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

  • 03/28/19

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.

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