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Transact Campus ID

Student ID Management solutions for higher education

Give students and staff more ways to pay for things around campus and have contactless campus-wide access with one card—either digital on their mobile devices or physical card option.

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Discover your perfect fit: Uncover the ideal Transact Campus ID solution to meet your students and staffs needs

Join 1,111+ colleges and universities connecting their campuses under one student ID solution

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UCRiverside
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Woman using Transact Campus ID to open door

Gen Z shifting demands for college experience

The current process of paying for tuition, books, and housing frustrates college students. They are struggling to navigate the campus and are seeking more convenient and mobile-friendly options to ease the process.

This new generation of Gen Z'ers has even higher expectations of their student IDs to get them access to everything from their dorms and the library to mobile payment options both on and off campus.

To meet these expectations, universities must give students easy, convenient, credential-driven access to authorized services and events. At the same time, secure your campus with a unified, comprehensive door access solution designed specifically for the higher education community to ensure the safety of their campuses.

Transact IDX®

Institutions are facing increasing pressure from all sides—operational efficiency, staffing shortages, and students demanding a more connected, mobile-friendly campus experience.

Easily manage almost every aspect of your campus with our Next-Generation cloud transaction system and give your students what they CRAVE with Transact IDX®.

School Benefits


  • Most-used features are front-and-center
  • No guess-work, intuitive configuration workflows
  • 24/7 system access and real-time data
  • Distribute the workload from anywhere with role-based access
  • Easily navigate between Transact applications

Student Benefits


  • Transact eAccounts mobile app on Transact IDX®
  • Responsive design web application
  • View account balance, transaction history, and add funds in real-time
  • Enable cardholders to suspend and resume student ID cards and Transact Mobile Credential
  • No more lines with Transact Online Photo Submission
  • 24/7 account access
Campus IDX Dashboard Example
Mobile Credential

Transact Mobile Credential

Gen Z students expect more from their college experience than ever before. According to a research study we conducted with The Center for Generational Kinetics (CGK), 55% of current college students think colleges that don't offer digital IDs are stuck in the past.

Give your students what they CRAVE—a fast, secure, student ID card on their mobile devices with Transact's NFC-enabled Solution.

Now, with 1.84+ MILLION Mobile Credentials issued, will your school be next?

School Benefits


  • Full functionality—works just like a physical card
  • Eco-friendly solution—no plastic cards
  • Largest network of third-party partners
  • Remote issuance to provision, update, or revoke credentials in real-time
  • Free dedicated B2C marketing team to create a stress-free onboarding process—from approvals to design to templates

Student Benefits


  • Highly secure technology with NFC-enabled Mobile Credential for Apple Wallet, Samsung Wallet, and Google Wallet, as well as Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch
  • Faster, more secure campus-wide transactions with a direct contactless read between the mobile device and reader
  • Ultimate convenience with the option to provision remotely, providing a 24/7 virtual card office
  • Direct access to the National Suicide Prevention Hotline

Transact Door Access Control and Security

Maintaining a safe and secure campus is a significant priority and involves multiple locations, systems, and people working together.

Our focus is on technology solutions for higher education, so we understand the complexities of campus security.

Transact gives administrators better security by automating user setup, managing credentials, and controlling access levels based on student and residence hall data.

Unlock a safer, mobile-first campus with Transact Door Access Control and Security solution.

School Benefits


  • Flexible access settings with door organization and grouping
  • Configurable mobile monitoring, momentary unlock, and lockdown/override options
  • Integration with existing and critical campus security systems
  • Measure and predict student campus movements

Student Benefits


  • Safer dorms and buildings thanks to authenticated IDs
  • Use your smart device and Transact Mobile Credential to access any door—no need to carry an extra card
  • Quick, effortless access to buildings, residence halls, and amenities campus-wide
Door Access Control and Security
Luxer One Lockers

Luxer One® 

Students can have 24/7 access to contactless smart lockers across campus using their NFC-enabled Transact Mobile Credential for Samsung Wallet™, Apple Wallet™, and Google Wallet™ or contactless student ID cards.

Luxer One with Transact Campus ID's integration provides an on-campus solution, including hardware, software, installation, service, support, and pickup.

