# Your first sign-in

> Academium SMS Help › Signing in and your account
> Web page: https://helpcenter.academium.com.ng/academium-sms/article/sms-your-first-sign-in
> Last updated: 2026-10-06

This article walks you through signing in to Academium SMS for the first time.

## If you are the school owner

You sign in with your **Academium Account**: the **email address and password** you used when your school was created. You do not have a separate username and password.

Staff usernames and passwords only exist once the school has been set up and you have added your staff. So until then, **your Academium Account is the only way in**, and nobody else can sign in yet.

| Where | How the owner signs in |
| --- | --- |
| **Individual Edition**, first time on the computer | Choose **Log In**, then **Academium Account**, and enter your Academium Account email and password. |
| **School server**, from the Client Edition, Individual Edition or a browser | Enter your **Academium Account email address** and password on the sign-in screen. |

If your school has not been created yet, create it first. See [Before you set up your school](https://helpcenter.academium.com.ng/academium-sms/article/sms-before-you-set-up.md). Then see [Your first sign-in as the school owner](https://helpcenter.academium.com.ng/academium-sms/article/sms-first-sign-in-as-the-owner.md).

## If you are a member of staff

Your school owner or administrator must first add you as a member of staff. Until they do, there is nothing for you to sign in with.

You then need **one** of these from your school:

- **A username and password.** Your username can be your username, email address or phone number, whichever your school recorded.
- **A school code and a personal sign-in code.** The school code has six characters. Your sign-in code has eight characters, is for you alone, and works only once.

You also need the right application installed. If you are not sure which one, see [Which application should I use?](https://helpcenter.academium.com.ng/academium-sms/article/sms-which-application-should-i-use.md).

## Signing in

1. Open your Academium SMS application.
2. If this is the first time on this computer, connect it to your school:
   - **Client Edition:** pick your school's server from the list. See [Installing the Client and connecting to your school](https://helpcenter.academium.com.ng/academium-sms/article/sms-installing-the-client.md).
   - **Individual Edition:** choose **Log In**, then **School Server** or **Staff Sign-in Code**. See [Setting up the Individual Edition](https://helpcenter.academium.com.ng/academium-sms/article/sms-setting-up-the-individual-edition.md).
3. Enter your username and password, or your codes, and sign in.

## Setting up your PIN

In the **Individual Edition** and the **Client Edition**, you sign in **once**. From then on, Academium opens already signed in to your account every time you start it, so you will not type your password again. Instead, you use a **four-digit PIN** to unlock it. See [Sign in once, then use your PIN](https://helpcenter.academium.com.ng/academium-sms/article/sms-signing-in-and-your-pin.md).

1. When asked, choose any four digits.
2. Enter the same four digits again to confirm.

Your PIN is what locks Academium when you step away. Without one, anyone who opens the app on your computer gets straight into your account and your school's records. You can change it later under **Profile → Security**.

> **Warning:** In the Individual and Client editions a PIN is **required**. Because Academium opens already signed in, your PIN is the only thing stopping someone else who opens the app on your computer from getting into your account.

## Setting up your security questions

Next, you choose **three security questions** and answer each one. These are how you get back in if you forget your PIN.

- Pick answers that will not change, and that you will still remember in a year.
- Capital letters do not matter.
- Your answers are stored scrambled. Nobody, including Academium, can read them back to you.

## You are in

You land on your **dashboard**. What you see depends on your role. If a menu item you expect is missing, your role may not include it. Ask your school administrator.

Next steps:

- [Signing in, your PIN and the lock screen](https://helpcenter.academium.com.ng/academium-sms/article/sms-signing-in-and-your-pin.md)
- [Your dashboard and Catch Up](https://helpcenter.academium.com.ng/academium-sms/article/sms-dashboard-and-catch-up.md)
- [Searching Academium](https://helpcenter.academium.com.ng/academium-sms/article/sms-searching.md)

## Common issues

**"That sign-in code is not valid."** Sign-in codes work only once, on one computer, and expire. If you have already used yours, or it has expired, ask your school administrator for a new one.

**"We could not find a school with that code."** Check the six-character school code with whoever gave it to you. It is shown on their **Devices & Access** page.

**My username and password are not accepted.** Check with your school administrator that your account is active and that you have the right username. They can reset your password from your staff profile.

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