diff --git a/admin/configvars.php b/admin/configvars.php
index 60aa0ae..0bff944 100644
--- a/admin/configvars.php
+++ b/admin/configvars.php
@@ -481,6 +481,42 @@ class configvarrss extends configvar {
     $security['clamfailureonupload'] = new configvar (get_string('configclamfailureonupload', 'admin'),
         choose_from_menu($options, 'clamfailureonupload', $config->clamfailureonupload, '', '', '', true) );
 
+/// passwordpolicy
+    $security['passwordpolicy'] = new configvar (get_string('configpasswordpolicy', 'admin'),
+        choose_from_menu ($noyesoptions, 'passwordpolicy', $config->passwordpolicy, '', '', '', true) );
+
+/// minpasswordlength
+    unset($options);
+    for ($i=6; $i<=32; $i++) {
+        $options[$i] = "$i";
+    }
+    $security['minpasswordlength'] = new configvar (get_string('configminpasswordlength', 'admin'),
+        choose_from_menu($options, 'minpasswordlength', $config->minpasswordlength, '', '', '', true) );
+
+/// minpassworddigits
+    unset($options);
+    for ($i=0; $i<=10; $i++) {
+        $options[$i] = "$i";
+    }
+    $security['minpassworddigits'] = new configvar (get_string('configminpassworddigits', 'admin'),
+        choose_from_menu($options, 'minpassworddigits', $config->minpassworddigits, '', '', '', true) );
+
+/// minpasswordlower
+    unset($options);
+    for ($i=0; $i<=10; $i++) {
+        $options[$i] = "$i";
+    }
+    $security['minpasswordlower'] = new configvar (get_string('configminpasswordlower', 'admin'),
+        choose_from_menu($options, 'minpasswordlower', $config->minpasswordlower, '', '', '', true) );
+
+/// minpasswordupper
+    unset($options);
+    for ($i=0; $i<=10; $i++) {
+        $options[$i] = "$i";
+    }
+    $security['minpasswordupper'] = new configvar (get_string('configminpasswordupper', 'admin'),
+        choose_from_menu($options, 'minpasswordupper', $config->minpasswordupper, '', '', '', true) );
+
 
 
 
diff --git a/lang/en_utf8/admin.php b/lang/en_utf8/admin.php
index ed1cb6b..5246305 100644
--- a/lang/en_utf8/admin.php
+++ b/lang/en_utf8/admin.php
@@ -260,5 +260,14 @@ $string['usersrenamed']  = 'Users renamed';
 $string['usersupdated']  = 'Users updated';
 $string['updateaccounts']  = 'Update existing accounts';
 $string['upwards']  = 'upwards';
+$string['configpasswordpolicy'] = 'Turning this on will make Moodle check user passwords agains a valid password policy. Use the settings below to specify your policy (they will be ignored if you set this to \'No\').';
+$string['configminpasswordlength'] = 'Passwords must be at least these many characters long.';
+$string['configminpassworddigits'] = 'Passwords must have at least these many digits.';
+$string['configminpasswordlower'] = 'Passwords must have at least these many lower case letters.';
+$string['configminpasswordupper'] = 'Passwords must have at least these many upper case letters.';
+$string['errorminpasswordlength'] = 'Passwords must be at least $a characters long.';
+$string['errorminpassworddigits'] = 'Passwords must have at least $a digit(s).';
+$string['errorminpasswordlower'] = 'Passwords must have at least $a lower case letter(s).';
+$string['errorminpasswordupper'] = 'Passwords must have at least $a upper case letter(s).';
 
 ?>
diff --git a/lib/moodlelib.php b/lib/moodlelib.php
index cc7a15c..258a5c6 100644
--- a/lib/moodlelib.php
+++ b/lib/moodlelib.php
@@ -7115,5 +7115,39 @@ function loadeditor($args) {
     return editorObject::loadeditor($args);
 }
 
+/*
+ * @uses $CFG
+ * @param string $password the password to be checked agains the password policy
+ * @param string $errmsg the error message to display when the password doesn't comply with the policy.
+ * @return bool true if the password is valid according to the policy. false otherwise.
+ */
+function check_password_policy($password, &$errmsg) {
+    global $CFG;
+
+    if(empty($CFG->passwordpolicy)) {
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    $errmsg = '';
+    if (strlen($password) < $CFG->minpasswordlength) {
+        $errmsg = get_string('errorminpasswordlength', 'admin', $CFG->minpasswordlength);
+    }
+    elseif (preg_match_all('/[[:digit:]]/u', $password, $matches) < $CFG->minpassworddigits) {
+        $errmsg = get_string('errorminpassworddigits', 'admin', $CFG->minpassworddigits);
+    }
+    elseif (preg_match_all('/[[:lower:]]/u', $password, $matches) < $CFG->minpasswordlower) {
+        $errmsg = get_string('errorminpasswordlower', 'admin', $CFG->minpasswordlower);
+    }
+    elseif (preg_match_all('/[[:upper:]]/u', $password, $matches) < $CFG->minpasswordupper) {
+        $errmsg = get_string('errorminpasswordupper', 'admin', $CFG->minpasswordupper);
+    }
+
+    if (empty($errmsg)) {
+        return true;
+    } else {
+        return false;
+    }
+}
+
 // vim:autoindent:expandtab:shiftwidth=4:tabstop=4:tw=140:
 ?>
diff --git a/login/change_password.php b/login/change_password.php
index 62f6e5b..6fa08fb 100644
--- a/login/change_password.php
+++ b/login/change_password.php
@@ -170,6 +169,10 @@ function validate_form($frm, &$err) {
             }
         }
     }
+
+    if (!check_password_policy($frm->newpassword1, $errmsg)) {
+        $err->newpassword1 = $errmsg;
+    }
     
     return;
 }
diff --git a/login/signup.php b/login/signup.php
index 0ff9d32..817596e 100644
--- a/login/signup.php
+++ b/login/signup.php
@@ -112,6 +112,9 @@ function validate_form($user, &$err) {
     if (empty($user->password)) {
         $err->password = get_string("missingpassword");
     }
+    elseif (!check_password_policy($user->password, $errmsg)) {
+        $err->password = $errmsg;
+    }
 
     if (empty($user->firstname)) {
         $err->firstname = get_string("missingfirstname");
diff --git a/user/edit.php b/user/edit.php
index 2180a69..dde5101 100644
--- a/user/edit.php
+++ b/user/edit.php
@@ -419,6 +419,9 @@ function find_form_errors(&$user, &$usernew, &$err, &$um) {
         if (($usernew->newpassword == "admin") or ($user->password == md5("admin") and empty($usernew->newpassword)) ) {
             $err["newpassword"] = get_string("unsafepassword");
         }
+        if (!check_password_policy($usernew->newpassword, $errmsg)) {
+            $err["newpassword"] = $errmsg;
+        }
     }
 
     if (empty($usernew->email))