University of Groningen 2FA: how to set up an authenticator app
By the Novaz team · Updated October 29, 2026
Novaz steps checked against version 1.0.5
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Your UG account at the University of Groningen (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen in Dutch, hence rug.nl) is your S-number or P-number plus a password. It opens the Student Portal, Brightspace, your Google Apps email, Wi-Fi and the library website, and for staff also MyUniversity and AFAS. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) protects it: after your password, you type a code from an app on your phone (University of Groningen).
MFA isn't optional. Students must set it up before they can use their account at all (University of Groningen). The method is an authenticator app that makes time-based codes (TOTP). Google Authenticator, Authy and Microsoft Authenticator are the UG's examples, but any TOTP app is accepted (University of Groningen). Its pages don't mention text messages, backup codes or a way to switch MFA off.
This guide uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone. Any authenticator app works the same way.
How we checked this guide: the University of Groningen steps come from the UG's own pages, mostly those of its Center for Information Technology (CIT), and from the sign-in page of its MFA portal, all linked below, which we read on October 20, 2026. We haven't tested them on a UG account, so a label may differ slightly. The UG doesn't publish the portal's screens after sign-in, so those steps are less detailed. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.
What you need first
The CIT lists four things (University of Groningen):
- A computer to open the MFA portal.
- Your phone or tablet, with a working camera for registration.
- Your UG account and password. If you've never used the account, activate it first in the Password Self Service at account.rug.nl.
- Your private email. The verification code goes to the personal address the UG has on file, a non-UG address chosen on purpose for security.
Register Novaz in the MFA portal
- On your computer, open mfa.rug.nl. The page is headed Set up Multi-factor Authentication.
- Enter your username (your S- or P-number) and your password, then click Next (University of Groningen).
- Look in your private email for the verification code and enter it in the portal.
- When the portal shows a code to scan, open Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code, and point the camera at the computer screen.
- Finish the remaining steps in the portal. If it asks for a code from your app, type the one Novaz shows for the UG.
The CIT calls the portal self-explanatory but doesn't show its screens, so steps 3 to 5 follow its list of requirements and the wording may differ. It doesn't say whether the portal offers a key you can type. If it does, tap +, then Enter key manually in Novaz, and enter it as the Setup key (see What is a 2FA setup key?). The UG's onboarding page says the codes renew every 30 seconds (University of Groningen), which matches what Novaz uses for a typed key.
From then on, UG sign-in asks for the current code after your password (University of Groningen). The UG's pages don't say whether a browser can be remembered.
Only one device at a time
Each time you register a phone or tablet in the portal, it overwrites the registration you had before (University of Groningen). So you can't keep a spare app running alongside Novaz, and the UG doesn't mention backup codes either.
Your way back in is the portal, which needs your password and private email. Unless you back up Novaz with iCloud backup or a backup file, its keys exist only on your iPhone, so keep both of those in good order.
If the UG rejects your code
The UG's pages don't cover rejected codes. Start with the iPhone's clock: Settings > General > Date & Time > Set Automatically. Novaz warns you when the clock is 15 seconds or more off. Also check that the entry comes from your latest registration, since older ones are overwritten. More causes are in Authenticator code not working?
Moving to a new iPhone
Register the new phone in the MFA portal, and the old registration is replaced automatically (University of Groningen). If you restore Novaz on the new iPhone from iCloud backup or a backup file, the UG entry comes along and you can keep using it. Without a backup, scan the portal's code with Novaz on the new iPhone. Then, on the old one, open the UG entry and tap Remove account. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.
If you lose your phone or it breaks
For a broken phone, the UG says to install your authenticator app on another device for now, such as a tablet, and register it at mfa.rug.nl, which overwrites the phone's registration. Once the phone is repaired, register it again (University of Groningen). The FAQ doesn't mention a lost phone, but that route doesn't need the old phone, so it should apply too.
If you've forgotten your password, reset it in the Password Self Service at account.rug.nl first (University of Groningen). For anything the portal can't fix, contact the CIT Service Desk (University of Groningen):
- Iris, the CIT's self-service portal, open around the clock.
- Email citservicedesk@rug.nl with a clear description and your S- or P-number.
- Phone 050 363 3232 on business days from 8:30 to 17:00, except Thursdays from 12:00 to 13:00.
- In person at the Zernike desk (Mercator 5415.0052) or the City centre desk (Harmonie building 1313.0231).
The UG doesn't say what proof it asks for or how long a reset takes. More in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?
