Santa Clara University Offers Contactless Student IDs on iPhone and Apple Watch

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Santa Clara University students, faculty, and staff with Apple iPhones or Apple Watches can now "go mobile" and leave their ACCESS ID cards at home.

Thanks to a partnership with Apple and the solution provider Transact Mobile Credential, students and others on campus can now add their ACCESS student ID card to Apple Wallet. Like they do with so many credit cards, Starbucks payments, movie tickets, or airline boarding passes, students at SCU can now use their iPhone and Apple Watch for everything they need their student ID for: accessing buildings, attending athletic events, purchasing meals, checking out books from the library, and more.

SCU expects to have the majority of its 5,500 undergraduate students utilizing the mobile ACCESS credential by the end of the academic year. Santa Clara students are using their mobile credentials and enjoying faster, secure transactions.

“We are pleased that we could work closely with Apple and Transact to bring the ease and convenience of using just iPhone or Watch to get around on and off campus to all of our students,” said Robin Reynolds, associate vice president for Auxiliary Services.

Situated in the heart of Silicon Valley, just down the road from Apple’s headquarters, Santa Clara University was excited to partner with Transact Mobile Credential and Apple during the initial pilot program. Transact is the credential solution provider that offers NFC-enabled contactless mobile IDs for iPhone and Apple Watch.

For a technologically savvy generation of students, setting up ACCESS student ID on iPhone and Apple Watch is easy. Students download Transact’s eAccounts app, authenticate with their university credentials, and then add their SCU mobile ACCESS card to their Apple Wallet.

“It makes grabbing my papers from the printer or picking a snack up from The Cellar on my way to lab that much faster and more manageable when I’m running late. I’m really glad we finally got this,” said SCU student Nick Potter.

Santa Clara’s ACCESS student ID in Apple Wallet is not only convenient, it also provides an extra level of security. In the past, students would regularly return to SCU’s ACCESS office to replace lost or stolen ID cards. Now, students no longer have to worry about misplacing their physical card. School credentials are also protected by two-factor authentication.

“SCU’s mobile credential has elevated the user experience to a more secure, seamless and convenient user experience,” said Nirmal Palliyaguru, director of ACCESS services at SCU.

About Santa Clara University

Founded in 1851, Santa Clara University sits in the heart of Silicon Valley—the world’s most innovative and entrepreneurial region. The University’s stunningly landscaped 106-acre campus is home to the historic Mission Santa Clara de Asís. Ranked among the top 15 percent of national universities by U.S. News & World Report, SCU has among the best four-year graduation rates in the nation and is rated by PayScale in the top 1 percent of universities with the highest-paid graduates. SCU has produced elite levels of Fulbright Scholars as well as four Rhodes Scholars. With undergraduate programs in arts and sciences, business, and engineering, and graduate programs in six disciplines, the curriculum blends high-tech innovation with social consciousness grounded in the tradition of Jesuit, Catholic education. For more information see www.scu.edu.