School Benefits


  • Labor reduction from reduced or removed mailroom staffing requirements
  • Retain more on-campus students with better housing experience
  • Secure, automate parcel delivery exchange from delivery to student
  • Configurable integration to Transact Campus ID system
  • Customizable unit options with custom paint, wraps, or campus branding

Student Benefits


  • Enhanced student experience with convenient, anytime parcel pickup
  • Tap-and-go access using Transact Mobile Credential or contactless student ID cards
  • Highly secure parcel exchange with optional 24/7 video surveillance
  • Self-service technology cuts student wait times while streamlining campus operations

Transact Online Photo Submission

Give your students 24/7 access to upload their student ID photo for their mobile and contactless card credentials within Transact eAccounts.

Integrated with your campus' existing Transact Mobile Credential or student ID card solution, your card office can save time and resources by connecting to one solution.

School Benefits


  • Ability to approve or deny photos with an area to add comments
  • Ability to add government-issued documents
  • Custom-built email templates to invite students to upload photos, approve or deny photo submissions, and more

Student Benefits


  • Ability to personally select or take the photo for their student ID card
  • Remote issuance⁠—a true contactless experience for students
Online Photo Submission
Meal Plans

Transact Meal Plans

Provide your students with meal options compatible with your current point-of-sale (POS) systems, from self-service to fine dining.

Students can easily make POS dining purchases with cashless payment options through campus ID cards or Transact Mobile Credential.

Transact Meal Plans solutions offer centralized, real-time reports, inventory tracking, and wireless and cellular networking options to streamline dining operations.

School Benefits


  • Multiple tenders supported, including credential-driven transactions
  • Scanners, scales, transaction terminals, and many other peripherals supported
  • Solutions for cashierless dining transactions
  • Customizable cashier and user access to enable certain staff to add and publish sales items conveniently
  • Meal plan utilization insights

Student Benefits


  • Quick, easy access to food and beverages, no cash required
  • Contactless dining (available with Transact Mobile Ordering and Transact Kiosk)
  • Integration with campus systems and off-campus merchants
  • Students can use their meal plan equivalency for quick-service dining

Transact Stored Value

Allow students to make cashless purchases with multiple account types and online access—while leveraging existing campus credentials, POS, and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems.

School Benefits


  • Increase campus spend with flexible meal options, and usage at retail, self-service, and vending
  • Compatible with existing POS and ERP systems
  • Flexible integrations with campus brands

Student Benefits


  • Self-service portal using online or mobile access
  • Threshold and activity alerts to email or mobile device
  • Ability to add or remove funds via credit card, debit card, ACH, or IFT
Activites and Events Image

Transact Activities and Events

Give students authorized access to events such as club meetings, athletics, performances, and more.

We've made checking in for events on and off-campus easier with our Transact Mobile Credential or contactless card. With Transact Activities and Events, you can also gain valuable insights into student behavior trends based on tracked data.

School Benefits


  • Easy, personalized verification
  • Scheduling engine available to help streamline event management
  • Access to student engagement insights

Student Benefits


  • Shorter lines and wait times
  • More secure activities and events
  • Simple, more efficient check-ins via authenticated IDs

Transact Print and Copy, Vending, and Laundry

Students can use Transact Stored Value or Transact Mobile Credential integration for cashless printing, copying, vending, and laundry purchases.

Compatible with third-party vendors, you can track, control, and report using our flexible campus credential system.

School Benefits


  • Compatible with third-party vendors
  • Ability to monitor, control, and report on usage
  • Fully integrated with Transact Mobile Credential

Student Benefits


  • Use stored value at compatible devices across campus
  • Enhance student convenience by extending cashless payment options
  • Immediate access, no cash required
  • Ability to print crucial class assignments on time without leaving campus
Print and Copy, Vending, and Laundry

Explore our Transact Campus ID blog content

From thought leadership content to client experience to innovative campus solutions, stay connected to the latest industry trends and developments with Transact Campus ID blogs.


In today’s digital age, innovative mobile credential solutions that offer convenience, security, and a wide range of functionalities are replacing traditional plastic student IDs. Since college students use their cards often, ID cards can be lost, stolen, damaged, or worn out.

For the past 30 years, physical student IDs were the only game in town—they worked and served their purpose; however, there’s an easier, more secure way to do things now. Technology stores data on a smartphone or watch, so plastic IDs are no longer necessary. We hope you’ll find this mini “how-to guide” to campus ID solutions useful. Keep reading to learn more about: 

  • Various options for student ID credentials 
  • NFC technology and the genesis of Transact Mobile Credential 
  • Benefits of contactless student IDs versus plastic IDs 
  • How Campus ID solutions are helping administrators and enhancing student campus life 
  • Helpful resources and case studies 

This information should prove helpful when you’re evaluating your school’s current student ID needs and challenges, so you can make the best decision going forward.

