Free Software License
CCU is proud to announce a new benefit for CCU students! Current students qualify for a FREE annual subscription license for Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus (Windows or Mac). Office 365 allows you to access the online version of Microsoft Office and/or to download Office 2016 to your desktop, laptop or tablet, all free of charge! This software package – which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, OneNote and more – is only available for use while you are a CCU student.*
To access Office 365, simply follow the instructions below. Your Windows machine or tablet must be running Windows 7 (or higher) and your Mac must be running OS X 10.6 (or higher). For information about mobile devices, visit office.com/mobile.
* How does Microsoft know that you are no longer a student? Once you cease to be a CCU student, your name will be removed from the Office 365 access list. Every 30 days, Microsoft checks to see if your name is on that list. Once your name is removed from the list, your version of Microsoft Office will no longer function. However, you will always retain read-only access to your Office files and documents.
Accessing Office 365 ProPlus
In order for you to access this free software, you must:
- Request access on the Office 365 Pro Plus website by entering your official CCU student email address (CCU Gmail). To obtain your official CCU student email address, see below.
- Once you request access, you must then verify your identity by clicking a link sent to that CCU email account.
- Once verified, you can then login to the Office 365 website to access Office Online and/or download Office 2016.
Obtaining Your CCU Email Address
- Go to gapps.ccu.edu (short for Google Apps) and login with your CCU student ID and password. This is the same ID and password you use to login to CCU Connect and Brightspace.
- Once logged in, you will see your official CCU student email address listed in the top right corner of the screen, like this:
Make a note of that email address and continue to the next step. You should leave your CCU email open because you will need to go back to it. - Now you can move on to the next step, which is to apply for your Office 365 account.
Applying for an Office 365 Pro Plus Account
- Click here to access Office 365 Pro Plus
- Choose "Get started for free" option:
- Enter your CCU email address in the box provided and click Sign up. You should receive a message that says “Great! Go check your email.”
- Return to gapps.ccu.edu and look for an email from the Microsoft Office 365 Team entitled “Time to complete Office 365 Education signup.”
- Click the link that says “Complete Office 365 Education signup.”
- On the “One last thing…” page, type your name, create a password, and enter your birthdate.
- Click Start.
- You should be brought to this page:
Understanding the Office 365 Homepage
There are several features on the Office 365 homepage:
- Install Office on your PC: The site knows whether you are on a Windows or Mac machine and will provide you with the appropriate installation file. Uncheck the two boxes regarding Bing and MSN (if desired), then click Install Now to download Office 2016.
- Install Office on your Tablet or Phone: You can install Office on your handheld device or tablet. Click “Get Office on your devices” to learn more.
- Collaborate with Office Online: You can access the online versions of the Microsoft Office products using Office Online. Simply click an icon to open the online version of that program. All documents will be stored in your Microsoft OneDrive (see below).
Additional Features
On the left side of the Microsoft Office 365 site, you will see a link to Use OneDrive for free. OneDrive is a cloud-based storage area for you to store your documents. You automatically receive 1 TB of online storage for free (that’s 1,000 gigabytes!). This allows you to create Microsoft documents, spreadsheets, presentations, etc. and access them from any device online.
If you install Office 2016 on your PC or tablet, your files will be stored on your local device, not on OneDrive.
Note: OneDrive includes a folder called “Shared with Everyone.” The site tells you that “Everyone in your organization can access the documents here.” That is not true. If you save a file in that folder, no one other than yourself will be able to access that document. However, to be safe, please avoid using this folder.
Accessing Office Online
Once you have created your account, you can access Office Online and your OneDrive account anytime by going to portal.office.com and logging in with your CCU email address and the password you created when setting up your account. If you forget your password, you can reset it on that page.
Getting help
Where you go for assistance depends on what you need:
You may contact CCU’s Technical Support team at 303-963-3444 for help with the following:
- Obtaining your CCU email address
- Logging into your CCU email account
- Downloading Office 365
All other inquiries must be directed to Microsoft.
For 24-7 help, click the question mark (shown on the right) icon in the top right corner of the page, then click Help. 
Logging Off
If your computer is stored in an insecure location, you may want to log off your account when finished. To do this, click your name in the top right corner of the page, then click Sign Out.