At Johns Hopkins University, Students Can Now Swap Campus IDs for iPhone

BALTIMORE – Johns Hopkins University students will no longer need a campus identification card to get into their dorms, pay for pizza, or do laundry. Starting in late March, a flash of their iPhone or Apple Watch will handle all of that and more as the university becomes the fifth in the country to offer students the option to add their campus ID to Apple Wallet.

Students who choose to add their campus ID to Apple Wallet will be able to use their iPhone and Apple Watch as building keys, to pay for things on and off campus, and for anything else that currently requires showing a campus identification card, the J-Card. By simply placing their device near a reader where physical student IDs are accepted, they can enter dorms, print documents at the library, buy lunch, and shop at the university book store.

“Offering a digital ID option reflects our continuing commitment to enhance the services provided to students,” says Kevin G. Shollenberger, the university’s vice provost for Student Affairs. “We are excited about this and look forward to seeing students using phones to get into residence halls, for dining, and to buy things at area businesses.”

In addition to working at all campus dining facilities, the J-card on iPhone will also work at numerous off-campus businesses including restaurants, convenience stores, and drugstores. The J-card credentials are also protected on the app by two-factor authentication. J-Card in Apple Wallet works with iPhone 6 and later, and Apple Watch Series 1 and later.

Featured

  • Montclair State University Debuts New VR Facility

    Montclair State University in Montclair, N.J., recently announced the completion of a new virtual reality learning facility developed in partnership with Dreamscape Learn, according to a news release. The 2,450-square-foot lab space is inside the College of Communication and Media building and will serve students pursuing careers in digital media, virtual reality, and content creation.

  • S4L Announces 2026 Education Design Showcase Winners

    Spaces4Learning is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2026 Education Design Showcase! Now in its 27th year, the annual awards program honors innovative solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction across K–12 and higher education.

  • New Jersey Day School Opens New Science & Entrepreneurship Building

    Saddle River Day School (SRDS) in Saddle River, N.J., recently celebrated the grand opening of the new Dr. Kristen Walsh Hall of Science & Entrepreneurship, according to a news release. The school partnered with DIG Architecture on the 32,000 square foot facility, completed on a 17-month construction timeline in time for the beginning of the new school year.

  • Planning with Clarity: Using AI to Make Better Campus Decisions, Not Just Better Designs

    Higher education leaders are being asked to make increasingly high-stakes decisions about campus facilities amid greater uncertainty than ever before. Social and economic pressures, shifting enrollment, and evolving learning models compete with growing deferred maintenance needs to strain even the most robust infrastructure budgets.