diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/login/LoginProcessBean.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/login/LoginProcessBean.java
index c491f153b..c20846b55 100644
--- a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/login/LoginProcessBean.java
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/login/LoginProcessBean.java
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ public class LoginProcessBean {
 		MISMATCH_PASSWORD("The passwords entered do not match.", MLevel.ERROR),
 
 		PASSWORD_LENGTH(
-				"Please enter a password between {0} and {1} characters long",
+				"Please enter a password between {0} and {1} characters in length.",
 				MLevel.ERROR),
 
 		USING_OLD_PASSWORD("Please choose a different password from the "
diff --git a/webapp/web/js/login/loginUtils.js b/webapp/web/js/login/loginUtils.js
index 4c1f684fa..946adf807 100644
--- a/webapp/web/js/login/loginUtils.js
+++ b/webapp/web/js/login/loginUtils.js
@@ -1,10 +1,11 @@
 /* $This file is distributed under the terms of the license in /doc/license.txt$ */
 
-
 $(document).ready(function(){
 
-	$("#formLogin").removeClass("hidden");
+  // login form is hidden by default; use JavaScript to reveal
+  $("#formLogin").removeClass("hidden");
+  
+  // focus on email or newpassword field
+  $('.focus').focus();
 
 });
-
-
diff --git a/webapp/web/templates/freemarker/body/login/login-forcedPasswordChange.ftl b/webapp/web/templates/freemarker/body/login/login-forcedPasswordChange.ftl
index 5ed2d012b..2082b8e05 100644
--- a/webapp/web/templates/freemarker/body/login/login-forcedPasswordChange.ftl
+++ b/webapp/web/templates/freemarker/body/login/login-forcedPasswordChange.ftl
@@ -16,10 +16,10 @@ ${stylesheets.addFromTheme("/login.css")}
        
        <form action="${formAction}" method="post">
               <label for="newPassword">New Password</label>
-              <input type="password" name="newPassword"  />
-              <p class="passwordNote">Please enter a password with more than 5 characters</p>
+              <input id="newPassword" class="focus" type="password" name="newPassword"  />
+              <p class="passwordNote">Minimum of 6 characters in length.</p>
               <label for="confirmPassword">Confirm Password</label>
-              <input type="password" name="confirmPassword"  />
+              <input id="confirmPassword" type="password" name="confirmPassword"  />
               <input name="passwordChangeForm" type="submit" class="submit" value="Save Changes"/>
        </form>
 </div>
diff --git a/webapp/web/templates/freemarker/body/login/login-form.ftl b/webapp/web/templates/freemarker/body/login/login-form.ftl
index 2ba6db75e..6f821a044 100644
--- a/webapp/web/templates/freemarker/body/login/login-form.ftl
+++ b/webapp/web/templates/freemarker/body/login/login-form.ftl
@@ -30,9 +30,9 @@ ${stylesheets.addFromTheme("/login.css")}
        
        <form action="${formAction}" method="post">
               <label for="loginName">Email</label>
-              <input name="loginName" type="text" value="${loginName}"  />
+              <input id="loginName" class="focus" name="loginName" type="text" value="${loginName}"  />
               <label for="loginPassword">Password</label>
-              <input type="password" name="loginPassword"  />
+              <input id="loginPassword" type="password" name="loginPassword"  />
               <input name="loginForm"  type="submit" class="submit" value="Log in"/>
        </form>
 </div>