This is a in depth explanation of each WRDS Accounts Type available to users. It is also important to note that all usernames are permanent and cannot be modified once you have request your account. Please check with your institution's representative if there are any username requirements before creating your account.
Faculty
Faculty accounts are available to all standing permanent faculty of member institutions. These accounts allow unlimited access via web, SSH, and/or FTP, and include 10GB of permanent disk storage. Faculty will have their own password access; this password is to remain confidential may not to be shared with any other individual. The default expiration for faculty accounts is 5 years. Accounts can be renewed.
Ph.D. Student
Ph.D. accounts are available to all current Ph.D. candidates of subscribing institutions. These accounts allow unlimited access via web, SSH, and/or FTP, and include 10GB of permanent disk storage. Doctoral students will have their own password access; this password is to remain confidential and may not to be shared with any other individual. The default expiration for Ph.D. student accounts is 2 years. PhD accounts are eligible for renewal. If a Ph.D. candidate from a WRDS institution accepts an ABD (all but dissertation) position as an assistant professor at a non‐WRDS institution they are still eligible to use their account at the discretion of the WRDS institution if the Ph.D. student has yet to defend.
Research Assistant
Research accounts are available to graduate and undergraduate students performing research for a faculty member. These accounts allow access via web, SSH, and/or FTP, and include 10GB of permanent disk storage. A standing faculty member may have one Research Assistant account. Research assistants will have their own password access; this password is to remain confidential and may not to be shared with any other individual. The default expiration for research assistant accounts is 2 years. Accounts can be renewed.
Staff
Staff accounts can only be requested by support personnel such as librarians, IT support staff or other staff of member institutions. Please note that this type of account does not automatically carry WRDS Rep privileges, though many WRDS reps have this kind of account. WRDS Rep administrative capabilities are assigned separately from the account designation. Staff accounts allow unlimited access via web, SSH, and/or FTP, and include 10GB of permanent disk storage. Staff will have their own password access; this password is to remain confidential and is may not to be shared with any other individual. The default expiration for staff accounts is 5 years. Staff accounts can be renewed.
Visitor
Visitor accounts are available to visiting visitor faculty (non‐permanent or part‐time position, or those on a limited appointment). These accounts are subject to additional review and may not be used after the visiting appointment ends. Visitor accounts allow unlimited access via web, SSH, and/or FTP, and include 10GB of permanent disk storage. Visitor accounts are required to have an expiration date. Visitor accounts will have their own password access, and this password is to remain confidential and may not to be shared with any other individual. The default expiration for visitor accounts is 1 year. Visitor accounts can be renewed.
Please note: Lecturers are not eligible for faculty accounts but may apply for a visitor account.
Masters & Undergraduate Student
There are two types of access options for Masters and Undergraduate students, No Summer Access and With Summer Access.
No Summer Access: Masters/Undergrad accounts are available to all full‐time masters’ students of subscribing institutions. These accounts allow unlimited access via the WRDS website, SSH, and/or FTP. These accounts DO NOT have disk storage. Masters’ students will have their own password access; this password is to remain confidential and is may not to be shared with any other individual. The default expiration for masters’ accounts is 2 years. Our WRDS policy prohibits undergraduate/masters students from accessing WRDS during the extended break between semesters. The accounts are temporarily disabled by the system during this time. Once the new semester begins, students will automatically be granted access to their accounts.
With Summer Access: Masters/Undergrad accounts are available for students who are enrolled in a summer course and who are not working as interns.
Class
Class accounts should be requested by standing faculty institutions and are used to access the WRDS web interface. These accounts are designed for student usage that is associated with a specific class and all students in the class share the same password. Passwords may not to be shared with any other individual outside of the class. Class accounts must expire at the end of the semester. These accounts do NOT include disk storage. Due to recent upgrades class accounts can process unlimited concurrent users as batch processing provides powerful fast query results. No need to request more seats in large lectures! Class accounts need to be set up by the Professor, approved by the local WRDS Representative at your institution, and should not be carried over for the next semester’s class. Please note: TAQ data use is not permitted within the actual class time. The default expiration for Class accounts is 1 semester and accounts are not permitted to be renewed for the next semester.