Setup Guides

New student accounts

Parents of new students commencing at the start of the year will receive their son’s Villanova account details and instructions on activation via email in mid-January.

Students commencing mid-year usually find it easiest to bring their device to the IT Helpdesk on their first school day for assistance with accounts and configuration.

Preparing a BYOD laptop for use at the College

All BYOD laptops are required to have specific applications installed prior to use at the College. These include:

Microsoft 365 – Outlook, Word, OneNote, PowerPoint, etc
Microsoft Teams (work or school) version
Anti-virus software (refer to further information below)

There is no need to purchase any software, as all required licenses are provided by the College. These software licenses can only be used once your son’s account has been activated and he has a current College username and password.

Our BYOD laptop setup guide is publicly available via this link: Click Here

*Note: If you are purchasing a new laptop do not purchase a MacBook or MacBook Pro. Since 2021, Villanova College has been instructing families to purchase Windows 10/11 laptops with touch screen and digital stylus.

Anti-virus software

Installation of anti-virus software is highly recommended.

The built-in Windows Defender is recommended at a minimum for Virus, Threat, Firewall, and Account protection.

However a third party End Point Protection product such as:

are reliable solutions for enhanced protection. These products offer family licence packages and manage all connected devices from a central dashboard and/or login profile.

Labelling BYOD laptops and STM cases

Parents are advised not to engrave laptops as this may void warranty conditions. We recommend adhering a vinyl/plastic coated label to the outside of the laptop screen with your son’s full name and year level clearly visible.

It is recommended parents also clearly label STM hard cases and any peripherals (pens, USBs, mouses) in the same manner.

Further resources

VNC BYOD website
Villanova College maintains a website just for students called VNC BYOD. This website is updated frequently with guides, tips, Bootcamp challenges/quizzes and downloads to help students manage their laptops.

BYOD change password instructions
Follow these instructions to change/update your College password.

BYOD reset password instructions
Follow these instructions if you cannot remember your password.

Onthehub – academic discounts on Windows OS, apps and security software
Onthehub provides discounted software for students and academic staff. Search for Villanova College, then sign in with your College credentials to access exclusive academic discounts on Windows 10 Education, Windows 11 Education, Norton 360, NordPass etc.