Exploring the different types of Campus ID solutions 

Historically, campus ID solutions included proximity cards, barcodes, RFID cards, and biometric technology. Schools chose the right type of technology for their unique needs and weighed the pros and cons of various factors: 

  • Ease of use 
  • Security 
  • Compliance 
  • Cost 
  • Technology support
  • Versatility 

Here’s a brief overview of how each type of technology works: 

Proximity Cards 

A proximity card is a contactless card that readers scan and read without inserting into a card reader. Proximity cards feature an embedded metallic antenna coil inside which holds the encoded data and use a low 125 kHz radio frequency to transmit to devices such as a door access reader.

When the card is placed on the reader, the card’s unique strand of numbers is passed to the access control panel, which verifies if the number matches an approved number in the internal database. If the card number is approved, the door will be unlocked. 

Barcodes 

To use a barcode on an ID card, you first scan the barcode with a barcode reader. The reader feeds the data into a computer system, which retrieves the information associated with that code. The barcode doesn’t contain a lot of information, it simply points to the data in the database software.

Scanning barcodes individually is very labor-intensive. Also, they don’t have a high level of security, as they can be more easily reproduced or forged. 

RFID Cards 

Radio Frequency ID (RFID) cards have radio frequency identification technology. RFID cards communicate with a payment terminal using a radio frequency instead of a magnetic strip. RFID technology allows you to simply tap or wave your credit card near a card reader. 

Biometric Technology

Biometric Technology enables the identification and authentication of a person based on recognizable, verifiable, unique, and specific data. When a card with biometric technology is used, the data stored is checked against the person's biometric data. Even though hackers can’t s predict or break biometrics like they can passwords, they still have the potential to breach them. Experts recommended using two-factor authentication for an added layer of security. 

Give students what they want: Simpler, more secure Mobile Credential 

We researched internal and client data and found that students wanted and expected mobile campus ID solutions. Our technology pioneers answered their call by developing Transact Mobile Credential, a secure, mobile-centric campus ID system. This intuitive, more intelligent student ID solution improves the campus experience for students and staff while prioritizing safety and efficiency. It fits with modern technology trends and provides a solid foundation for future developments in campus security and access management.

Today’s contactless student ID card—backed by NFC technology 

Mobile Credential is a digital student ID that can do everything a physical ID can do and more, thanks to NFC technology. NFC, short for near-field communication, allows devices like phones and smart watches to exchange small bits of data with other devices and read NFC-equipped cards over relatively short distances.

Mobile Credential uses secure NFC technology and is the only product on the market that integrates with Apple, Samsung, and Google Wallets. It also works with Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch. This technology enables secure transactions by directly reading the mobile device using a contactless method. 

It’s easy for students to use Mobile Credential

  • Students merely tap their device on a card reader to access resident halls, buildings, and events, pay for food, spirit wear, vending machine snacks, and more! 
  •  They can also check account balances and manage meal plans.  

Mobile Credential provides an all-in-one central location for completing and managing access control and stored value accounts. 

More like this:

Early adopters helped pave the way for Mobile Credential 

“At Transact, we’re very passionate about innovation and pioneering a new landscape. Bringing digital mobile credential into student ID is something that started over 15 years ago. We saw the vision for how NFC could be a game-changer for student ID, and started building that technology into our devices, finding the right partners to work with, and working with some of the biggest companies on the planet to integrate student ID into Wallet,” said Rasheed Behrooznia, Senior Vice-President and General Manager of Campus ID Solutions at Transact. Mobile Credential was launched in 2018 after it had been rigorously tested by three schools eager to give it a try: 

  1. Duke University 
  2. The University of Alabama 
  3. The University of Oklahoma 

“Transact has been such a valuable partner to provide such an incredible mobile solution. These are quicker transactions; they’re secure transactions; and they're convenient transactions,” said Jeanine Brooks, Action Card Office Director at University of Alabama. 

“These early adopters didn’t know how this would all play out and went on that journey with us,” Behrooznia said.

Learn more here about the first three schools that tested Mobile Credential, and how it was one of the best decisions they’ve ever made. 

