Office of Student Engagement

All students, faculty, and staff are required to have the card as photo identification at the University. Photos can be taken at the Welcome and Information Desk in the Kanbar Campus Center during regularly scheduled building hours and the ID will be printed immediately.

First-year and transfer student ID photos will be taken during New Student Orientation. All other students, faculty, and staff can have their photos taken during the school year.

Existing Photo ID badges are valid for the duration of the student’s, faculty’s, staff’s time at the University. They do not need to be replaced year-to-year unless specified by the expiration date listed on the ID.

The Jefferson Photo ID Badge is generated from data obtained from the student record system or employee personnel database. Accounts must be active to obtain a photo ID. 

Students, faculty, and/or staff members must present their university campus key and a valid state/federal issued ID to obtain their Jefferson Photo ID badge. 

There is a $25 fee for all replacement ID cards. 

The ID cards have microchips embedded within them. A hole punch will compromise the microchip and disable the card's ability to function. You will be required to pay the $25.00 replacement fee.

• The fee may be waived when:
  • The information on the ID is incorrect or has been changed.
  • The ID / Magnetic strip is not functioning properly, not due to clearance/access issues. 
• The $25 fee is not waived when:
  • Lost ID
  • Damaged or Broken ID
  • Photo Updates
• The $25 fee can be paid at the Kanbar Information Desk in cash or by check made out to “Thomas Jefferson University.” Currently, the fee is unable to be charged to a declining balance. 

The Jefferson Photo ID Badge is encoded with technology that permits access to campus buildings and, when appropriately authorized, various locked areas (i.e. Residence Halls, research labs, etc). Campus access is handled by Public Safety.

The following are different ways to make deposits on your Campus Card account:

• The cashier’s window in the Business Office is where you can make your deposits in person, Monday through Friday, during posted hours.
• Visit the Online Card Center (GET) to add money online
• Call the Student Accounts office at 215-951-5988 with credit card information.
• Credit balance from financial aid.

When making a payment please indicate Campus Card payment along with the student’s identification number.

A minimum of $20 can be placed on the campus card. Funds will be available in your account by 9 a.m. on the next business day after receipt.

Any debit account balance remaining at the end of the academic year will be credited to your student account. Any resulting credit will be refunded to you. 

• All access issues are handled by Public Safety. 
• Like credit cards or bank cards, your ID card can get demagnetized depending on where it is kept.
• Cards may stop working if there are nicks, scratches, or fading to the magnetic strip.

Where can I get my card and when can I do it? Photo IDs are created at the Kanbar Campus Center’s Welcome & Information Desk during the building’s hours of operation. Those hours are regularly 7:30a to 12am, Monday through Friday, and 12pm to 12am on weekends. These hours are subject to change for holidays, weather issues, or emergency closings.

I have recently changed my name. Do I need to pay for a new card? You will not need to pay for a new card.  Simply provide the staff member with legal documentation confirming the change and they can reprint your campus card with the new name. You’ll trade your old card for a new one.

I came here earlier to buy a new card and I just recently found the old one. Can I get my money back? Your old card is deactivated when we print a new card and cannot be reactivated. The payment is non-refundable.

Why doesn’t my card get me into the gym? It works everywhere else … Before you are allowed access into the gym, you are required to complete a liability waiver that the Gallagher Center will keep on record.  If you have already completed the waiver and are still unable to access the gym, it is possible that the access was not yet applied to your card. Contact the Director of the Fitness Center to follow up and contact Public Safety for all access issues.

When I go to swipe at my residence hall, my picture doesn’t show up. Do I need a new card? You don’t need a new card. The pictures need to be loaded into the system that displays the images, and it sometimes takes a while for that to happen. Rest assured that it is not a card issue, so there is no need to replace it.

When I swipe at the Dining Hall, they say that my meal plan isn’t showing up. Why is that? In a situation like this, the first step is to make sure that you do, in fact, have a meal plan this semester.  The easiest way to do that is to contact the Office of Residential Life. It may be on their records that you have one, but it may have not been applied. At Residential Life, they should be able to apply the meal plan to your account.

Where do I go for a temporary ID card? Temporary cards are no longer issued.

I just got a new card and I still can’t get into my building/the gym … how come? When you lose a card and have to get a replacement created, the old card is deactivated. The new card is activated automatically overnight. This ensures that there is only one working card for your account. Your money and meal plan will transfer to the new card immediately, but swipe access to buildings will work the following morning. All swipe access issues should be directed to Public Safety.

How do I put money on my campus card? Your campus card not only grants you access into buildings on campus and serves as an identification card, but it can also be used as a debit card to be used at dining facilities and the Campus Store. You are able to add money to the card in a few ways: online; in person at the cashier’s window in the Business Office, Monday through Friday, during posted hours; by phone, calling the Student Accounts office at 215-951-5988 with credit card information; or though credit balance from Financial Aid.

I am teaching a class in/have an office in (insert building name here), but my card won’t let me in. Why? If you are supposed to have access to an academic building or space outside standard class hours and your campus card doesn’t work to get you in, the problem is most likely with the clearances assigned to your card. In cases like these, have someone in your office/department that is able to confirm your position and need for access (administrative assistant, supervisor, etc.) contact LaRona McNeil of Public Safety to have the access granted.

• Contact OIR at x4648 for your printing privileges on your replacement card.
• Contact Student Accounts at x5988 for any questions regarding money on your card.
• Contact Athletics at x2906 for issues with access to the Gallagher Center.
• Contact Public Safety for swipe access issues.