Student ID Support Coming to iPhone and Apple Watch, Starting With Select Colleges in United States

Apple is bringing Student ID support to iOS 12 and watchOS 5, streamlining how students access everything on their college campus.

Apple watchOS 5 Student ID screen 06042018
At supported schools, students will be able to add their Student ID to an iPhone or Apple Watch and gain access to everything from dorms and dining halls to gyms and libraries, along with campus events or attending class, making purchases from campus retail shops and bookstores, and paying for laundry and items from vending machines.

The program launches this fall with support from Duke University, the University of Alabama, and the University of Oklahoma. Temple University, Johns Hopkins University, and Santa Clara University will add support by the end of the year.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Leak Reveals All-New Design

Friday January 17, 2025 2:42 pm PST by
iOS 19 is still around six months away from being announced, but a new leak has allegedly revealed a completely redesigned Camera app. Based on footage it obtained, YouTube channel Front Page Tech shared a video showing what the new Camera app will apparently look like, with the key change being translucent menus for camera controls. Overall, the design of these menus looks similar to...
2024 App Store Awards

Apple Explains Why It Removed TikTok From the App Store in the U.S.

Sunday January 19, 2025 6:58 am PST by
Apple on late Saturday removed TikTok from the App Store in the U.S., and it has now explained why it was required to take this action. Last year, the U.S. passed a law that required Chinese company ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok due to potential national security risks, or else the platform would be banned. That law went into effect today, and companies like Apple and Google...
2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Changes Trade-In Values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and More

Thursday January 16, 2025 6:45 am PST by
Apple today adjusted estimated trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models in the U.S., according to its website. Some values increased, while others decreased. The changes were not too significant, with most values rising or dropping by $5 to $50. We have outlined some examples below: Device New Value Old Value iPhone 15 Pro Max Up to $630 U ...
Generic iOS 18

Everything New in iOS 18.3 Beta 3

Thursday January 16, 2025 12:39 pm PST by
Apple provided the third beta of iOS 18.3 to developers today, and while the betas have so far been light on new features, the third beta makes some major changes to Notification Summaries and also tweaks a few other features. Notification Summary Changes Apple made multiple changes to Notification Summaries in response to complaints about inaccurate summaries of news headlines. For...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Rumored to Be Compatible With These iPhones

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:28 am PST by
iOS 19 will not drop support for any iPhone models, according to French website iPhoneSoft.fr. The report cited a source who said iOS 19 will be compatible with any iPhone that can run iOS 18, which would mean the following models: iPhone 16 iPhone 16 Plus iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 16 Pro Max iPhone 15 iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Pro iPhone 15 Pro Max iPhone 14 iPhon...
iPhone SE Dynamic Island Majin Bu

iPhone SE 4 Leak Shows Dynamic Island, Casts Doubt on Rumored 'iPhone 16E' Name

Monday January 20, 2025 9:01 am PST by
A new iPhone SE is widely rumored to launch this year, and the device has potentially been confirmed today by known leaker Evan Blass. In a private social media post, Blass shared an image of what appears to be source code mentioning an iPhone SE (4th Gen), which casts doubt on the alternative "iPhone 16E" name rumored for the device. However, the name in the source code could be a...
airtag 4 pack blue

AirTag 2 Launching This Year With These 3 New Features

Sunday January 19, 2025 8:11 am PST by
After a four-year wait, a new AirTag is finally expected to launch in 2025. Below, we recap rumored upgrades for the accessory. A few months ago, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple was aiming to release the AirTag 2 around the middle of 2025. While he did not offer a more specific timeframe, that means the AirTag 2 could be announced by the end of June. The original AirTag was announced...
iPad Pro vs iPhone 17 Air Feature

Here's How Thin the iPhone 17 Air Might Be

Friday January 17, 2025 3:38 pm PST by
For the last several months, we've been hearing rumors about a redesigned version of the iPhone 17 that Apple might call the iPhone 17 "Air," or something along those lines. It's going to replace the iPhone 17 Plus as Apple's fourth iPhone option, and it will be offered alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We know the iPhone 17 Air is going to be super slim, but...

Top Rated Comments

ersan191 Avatar
87 months ago
Open this damn API so we can make our own solutions... irritating
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kappy94 Avatar
87 months ago
And yet no support for the cards to enter our offices....
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Solomani Avatar
87 months ago
So if the high school student forgot his iPhone (very unlikely thing to happen) he would not have any ID to show the campus security guard.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
erinsarah Avatar
87 months ago
So if the high school student forgot his iPhone (very unlikely thing to happen) he would not have any ID to show the campus security guard.
So...which do you think is more
Likely...a teen forgets to take her phone, or forgets her ID? Plus...it’s about the watch.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jonblatho Avatar
84 months ago
One of the only reasons we use students cards is to have on the desk during exams.

Good luck letting you have your phone there for your card.
Don't know what campus you're referring to, and I know this is a really late response, but at OU we're required to use our IDs for, and this is just off the top of my head:

* after-hours building entry
* printing
* access to the campus gym
* access to dorm halls
* access to bedrooms in newer dorms
* laundry in the dorms
* meal plans (unless ordering on mobile)
* access to many campus events

Very rarely have I had to leave my ID out on my desk during an exam, and that's happened only in the few massive lecture-hall classes I've had to take. Many of the professors in my classes wouldn't really care to see a phone on the desk for that purpose. Maybe that's just because I'm in a fairly small major, but in any case, exams are far from "one of the only" reasons that student ID cards are used on many campuses.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jmh600cbr Avatar
87 months ago
I guess we're not getting RFID cards like we thought
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)