This guide covers how to access your Explore by Cialfo account, what to do if you did not receive your invitation email, how to troubleshoot role-based access issues, and how to resolve SSO-related login problems.
How to log in to Explore account
To access your Explore account:
Go to explore.cialfo.co and click Log In.
Enter the email address your institution registered for your Explore account.
Enter your password. If this is your first login, you will have set your password via the activation email you received from Cialfo.
If you cannot log in, follow the troubleshooting steps below.
Did not receive your invitation or activation email
When a team member is added to Explore by an admin, an invitation email is sent automatically. If you did not receive it:
Check your Spam and Junk folders — automated invitation emails from Cialfo may be filtered there. Look for an email from a notifications@cialfo.co
Check Promotions and Updates tabs if using Gmail — the invitation may have been auto-sorted.
Ask your Explore Admin to resend the invitation: The admin can go to the Team page > find your account > click options > Resend Registration Email.
If your institution uses a managed email system (Outlook, Exchange): Ask your IT team to whitelist emails from notifications@cialfo.co. Once whitelisted, ask the Explore Admin to resend the invitation.
Forgot your password
Go to explore.cialfo.co and click Forgot Password on the login page.
Enter your registered email address and click Send Reset Link.
Check your inbox (including Spam/Promotions) for the password reset email.
Click the reset link and create a new password.
Password reset links expire after a set time — if you see an "expired link" message, repeat the process to receive a fresh reset link.
Can't see a feature or page — role-based access
If you can log in but cannot access certain features or pages within Explore, this is typically a role-based access issue. Explore has three roles:
Admin: Full access to all features — team management, account settings, Direct Apply, Higher Ed Insights, and all reporting.
Member: Access to all features except updating college or institution details.
Admission Officer: Can only view Direct Apply and Higher Ed Insights. Cannot access settings or manage team members.
If you need access to a feature your current role does not permit, ask your Explore Admin to update your role: Team page > find your account > Change Role.
SSO (Single Sign-On) login issues
If your institution uses SSO to log in to Explore and you are experiencing issues:
SSO login redirects to an error page: Confirm with your IT team that the SSO configuration for Explore has been set up correctly. The Explore SSO integration requires specific settings to be configured at your institution's identity provider (IdP). Contact Cialfo support with your institution name and the error message you are seeing — the team can assist with SSO configuration.
SSO login succeeds but account is not recognised: This can occur if the email address used by your SSO system does not match the email registered for your Explore account. Contact Cialfo support to align the accounts.
Can log in with SSO but cannot access Explore specifically: Confirm that your Explore account is active (not deactivated). Ask your Explore Admin to check your account status on the Team page.
Account not found at login
If you see "account not found" or "no account associated with this email" when trying to log in:
Confirm you are using the correct email address — it must be the exact email your Admin registered for your Explore account.
Confirm your account has been created — ask your Explore Admin to verify your account exists in the Team page.
If your account was deactivated, ask the Admin to reactivate it (Team page > filter by Inactive > find account > Activate).
Still can't log in?
Contact Cialfo support via Chat with Cialfo or email support@cialfo.com with:
Your full name and email address
Your institution/university name
A description of the error or the step where you are getting stuck
A screenshot of any error message
If my account is Still Inactive and I Can’t Reach Your Explore Admin, what should I do?
If your account is still inactive and you’re unable to reach your institution’s Explore Admin to activate it - for example, if they’re away, have left the institution, or aren’t responding—you can contact Cialfo Support directly.
Reach out to us through Chat with Cialfo or email support@cialfo.com and provide the following details:
Your full name
Your email address
Your institution name
Our support team can manually activate your account and send you a new welcome email, so you don’t need to wait for your Explore Admin.