Next Steps

Campus Portals and Technology

During your student's time in college, it's essential that they check campus portals regularly and seek out tech support when necessary.

Huskers email

All UNL students are assigned a @huskers.unl.edu email account from Microsoft. This email address will be used for official university communications. Because of this, your student will need to check this email account every day once they are enrolled in classes.

After they're enrolled in courses, your student can log in to their Huskers email at mymail.unl.edu using the same password they use for Canvas. They will use their MyUNL account ID plus @huskers.unl.edu as their username (e.g. hhusker2@huskers.unl.edu).

MyRED

MyRED is your student's administrative portal in which they will manage their enrollment, financial aid, Housing information, and student account.

Your student will use MyRED for:

Updating contact information if/when it changes
Viewing and adjusting their class schedule
Accessing and paying their student bill
Registering for classes in future semesters
Accepting or declining financial aid awards
Submitting MMR immunization records
Requesting any official transcripts in future terms

Your student can choose to give MyRED access to a parent or family member by accessing Profile Manage Guest users.

Canvas

Canvas is your student's academic portal. Students use Canvas for:

Checking class assignments, calendars, course syllabi, and grades
Scheduling meetings with academic advisors and other university staff members (such as CAST Academic Success coaches, Career Services coaches, and special programs advisors) using the MyPLAN function (Account MyPLAN)
Contacting instructors or classmates using the messaging function

Once your student gains access to their own Canvas modules, they should click on Account Notifications to receive alerts for assignment due dates, announcements, grade postings, and more.

“When I was a freshman, HuskerTech was able to fix my laptop after some water damage, and they gave me a loaner computer to use in the meantime. It saved me a lot of money and stress!”
Clare Frances K. | Nashville, Tennessee

What: HuskerTech Help Centers offer tech support for your student's devices, campus logins, and software issues or questions.

Where: Love Library South, Room 31; Help Desk locations in the Adele Learning Commons and East Campus Food Industry Complex

How to: Walk in, call (402) 472-3970, or email support@nebraska.edu

How much: Many services are free, including one free annual computer cleaning to make sure your student's computer is safe, secure, and properly functioning.

Remind your student to update their contact info in MyRED before arriving on campus. They should designate their phone number and email address as primary!

Are there any helpful campus apps my student can download?

Yes! We recommend downloading the Nebraska App, which allows your student to log in with campus credentials to view their class schedule and get walking directions to classes on the go, search for buildings/parking, track campus buses, receive safety alerts, find events, scroll through news, and more.

Does my student need to bring a personal computer? Is there a preference on which type?

Short answer: It’s up to your student! Many students choose to bring a personal computer to campus for the sake of convenience since a lot of their academic work will be completed online. If it’s not in your student's budget to purchase a personal computer, they can access computer labs at various campus locations, and the HuskerTech Help Center also provides 5 walk-up locations for students to check out Windows and macOS laptops for 7 days at a time (covered by student fees—no additional cost).

As far as preferred type of computer, for the university at large there is no preference. If your student plans to pursue an academic field that involves extensive work with a specific software or design program (such as architecture, graphic design, visual arts, etc.), the HuskerTech retail store has a Shop by Major webpage to help guide laptop and software purchases.

Does the university provide any options or discounts to purchase technology/software?

Yes! The Huskertech retail store is an Apple authorized reseller and offers discounted, educational pricing on cellular service, laptops, software, and accessories. The HuskerTech store is located in the lower level of the Nebraska Union on City Campus.

Additionally, your student can access Microsoft Office with their Huskers email at no cost to them. They can use the Microsoft Outlook Web App or Microsoft Outlook to view and send an email from their Huskers account. Adobe CreativeCloud (which includes Photoshop) is also provided at no cost to students.

How does printing work? Does my student need to bring a printer?

Ultimately, this is up to your student, but in most cases, students do not need to bring a personal printer, as most assignments will be submitted online through Canvas. If your student does need to print something on campus, Print IT is a pay-per-print kiosk that allows students to print securely from anywhere to any of our Print IT kiosks on campus. Print IT is powered by Wepa. Wepa is connected throughout campus and operates through the Cloud. Accounts students can print from include: Box, Dropbox, Google Drive or by using a flash drive. 

How does online testing work?

The Digital Learning Center (DLC) Exam Commons is located in the southeast corner of the Adele Coryell Hall Learning Commons (Love Library North). If an instructor schedules a test at the DLC (which was the case for about 50% of undergraduates last fall), your student will receive notification emails two weeks before the first day of the testing period so that they are able to sign up for a time slot. To maintain academic integrity, the DLC has strict policies on personal belongings and other procedures, so your student should familiarize themselves with how the DLC works before showing up for an exam.