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Student ID cards

How, when, and where to get your student ID card, how long it will be valid for, what you can use it for, and what to do if you need a replacement card.

Your student ID card is very useful for your studies and life as a student. You’ll need it to enter buildings and computer labs after hours, access support and services, use printers, and borrow library books—and get student discounts on transport, movies, and restaurants.

When you enrol, your card will be issued for the duration of your programme of study and will stay valid while you stay enrolled (and pay your fees).

• Eligibility for a student ID card
• Collecting your card
• Choosing your name and photo
• Using your card
• Renewing your card
• Replacing your card

Eligibility for a student ID card

Before you can get your student ID card, you need to:

• be fully enrolled
• have supplied a photo

and have either:

• paid all your fees, or
• been confirmed for fees-free study, or
• had your Student Loan confirmed by StudyLink.

Collect your ID card

We will email you to let you know when your ID card is ready to be collected from our office.

If you are studying by distance in New Zealand, you can email student-cards@vuw.ac.nz to ask us to post your ID card to your home address.

If you are studying by distance outside New Zealand, you won’t receive a student ID card. If you later move to New Zealand and continue your studies, you will become eligible for a student ID card. At that point you can contact the Admissions and Enrolment Office to arrange for a card to be issued to you.

Choosing your name and photo

We will use the preferred first name you provided in your admission application for your card.

Photo submission

There are two ways to supply a photo for your student ID. You can:

• Submit a photo in the online enrolment system when you enrol for your courses.
• Email a photo (in JPG or JPEG format) to student-cards@vuw.ac.nz. You need to include your full name, preferred first name, date of birth, and student ID number in the email message.

Requirements

We have strict requirements for photos to be used on student ID cards. The photo you supply must:

• be a .jpg or .jpeg file format
• include your whole face and head
• show you facing forward and not have been taken from an angle
• be in full colour
• show you clearly.

The photo you supply must not:

• be of you wearing a hat or sunglasses
• show any logos or icons
• include other people
• be in black and white
• be a copy of the photo on your passport or driver license.

You may find the photo instructions on the New Zealand passport website useful. You are, however, allowed to smile in the photo on your student ID card.

Using your card

You need to have a current student ID card to:

• access student services and support
• visit your Student Success team to add or drop courses, or request documentation such as academic transcripts
• access computer labs after-hours
• access some halls of residence
• use printers and photocopiers on campus
• borrow library books
• collect assignments
• enter examinations
• attend lectures and tutorials where the class has been divided into groups (streams)
• receive discounts for Metlink-run public transport and the cable car, and at some movie theatres and restaurants.

Card activation and inactivation

Your student ID card will start working as an access card for University facilities 10 days before the start date of your course. As described above in the Eligibility section, you must be fully enrolled and have paid your fees.

Your student ID card will stop working as an access card 10 days after the end date of your course.

We may revoke your access to University facilities by disabling your student ID card if either of these applies:

• You have a ‘fees hold' on your account, for example, if you haven’t paid overdue tuition fees or other charges, or if you are on a payment plan and are paying your fees in increments.
• You are not currently enrolled in any courses.

Validity period

Your student ID card will be issued for a period of time appropriate to your programme of study.

• Bachelor’s degree: your card will be valid for three years
• Conjoint (double) degree: your card will be valid for four years
• Master's degree: your card will be valid for two years
• Certificate, diploma, or Honours degree: your card will be valid for one year
• PhD or other doctoral degree: your card will be valid for four years.

Thesis students

If you are a thesis student and you have formally suspended your studies, your student ID card will no longer be valid.

If you have recently submitted your thesis or finished your programme of study, you will be given a grace period in which you can use your student ID card to access University facilities.

Renew your ID card

If you are a current student and your card has expired, you can request a new card by sending us an email with your details. You will need to be enrolled and have paid your fees as described above.

Replacement ID cards

Your first student ID card is free. We will charge you a $21 fee for replacing a lost or damaged card, unless one of the circumstances listed below applies. The card replacement fee is non-refundable.

There are two options for the photo for your replacement card. You can choose to use the photo that was on your lost or damaged ID card (current photo option), or to upload a new photo.

Request and pay online

You can request and pay for a replacement student ID card online through the ‘Other payments’ tool in our Pūaha student portal. We will email you when your new card is ready to collect.

Replacement without charge

We won’t charge you a replacement fee under the following circumstances:

• Your student ID card has expired and you are still enrolled.
• Your student ID card is faulty—you will need to bring it in to the Admissions and Enrolments Office to be tested.
• Your ID card has been stolen and you can provide a police report.
• You have had a gap in your studies of two or more years.
• You have changed qualification (and have not already had a card issued for the new qualification).
• Your official name change has been processed and you need a card with your new name.

Talk to the Student Cards team instead of requesting a replacement card through Pūaha—either email student-cards@vuw.ac.nz or visit the Enrolments counter in the Hunter building.

All other requests for exceptions to the fee need to be approved by the Admissions and Enrolments manager.