Buff Portal is the CU Boulder’s student portal, where students can make changes to their personal profiles, access their accounts, and view their course schedules. To login to Buff Portal, students need to first activate their IdentiKey, which is their CU Login Name. It may take a few days after students activate their IdentiKey for them to have access to all services.

To activate the IdentiKey, please follow these steps:
• Login to buffportal.colorado.edu
• Go to Identity Manager and click on the link: Activate your IdentiKey (found at the left side of the screen).
• To activate your IdentiKey, students need their student ID number, date of birth, and a four-digit PIN number that is provided by IT at 303-735-4357.
• Create a CU login name and password.

Official records and accounts must display a student's primary (legal) name. However, students may choose to set a preferred first and/or middle name in their self-service portal that will display in CU-approved university systems and records. For more information on how to add a preferred name, see Update Your Personal Information.

CU students have the option of identifying their pronouns in their self-service portal. When provided, it is important for faculty and staff to know and use a student's identified pronouns rather than make an assumption based on the student's name or appearance. Students may select from the following options in the student portal: she/her/hers; he/him/his; they/them/theirs; ze/zir/zirs; and xe/xer/xers.

This card is the student’s official university identification and is key to services and resources at CU such as:
• Medical Services
• Recreation Center
• Library
• Campus Cash
• Resident Hall and laundry
• Dining Halls and Meal Plans
Students can obtain their Buff OneCard at the Buff One Office, located on the lower level of C4C (Center for Community). The office is open from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Friday (Summer 7:30 am to 4:30 pm). Students need to bring their passports and $30 in order to obtain their Buff OneCard. To report a lost or stolen card, you can call the 24-hour help line at 303-492-1212.

Students may want to consider opening an account at a local bank. Although the IEC cannot recommend one bank over another, the following banks in Boulder do not require an SSN to open an account: Chase, First Bank, US Bank, and Wells Fargo. It is very common to pay bills with checks. Here is an example check: