The University of Kentucky is rolling out a mobile student ID for the coming school year. Students will be able to use the WildCard Mobile ID to access facilities like residence halls, and to make purchases at cafeterias and campus stores.
The mobile ID was developed in collaboration with HID Global and CBORD, which had worked with Allegion to bring mobile IDs to the University of Tennessee in Knoxville back in 2020.
At UK, the WildCard Mobile ID will see a phased rollout, with a physical ID still required to access certain locations, such as medical campus buildings. Teachers and staff will have to wait until the coming year before they get access to the mobile ID.
In the meantime, the app offers students the option of acting an “Express Mode” that allows them to perform contactless, tap-based transactions without the need to unlock their devices.
Rosa Crisantos, who led the project as an administrator with UK Auxiliary Services, said she expects the mobile ID to take the “campus experience to the next level,” adding, “The excitement surrounding this launch is palpable, as we empower our students with cutting-edge technology.”
UK’s move helps to illustrate the growing popularity of mobile student ID apps as the trend continues to pick up among other post-secondary institutions. Purdue University started issuing mobile IDs in the summer, and is now reporting more than 17,000 downloads, including 7,550 from students slated to begin classes this fall. The Indiana school is looking to get more students using the mobile ID app through planned orientation sessions leading up to the first day of classes.
Sources: UKNow, Purdue University
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August 15, 2023 – by Alex Perala
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