Skip to main content

Secondary navigation:

Information Technology Services

Breadcrumb navigation:

bc home > offices > help > communication > phone > Students > Current page: activation

Activating Your Student Phone

On campus telephones

At Boston College, all undergraduate students are assigned their own phone number (starting with 655 or 656), which will be active from their freshman year through the August following their graduation. For undergraduate students living off campus, their BC phone number will serve as a voicemail box where they can receive messages.

To use this number in the residence halls, students need a touch-tone phone with working # and * keys. You can dial 6-3333 to test your phone keys to verify that they are recognized as the "pound" and "star" key respectively. Cordless phones are not recommended because the large number of lines in such as small area can cause interference and static. A simple, inexpensive desk phone is sufficient for use in the residence halls.

Activating your phone

Activating your phone associates you and your phone number with a specific phone jack, allowing you to receive incoming calls to your number. Until you activate your telephone in your jack, you will only be able to dial on-campus numbers. If you don't activate your phone, your phone will not ring and all your calls will go directly to voicemail. Activation only takes a few minutes and is very simple to do.

jack

To activate your phone:

1. Plug your phone into your phone jack. The phone jack is next to the Ethernet jack (used for connecting your computer) on your wall. Plug the phone into the jack with the picture of a phone above it.

2. Dial 5-DIAL (5-3425) to activate your phone. You can activate your phone from 9:00 am-11:00 pm.

3. Follow the voice prompts. You will be prompted to enter:

  • Your 8-digit BC ID number followed by the # key.
  • Your BC password followed by the # key. If your password contains letters, then use the corresponding key – for the letter Q, use #, for the letter Z, use 9.
    Note: You can also enter your PIN followed by the # key. By default, your PIN is your 8-digit BC ID number.

After completing the steps at 5-DIAL it may take a few minutes for the phone to be activated. If the system is very busy (move-in weekend, for example) it could take 30 minutes or more for your phone to be activated. Please be patient. If your phone is still not activated after 24 hours from the time you dialed 5-DIAL and entered your information, please contact 617-552-HELP (4357) for assistance.

Need Help?

If you don't hear a dial tone when you plug your phone into your jack: Go to a nearby phone and dial 2-HELP (2-4357) to report a phone jack problem. You will need to give the person answering the phone the following information:

  • Your name.
  • Your BC Eagle ID number, which is the first 8-digits on the front of your BC ID card.
  • Your phone number.
  • A phone number where you can be reached (your roommate's, for example).
  • Your residence hall name.
  • Your room number.
  • Your EagleNet box number, which is located on the left-hand side of the EagleNet box below the phone and computer icons.

Related Help Links