Computing and software availability at the University

Office 365 is a powerful suite of tools that offers familiar applications like Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive for storing and sharing documents, and Microsoft Teams for online meetings, chat, and online collaboration.

Office 365 is used by staff and students and will be automatically available to you for the duration of your studies with us.*

Office 365 gives you:

• full, installed Office applications - Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher, and OneNote on up to five PCs or Macs
• Microsoft Teams for chat and online meetings
• Office on tablets and phones - for the Office experience on up to five tablets and five phones
• online versions of Office - including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• file storage and sharing - with 1 TB storage.

*Please note that Office 365 is not available for students on non-credit-bearing short courses unless required by the course.

Getting started with Office 365

The University of Hertfordshire provides a wide range of software applications for staff and students for general and specialised subject-related use. Where licences permit, we aim to make all software as widely available as possible across all labs and the LRCs so that you can use it both in your timetabled sessions as well as for independent study.

The University has high-spec PCs in the College Lane LRC which you can use on a drop-in basis, anytime during the LRC opening hours. If you are off campus, you can still access our specialist software anytime, anywhere via our remote desktop service.

Find out what specialist software is available

In some cases, students and staff may use their own computers to freely access some of the same software you can find on University networked computers in the LRCs and teaching labs.

For further information see Software Availability at Herts

Prefer bringing your own device to campus? That's fine as lots of students choose to use their own laptops and other devices as you can access power and Wi-Fi across campus.

When you arrive, we will help you get set up with University Wi-Fi. The eduroam Wi-Fi service is the best choice for staff and students and saves you time by logging in automatically whenever you are on campus.

We recommended that you:

• ensure your computer has an up-to-date virus checker installed
• attend a regular clinic that is run throughout the year to get you up and running if you need help.

Find out more about how to connect to the Wi-Fi

If you are a student that lives in our on-campus accommodation you will also be able to connect your devices, including games consoles and smart TVs, to the internet using an ethernet data point. This is a wired connection which is usually faster and more reliable than Wi-Fi connections.

Find out more about how to connect using a wired connection

You can print, scan or copy documents yourself using our self-service devices available across both campuses, which you can find using Wayfinding on the Herts Mobile app.

Once you print, either using your own device or a University computer in the LRC, your print will be available at any of our self-services devices, providing pick up is within 72 hours.

For more information, see 'Print, copy and scan on campus' guide

We also have a professional Document Services Team offering a wide variety of printing, binding, copying, and laminating services.

Desktop or laptop? Which operating system is best and how much memory do I need? These are things you may be thinking about if you are looking to buy a computer for studying here at Herts.

For more information, see our ‘Buying a computer for Uni’ guide

Smartphones are great for quick and easy access to your University of Hertfordshire online services and using your Herts Mobile app.

• you can get special student discounts on phone contracts; shop around and choose the right one for you
• we highly recommend you choose a dual-band device that supports both 5Ghz band frequency and 2.4Ghz.