Why were some inactive HACC student accounts deactivated?

This action was taken to protect students' private, personal data. As you may know, HACC has been under attack by bad actors intent on stealing financial aid funds or the personal information of students and colleagues. Deactivating inactive accounts lowers our vulnerability and benefits HACC in several ways:

1. Tens of thousands of student accounts are now inaccessible to "hacking."
2. It paves the way for HACC to launch and maintain multi-factor authentication (MFA) for students. We plan to launch MFA for students in the near future.
3. It saves HACC money, as we will no longer be paying for services and products for individuals who are not active students.

My HACC account was deactivated. How do I reactivate it?

Students whose HACC accounts are deactivated can only reactivate them by registering for classes in a future semester.

I have been inactive for more than five years. How do I reactivate my account?

• Complete a new HACC admissions application.
• Pay the admissions application fee.
• Begin the onboarding process steps once your myHACC account is reactivated. 

I have been inactive for less than five years. How do I reactivate my account?

• Fill out an account reactivation form.
• Come to any HACC campus and complete an ID verification when prompted.
• Note that HACC will be instituting a processing fee for students to reactivate accounts in the near future, though it is not yet required. More information will be forthcoming.

Why might someone who is registered for summer or fall 2026 classes have had their account deactivated?

The process to deactivate accounts is challenging, especially during an active enrollment period because student accounts are literally changing moment to moment. Therefore, it is possible that a student was scheduled to be deactivated before they made a change to their enrollment.

We have been contacted by a small number of students (less than 0.1% of the accounts we deactivated thus far) to seek reactivation.

What should I do if I'm registered for a summer 2026 or fall 2026 class and my account gets deactivated?

If you are registered for a summer 2026 or fall 2026 class and your account gets deactivated, please take this step:

• Fill out an account reactivation form.
• In the field, "Reason for Account Reactivation," please indicate that you are registered for summer 2026 or fall 2026 classes. 

MFA is an extra step that is used when signing in to an account.

MFA requires users to enter a password and confirm their identity through an additional approval method such as a one-time code.

This extra and important step helps prevent someone else from accessing your account, even if they know your password.

MFA helps protect your:

• Personal information
• Financial aid and student records
• Access to HACC systems

Unfortunately, student accounts across colleges nationwide, including HACC, are often targeted for:

• Financial aid fraud
• Account takeovers
• Misuse of student services

MFA makes it much harder for scammers or hackers to use stolen passwords. Even if a password is compromised, they cannot sign in to an account without the second step.

This practice is not unique to HACC. 

Colleges, employers and government agencies across the country use MFA because it is one of the most effective ways to protect accounts.

MFA is implemented by many services that you may already use, such as:

• Banks
• Email services
• Online shopping and payment apps
• Social media platforms

Below are a few resources that explain MFA and why it is widely used:

• National Cybersecurity Alliance – What is MFA and How Do You Enable It?
• Microsoft Support – What is multi‑factor authentication?
• Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency – Multifactor Authentication Overview