Students attending Purdue University in West Lafayette in the US state of Indiana can now access campus buildings and authorise on-campus payments using a digital student identity card stored on their Apple or Android NFC smartphone or smartwatch rather than a physical ID card.

The university has begun issuing the Purdue Mobile ID remotely to current students, enabling them to add it to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet and use it to access academic buildings, residence halls, dining courts and other campus facilities as well as pay for meals and laundry services with a tap of their NFC device.

The launch forms part of its plans to stop issuing physical ID cards to incoming undergraduate students “beginning this summer” and to “eliminate the need for hard-copy ID cards for Purdue’s 50,000 students on the West Lafayette campus over the next few years”, the university says.

“The move from physical cards to Purdue Mobile ID on iPhone, Apple Watch or Android devices allows for transactions that are safe, convenient and secure, and helps students avoid handing their ID cards to someone else,” the university adds.

“Purdue can also issue school IDs remotely without the need for students to request a mobile Purdue ID in person, eliminating the need to print and mail physical cards and creating a safer, more cost-effective and more environmentally friendly process.”

Next: Visit the NFCW Expo to find new suppliers and solutions