diff --git a/admin/configvars.php b/admin/configvars.php
index b7fb49f..6713903 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 206e00f..5af6771 100644
--- a/lang/en_utf8/admin.php
+++ b/lang/en_utf8/admin.php
@@ -487,5 +487,14 @@ $string['userscreated'] = 'Users created';
 $string['usersrenamed'] = 'Users renamed';
 $string['usersupdated'] = 'Users updated';
 $string['validateerror'] = 'This value was not valid:';
+$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 7f52ce7..83f5759 100644
--- a/lib/moodlelib.php
+++ b/lib/moodlelib.php
@@ -6729,5 +6729,39 @@ function 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_form.php b/login/change_password_form.php
index db04a15..949eca8 100644
--- a/login/change_password_form.php
+++ b/login/change_password_form.php
@@ -98,6 +98,12 @@ class login_change_password_form extends moodleform {
             return $errors;
         }
 
+        if (!check_password_policy($data['newpassword1'], $errmsg)) {
+            $errors['newpassword1'] = $errmsg;
+            $errors['newpassword2'] = $errmsg;
+            return $errors;
+        }
+
         return true;
     }
 }
diff --git a/login/signup_form.php b/login/signup_form.php
index 40c0cd8..334a13f 100644
--- a/login/signup_form.php
+++ b/login/signup_form.php
@@ -102,6 +102,10 @@ class login_signup_form_1 extends moodleform {
 		}
 
 
+            if (!check_password_policy($data['password'], $errmsg)) {
+                $errors['password'] = $errmsg;
+            }
+
 		if (0 == count($errors)){
 			return true;
 		} else {
diff --git a/user/edit.php b/user/edit.php
index ac3ad9c..e8b6877 100644
--- a/user/edit.php
+++ b/user/edit.php
@@ -428,6 +428,9 @@ 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))