About PennKey Setup Codes

PennKey Setup Codes are temporary identifiers used to log in to the PennKey registration application in order to register a PennKey and password or reset a forgotten PennKey password. Please review Warning about Setup Codes so you don't inadvertently freeze your PennKey or nullify a Setup Code you requested.

To Register a PennKey and Password

• If you are new at Penn and don't yet have a PennCard, you will be issued a PennKey Setup Code when you get your PennCard.

• However, if you are a new student, a PennKey Setup Code will be automatically sent to you in the spring. Delivery methods vary by school.

• All others who are eligible for a PennKey should visit a PennKey administration station and obtain a Setup Code on the spot, or use the Setup Code Service to have a letter containing your Setup Code sent via U.S. Mail to the address you select from a list of addresses Penn has on file for you.

To Reset a Forgotten Password

You can obtain a Setup Code

• At a PennKey administration station

• Via U.S. Mail
  Use the Setup Code Service to have a letter containing your Setup Code sent to the address you select from a list of addresses Penn has on file for you.

Note: If you are enrolled in Challenge-Response you don't need to obtain a Setup Code to reset your password unless you can't answer your Challenge-Response questions.

Warning about Setup Codes

• Requesting a Setup Code is analogous to reporting a lost credit card. For security purposes, a Setup Code request immediately deactivates a registered PennKey. Once you've requested a Setup Code you must use it to reset your password and reactivate your PennKey. That means, for example, that if you remember your old password after you've used the Setup Code Service, you won't be able to use your PennKey again until you reset your password using the Setup Code you requested.

• If you request a second Setup Code during the time a previously requested Setup Code is unexpired, the second request will nullify the first Setup Code . The following example illustrates this point. Suppose you request a setup code through the Setup Code Service and your Setup Code is delayed for some reason. You then use the Setup Code Service again and the following day the first Setup Code arrives. The second request nullifies the first Setup Code, and you will need to wait for the second Setup Code to arrive. If a Setup Code is taking an unusually long time to arrive, send email to pennkey@isc.upenn.edu rather than requesting a second Setup Code.

• A PennKey Setup Code expires in 60 days or when you have completed the procedure for which the Setup Code was issued, whichever comes first.