Embodiments of the invention are directed to a system, method, and a computer program product for a user authentication based on self-selected preferences. The system typically including a memory, a processor, and a module configured to receive a request to execute a user action from a user associated with an application, wherein the user action requires one or more authentication credentials; receive one or more authentication credentials from the user based on a user-selected preference; validate the one or more authentication credentials based on the user-selected preference; and execute the user action based on a successful validation of the one or more authentication credentials.