Security changes being enacted Jan. 1 will require students to switch to a digitized mobile ID rather than a physical ID, or to reencode their current card in order to continue using it. An additional change requires students, staff and faculty members to begin to use two separate IDs for University health buildings and academic division buildings.
The mobile ID is available via the Atrium Campus Connect app and can be added to Apple Wallet as well as Google Wallet. This digital version serves the same purpose as the physical ID, digitally allowing students to access University services such as academic buildings, dorms, meal plans and Cav Cash.
According to the University, the digital ID comes with enhanced security features. The Mobile ID uses built-in biometric factors such as facial recognition or touch ID to protect information from being accessed without user consent if a device gets lost or stolen.
The change from a physical ID to a mobile ID is being implemented to align with the University’s sustainability program, reducing the need for plastic cards. Students with a physical ID received an email in October about the upcoming changes happening at the beginning of the new year.
“As part of upcoming security enhancements, all physical U.Va. Academic ID cards that have not yet transitioned to mobile ID will need to be reencoded before January 1,” the Cavalier Card Office said in an email.
Reencoding is a short and free process, should students want to keep their physical ID, according to the email. To do this, students can visit the Cavalier Card Office located at Observatory Hill Dining Hall or use a remote encoding site. This ensures that the physical ID will keep working after Dec. 31.
The University announced ahead of the 2025-26 school year that it would be switching to a system that allowed students to access their Mobile ID through their phone’s wallet rather than the Mobile ID cellphone app that had previously been in place. According to University Spokesperson Bethanie Glover, there has been good reception for users of the mobile ID.
“Feedback on the UVA Mobile ID so far has been largely positive, with many users noting its convenience and the added peace of mind that comes with not having to keep up with a physical card,” Glover wrote in a statement to the Cavalier Daily.
While the use of the mobile ID is optional, the University is highly encouraging students to switch to the digitized format, emphasizing its convenience and practicality. Some students however, are more inclined to keep their physical ID. Second-year Commerce student Ashna Khianey talked about the novelty of having a physical ID and the potential drawbacks of having a mobile ID.
“I don’t really know if it’s necessary to have a mobile ID,” Khianey said. “I do think it’s hard if people don’t have phones that have that technology. It could be really dangerous if there’s some sort of lockdown situation and people’s phones are dead and so you don’t have any proof of being a student.”
The mobile ID is available for use up to five hours after a phone dies, according to the Cavalier Card Office.
Other students see the benefits to using a mobile ID. First-year Education student Ellie Williams said she thinks the mobile ID is a step in the right direction.
“It’s a lot easier for people who may lose their stuff or are not very organized,” Williams said. “If I was not a very organized person, I think I would definitely switch to mobile so I wouldn’t have to worry about constantly losing my physical ID.”
Should students, faculty and staff decide they want to switch from the mobile ID to the physical ID after the Jan. 1 deadline, they will have to pay a $25 fee and make a trip to the Cavalier Card Office.
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