend adding a back-up phone number, such as an office phone if you have one, which could be used as an alternative.
Click Add method and choose a method type. The options available are: Authenticator app, Alternate phone, and Office phone. Once you’ve chosen a method, click Add to continue.
If you chose to authenticate with an alternate or office phone, you’ll be prompted to receive a call for verification. Enter the phone number and click Next. Follow the prompts from the call recording to finish the process.
If you want to set up Authentication app, install the app from your applicable app store. GCU Technical Support cannot troubleshoot mobile devices, so we recommend using a different method if you encounter any issues with the download process. Once you have the app, open and select I agree to the privacy statement.
You’ll be directed to set up sign into an account or scan a QR code. Select Add work or school account and sign in with your GCU email and password.
You’ll be prompted to authenticate the login with the method used during the initial setup. Once you have finished authenticating, you will see a screen that says the Account has been added and shows two methods you can use through the Authenticator app. Select Finish to finish the setup.
Next time you log into your GCU account, you’ll be asked to choose a method for authentication and you can select the app from the listed options.
Click Delete and confirm the deletion when prompted.
Click Change. Depending on which method you’re changing, you’ll be prompted to send a code to either your email, mobile device, or the Authentication app.
If you registered multiple authentication methods, you can change the default method sign in method. Click Change next to Default sign-in method.
FAQ
If you set up more than one recovery method, the available alternatives will be listed. Depending on what you set up initially, you may not have all of the methods below.
- Phone Options: If you have a different phone number on your account, you can send a text code to that device. Alternatively, you can choose the call option, which will verify you via a phone call to your device. If you choose the call option, no code is necessary; you simply need to follow the prompts on the recording, and you will be logged in automatically.
- Authenticator App: If you have downloaded and set up your account using the Microsoft Authentication app, you’ll have the ability to authenticate using an approval notification or a code.
- Approve a request on my Microsoft Authenticator app: If you choose this option, a notification will appear on your mobile device asking you to “Approve sign-in?”. Select Approve to complete the sign-in process.
- Use a verification code from my mobile app: If you choose this option, you’ll receive the following screen. Open the Authenticator app on your mobile device and select your account. Enter the “One-time password code” that appears on the app. This code refreshes every thirty seconds and is replaced with a new one.
- Approve a request on my Microsoft Authenticator app: If you choose this option, a notification will appear on your mobile device asking you to “Approve sign-in?”. Select Approve to complete the sign-in process.
If there are no alternative methods set up, we recommend completing basic troubleshooting and trying to use the text code option again. If you still cannot get into your account, contact Technical Support for assistance.
If the phone number listed as your recovery method is incorrect, try clicking the Sign in another way link.
If you set up more than one recovery method, the available alternatives will be listed. Depending on what you set up initially, you may not have all of the methods below.
- Phone Options: If you have a different phone number on your account, you can send a text code to that device. Alternatively, you can choose the call option, which will verify you via a phone call to your device. If you choose the call option, no code is necessary; you simply need to follow the prompts on the recording, and you will be logged in automatically.
- Authenticator App: If you have downloaded and set up your account using the Microsoft Authentication app, you’ll have the ability to authenticate using an approval notification or a code.
- Approve a request on my Microsoft Authenticator app: If you choose this option, a notification will appear on your mobile device asking you to “Approve sign-in?”. Select Approve to complete the sign-in process.
- Use a verification code from my mobile app: If you choose this option, you’ll receive the following screen. Open the Authenticator app on your mobile device and select your account. Enter the “One-time password code” that appears on the app. This code refreshes every thirty seconds and is replaced with a new one.
- Approve a request on my Microsoft Authenticator app: If you choose this option, a notification will appear on your mobile device asking you to “Approve sign-in?”. Select Approve to complete the sign-in process.
If there are no alternative methods set up, contact Technical Support for assistance. We recommend setting up alternative authentication methods once you are able to access your account.