More like this: Campus ID Case Studies 

Campus ID solutions are transforming higher education 

Campus ID solutions have transformed how college or university campuses operate and students do business. Let’s look at some of the exciting campus-wide features of Mobile Credential: 

Mobile Credential Features 

  • Access Control Systems: Effortlessly unlock doors and manage access to various campus facilities using Transact Mobile Credential. This includes dorms, classrooms, libraries, and other secure areas. 
  • Event Management: Streamline event access by integrating the Campus ID system with your event ticketing or registration platforms. This ensures a cohesive, unified experience for students attending campus events. 
  • Campus Commerce Integration: Enable students to use their IDs for cashless transactions across the campus, including dining facilities, bookstores, and other campus services. 
  • Emergency Hotline Capabilities: Mobile Credential now features emergency hotline capabilities, so your school can send updates like emergency notifications, to students’ mobile IDs with a quick system update.
  • Talkiatry: Gives students instant access to mental health services and support. 
  • Real-Time Data and Reporting: Campus ID solutions provide centralized, real-time data on ID usage, allowing efficient monitoring of campus activities. This includes tracking entry and exit times, transaction history, and event attendance. 

Campus ID Benefits  

In addition to these features, Campus ID solutions offer valuable benefits to administrators and students: 

  • Enhanced Campus Safety and Security: The system provides a robust authentication mechanism, reducing the likelihood of unauthorized access, theft, or ID duplication. 
  • Convenience and Efficiency: Students can perform various tasks using one single ID, streamlining their experience on campus, and reducing the need for multiple cards or credentials. 
  • Contactless Transactions: Minimize physical contact by utilizing contactless technology for authentication, reducing the risk of spreading germs or pathogens. 
  • Cashless Payment Options: By facilitating cashless campus payments, students can enjoy a more convenient and secure way to make campus-wide transactions. 
  • Remote Management: Administrators have the power to remotely control access to buildings, ensuring the safety of students and staff in emergency situations. 
  • Automated Processes: Campus ID solutions can help reduce administrative costs by automating many processes. 
  • Comprehensive Monitoring: Real-time data and reporting allow for better visibility into campus activities, enabling proactive responses to any security or operational issues. 
  • Adaptability and Futureproofing: The system is designed to accommodate emerging technologies and evolving campus needs, ensuring its relevance and effectiveness in the long-term. 
  • Improved Student Engagement and Satisfaction: Mobile Credential helps to improve student engagement and satisfaction, providing an easy way for students to access and manage their own information. 

Beyond ID: Mobile Credential connects students with mental health services 

According to a national survey, almost three-quarters of students reported moderate or severe psychological distress (National College Health Assessment, American College Health Association, 2021). Making mental health services more accessible is a top priority at Transact. We partnered with Talkiatry, one of the nation’s largest mental health practices offering in-network, virtual care. Access to Talkiatry's services will be incorporated into the Transact eAccounts app and be made available within the Transact Mobile Credential at participating campus. Once enabled, students can connect with: 

  • Talkiatry’s team of 300+ psychiatrists specialize in treating mental health issues like anxiety, depression, PTSD, trauma, and more.   
  • Convenient virtual visits that accommodate students’ schedules. 

In addition to connecting students to Talkiatry, Mobile Credential also provides instant access to free and confidential emotional support through the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Ready to explore a better student ID system? 

Our solution is so well-received and popular among school administrators and students, we recently surpassed one million Mobile Credential provisions. In fact, Transact Mobile Credential represents more than 80% of the market of mobile Student IDs on client campuses.

If you’re ready to explore the possibilities of Mobile Credential and learn how it can revolutionize your campus, reach out to a Transact representative to take the next step. 

Game Changing Results

$144M

Annual Contactless mobile wallet transactions

310M+

Mobile Credential Transactions since launch

1.84M+

Mobile Credentials issued

What schools are saying about Transact Campus ID

Case study for University of Findlay
Campus Commerce Campus ID

University of Findlay

The University of Findlay partners with Transact to create an engaging, mobile-centric campus experience. 

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Case study for Gallaudet University
Campus ID

Gallaudet University

As technology continues to shape students' decision-making process, GU is at the forefront, with solutions by Transact.

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Case study for Roanoke College
Campus ID

Roanoke College

Roanoke College introduced a mobile ID solution for convenience and accessibility, with 2,300+ credentials issued. 

Read More

Let's get the conversation started—connect with our experts for more information

Let's have a quick 30-minute conversation on how your schools can join Big 10 schools like Purdue University and Penn State using Transact Campus ID solutions. This gives students more ways to pay for things around campus and contactless campus-wide access on their mobile devices.

Woman using Transact Campus ID on vending machiene