More and more colleges and universities are streamlining to using a single university ID card across a multitude of applications. Today’s technology allows your university student photo identification cards to be multi-purpose cards. A single university identification card can be used for applications such as food service and university bookstore account management, access to computers and other technology, access control to athletic facilities, tracking library check-out, medical center ID, as well as at-a-glance photo ID.

Across the country, the push for efficient automated payment programs is creating demand for university student ID cards store cash value and track account balance. The use of a magnetic stripe or smart chip allows schools to use university student identification cards as stored-value debit cards for campus food service, the university bookstore, parking, campus laundry facilities and other on-campus retail venues. This automation makes the purchasing process fast and efficient by reducing lines and wait times, can cut back on labor needed to staff cafeterias and bookstores, and reduces the losses involved with cash transactions. 

Stored-value debit cards are simply cards that are funded by traditional means such as checking accounts, funds transfers, credit cards or cash and are used to deduct money from a non-bank account. Stored-value cards use a smart chip or magnetic stripe to store information about the funds that have been prepaid to the card.

One of the keys to creating a safe campus is controlling who’s in your campus buildings. Using magnetic stripe, proximity card or smart card technology, your university student ID cards can control access to your campus buildings, such as dorms, or even specific areas in your campus buildings, such as labs or dorm rooms. An access control system will allow you to control who enters controlled areas–an ID card is the means to do this. A university ID card that includes a magnetic stripe, proximity technology, or a smart chip can control access to technology as well as to physical areas through-out your campus. For example, a student needing to use your university’s computer lab can use his student ID card to gain access to the IT building after regular class hours, scan it again to enter the lab, and then insert it into the computer in order to log on. When the student completes his work he scans his card to enter his dorm building, and finally, to enter his dorm room. Similarly, stored value cards can be used by university faculty and staff for parking, food service, and other retail opportunities, as well as gaining access to areas authorized only for them.

One of the most common uses of university student ID cards is tracking university library check-out. Barcodes or magnetic stripes are typically used to track library assets. The same process can be used with other university assets such as audio/visual equipment or athletic equipment. Advantidge ID Systems are ideal for:

• Student, faculty and staff photo ID badges
• Auto expiring school visitor ID badges
• Controlled access on your entire campus
• Registration processes/recordkeeping
• Meal programs — bar codes keep individual students’ lunch plans confidential from other students
• Library/bookstore use — quick check-out using student IDs
• Equipment check-out — physical education or extracurricular activity equipment usage tracked
• Activity passes — print fun, colorful tickets for plays, dances and sporting events
• Fundraising activities — print coupons for use at participating area merchants
• Vending machine purchases — Store cash on magnetic stripe cards
• ATM cards — link student ID card to area bank ATM machines

To learn more about our custom bundled solutions for colleges and universities please click on the following link

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