Campus Cards
- Your Student Campus ID
- Replace Your ID Card
- Submit ID Photo Online
- Student Card Discounts
- FAQ
How to get your first ID Card
NOTICE: All students receive their first UCSD ID Card for FREE. However, students must pay $25 for replacement ID cards. The Campus Cards Office will assess this charge to your student account after you fill out an ID Card Request Form.
RULES & REGULATIONS
All students enrolled/registered for the current school quarter or session are entitled to a single, official UCSD Student ID card from the University. Students who are not enrolled/registered are ineligible for a student ID card.
SUBMIT PHOTO ONLINE
Incoming students must submit their ID photo via the online Photo Tool, as students will be unable to take photos at our office. Submitting your photo is critical, as professors and other campus staff use these photos for identification, exams, and additional academic purposes.
LIVED NAME
Your campus ID card will be printed with your legal name, unless you update your lived name on TritonLink via the Social Identities Tool.
For new incoming Fall 2025 students: if you prefer to have your lived name printed on your campus ID card, please update it via the Social Identities Tool by July 1.
ONE CARD AT A TIME
Students are only allowed to have one UCSD ID card at any time to prevent fraudulent activity.
SECONDARY FORM OF IDENTIFICATION
You may be asked to show a second form of physical identification (driver's license or Passport) when visiting our office.
ABOUT YOUR UCSD ID CARD
Your UCSD ID Card is a contactless smartcard equipped with an integrated circuit chip and coil antenna. This technology allows for secure, fast, and convenient transactions with just a tap of the card.
Because of the sensitive internal components, it’s important to follow proper handling and care guidelines to maintain full card functionality.
CARD CARE GUIDELINES
To avoid damaging your card and ensure optimal performance, please follow the tips below:
❌ Do NOT:
- Bend, bite, or twist the card
- Carry the card unprotected in a pocket or backpack
- Wash in a laundry machine
- Expose to extreme heat (e.g., dryers, irons, direct sunlight, open flame)
- Place inside a metal phone case or near metal objects
- Punch holes in the card (no lanyard holes!)
- Do not punch holes in the card. Only our office is authorized to do this if necessary.
✅ Do:
- Store the card in a plastic or rubberized protector, such as a wallet, card sleeve, or non-metal phone case
- If necessary, clean gently with a soft, non-scratching cloth and a small amount of water as needed
HOW TO GET YOUR FIRST ID CARD
Freshman | New Transfer Student
Students must submit their ID photo via the online Photo Tool.
Undergraduate Students Living on Campus
Your first ID card will be distributed to you during move-in.
Undergraduate Students Living Off Campus
Our office will email you detailed instructions about the ID card distribution event, where you can sign up to pick up your card during the first two weeks of the Fall quarter (Week 0 and Week 1). After the distribution event, you may request your first ID card by completing the ID Card Request Form. Once your request is processed, you will receive an email notifying you that your ID card is ready for pick-up during business hours.
Graduate Students
Students must submit their ID photo via the online Photo Tool.
Our office partners with many graduate departments to coordinate ID card distribution for graduate students.
Graduate students - please first contact your graduate coordinator (or review any communication that they send) to determine if they will be distributing ID cards. If they are not, you will need to wait until the start of the Fall quarter to pick up your ID card during our distribution event. Our office will send an email with details about this event.
If you miss the distribution event, then you can submit an ID Card Request Form to request your first student ID card. Once your request is processed, you will receive an email notification when your ID card is ready for pick-up during business hours.
Note: Visiting graduate students may qualify for an Affiliate ID Card.
School of Medicine | Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
School of Medicine and Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences students receive an official student One Card from our office. Please follow these important steps below.
- Attend your orientation events as scheduled to take your professional/white lab coat photos
- These photos will be sent to the Campus Cards Office for processing
- The Campus Cards Office will generate and print ID cards for all students, and then distribute them directly to your program's coordinator within two business days of receiving the photos
- Your program coordinator will then arrange to distribute the ID cards to each student
- Please do not visit our office, nor request your ID card from our office, as we will not be able to issue you an ID card. If you need your ID card prior to orientation, please ask your coordinator to make separate arrangements with our office.
Summer Session
Students must submit their ID photo via the online Photo Tool.
Students who are only attending summer session at UCSD should first find out from their program coordinator how they will receive their ID cards (i.e. from the Campus Cards Office or from their coordinator).
If their program will not be distributing ID cards, you can request your ID card by filling out an ID Card Request Form.
Cross-Registered Students
Before going to the Campus Cards Office (map), cross-registered students will need to request their student PID from the Registrar's Office, which is located on the 2nd floor of the same building as the Campus Cards Office (Student Services Center), as you will need your student PID before you can get your student ID card.
Once you have your student PID, you can request an ID card by filling out an ID Card Request Form. Please note that you will need to submit your photo via our online photo tool.
Division of Extended Studies Students
The Campus Cards Office now prints ID cards for UCSD Division of Extended Studies students! However, Extended Studies students will not receive their ID card directly from the Campus Cards Office. As a result, please do not visit our office to request an ID card.
Instead, Extended Studies students will receive their ID card from a program coordinator or other staff person. For more questions about how/when you will receive your first Extended Studies student ID card, or if you need to replace an ID card, please contact Extended Studies directly, or visit their webpage for more information.
Questions?
Feel free to submit a case with our office by clicking below, if you have additional questions.