NetID replaced by WhooRU

By Belinda Zhu     8/8/25 6:54pm

The Office of Information Technology launched WhooRU.rice.edu to replace MyNetID.rice.edu, the current online account management system, on August 1. 

According to OIT Manager, Identity and Access Management Dean Lane, WhooRU will serve as Rice University’s new identity governance system which will manage the creation and maintenance of NetIDs and user accounts across campus systems. 

“For most users, the biggest visible change is a new, streamlined web portal for onboarding, claiming a NetID, resetting passwords, managing Duo devices and creating email aliases,” Lane wrote in an email to the Thresher.

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Lane said that the switch was inspired by the need for a more modern platform, as the previous system was built with in-house code from the early 2000s. 

“It worked for years, but as campus needs grew, the system couldn’t keep up with expectations for speed, security, and reliability,” Lane wrote. “We needed a modern, more scalable platform that could grow with Rice — and WhooRU provides that fresh start.”

This project began in late 2023 and was set to go live June 19. However, as this date got closer, some features needed more refinement, according to an email sent to students on July 22. OIT chose to delay the launch to August 1 to ensure a smoother, more complete rollout.

Lane said that he is the most excited by the flexibility of this new system. 

“With stronger integration and more control, we can grant or restrict access to university systems based on real-time roles and affiliations,” Lane wrote. “For instance, a student who becomes a temporary employee and then leaves that job will no longer lose all access — they’ll retain their student access for the remainder of their 12-month post-graduation window. That level of precision simply wasn’t possible before.”

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