Contactless Student IDs on iPhone and Apple Watch Now Available for Santa Clara University Students - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Contactless Student IDs on iPhone and Apple Watch Now Available for Santa Clara University Students

Students at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California are now able to add their ACCESS student IDs to the Wallet app on the iPhone and the Apple Watch, allowing their devices to be used to access buildings, attend athletic events, purchase meals, check out library books, and more.

contactlessstudentid
Once a student ID card has been added into the Wallet app, students can use an iPhone or Apple Watch in lieu of a physical card by holding their device near a reader. The contactless student ID can be used anywhere the physical ID card is required.

Santa Clara University is located close to Apple's Cupertino headquarters, and it was one of the universities that worked with Apple and partner company Transact during the pilot program for contactless student IDs.

SCU expects that most of its 5,500 undergraduate students will be using the mobile student ID system by the end of the year.

Apple first announced plans to bring contactless student IDs to iPhone and Apple Watch at the 2018 Worldwide Developers Conference, and rolled out the first IDs in October 2018.

Since then, Apple has added additional universities to the program, and participants include Marshall University, Clemson University, Duke University, University of Oklahoma, University of Alabama, Georgetown University, University of Tennessee, University of Kentucky, University of San Francisco, University of Vermont, Arkansas State University, South Dakota State University, Norfolk State University, Louisburg College, University of North Alabama, and Chowan University.

Popular Stories

Surprise and Shine Live Coverage Article

Apple Event Live Blog: iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro, and More Expected

Wednesday September 9, 2026 9:10 am PDT by
Apple's "Surprise and Shine" event kicks off today at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, where we're expecting to see the foldable iPhone Duo, the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 models, new AirPods 5 earphones, and perhaps some other announcements. Apple is providing a live video stream on its website, on YouTube, and in the company's TV app across various platforms. We...
iphone duo

Apple Announces Foldable 'iPhone Duo'

Wednesday September 9, 2026 10:56 am PDT by
Apple today announced the "iPhone Duo," a new kind of iPhone featuring two screens and a foldable inner display. The two halves of the iPhone Duo connect into a single continuous frame with the same aspect ratio across both displays, and Apple said the transition between open and closed is designed to feel fluid. When fully open, Apple says it is the thinnest iPhone ever made, with an...
apple surprise and shine event

Apple Event Today: iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo Cheat Sheet

Tuesday September 8, 2026 10:24 am PDT by
Apple's biggest event of the year is almost here, and all eyes are on Cupertino. With the first foldable iPhone expected to headline Apple's "Surprise and Shine" event on Wednesday, September 9, at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, the rumor mill has been running full throttle, fuelled by the biggest single design change in the life of the iPhone. To get you up to speed, here's a quick reference...

Top Rated Comments

85 months ago

So you did not access buildings there, attend athletic events, purchase meals, and more? Do not, others do it.
Locks on campus doors have become much more prevalent in recent years both due to "security incidents" and actually increased awareness of the sensitivity of research data and IP.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
85 months ago

how do you do this? I have a contactless card and cannot find any way to do this ...

Include me, I like to know how you do this.
On an iPhone of course...
No endorsements:
https://passninja.com/
https://passkit.com/
https://www.passsource.com/
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
85 months ago

Is there any way available to contact this feature for personal use? For instance, could I make an app for a private club, add that club's membership card to the wallet app, and use it to open magnetically locked doors, pay member dues, etc? Or is this feature set not available to devs?
Yes, via NFC enabled passes. You can do it yourself or there's third-party services to simplify it.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cmaier Avatar
85 months ago

What a time to be alive!
It’s also a great time to be undead, as it turns out.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jonblatho Avatar
85 months ago
This feature is so great. I got to use it at OU for much of my last year there.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
justperry Avatar
85 months ago

Yes, via NFC enabled passes. You can do it yourself or there's third-party services to simplify it.

how do you do this? I have a contactless card and cannot find any way to do this ...
Include me, I like to know how you do this.
On an iPhone of course...




I already use my watch for the vending machine at work. It would be nice to also be able to use it for building access.
That's ApplePay (I think), different animal.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)