University of Georgia student ID cards have gone contactless. Starting this semester, the cards have an embedded chip that allows cardholders to scan their IDs.
Scanners were installed in several buildings on campus, including the freshman dorm, Hill Hall. Jade Adhola had to upgrade her old student ID to the new contactless version as a first-year resident advisor in that dorm.
“I could be holding, like, a bunch of stuff in my hands and I can just hit it and just go,” she said. “So, it’s much quicker and just actually navigating…it’s just so much better.”
That ease comes with a price increase. Student IDs used to cost $20 for a new or replacement card. Now, new cards will cost $30 and replacements will be $35.
UGA IDs with only the magnetic strip still work around campus for now, but certain buildings and services will require contactless cards sooner than others, according to UGA Student Affairs.
The new cards rolled out during Freshman Orientation in Summer 2018, but there’s still no definite timeline for the complete transition. In an email, Stan Jackson, Director of Student Affairs Communications and Marketing Initiatives, said it will take time to get everyone on board.
“At this point, UGA envisions a phased approach with student card conversion as new freshman classes arrive on campus, beginning with the Fall 2018 freshman class and continuing for four to five years until all students on campus have cards that are equipped with the new technologies,” he said.
Jackson said the transition won’t have an immediate impact on students.
