KU CARD: Home of the KU ID Card and Bear Bucks!

One Card: Getting it

How you get your first card depends on how you first arrive on campus. If you attend a Connections session, then you'll have your picture taken and receive your card then. If you don't come for Connections, you'll need to stop by our office to have one made. You'll need to know your campus ID number and be registered for classes by the day before your visit.

Connections

Freshmen

Freshmen come for two-day orientation sessions in June. To speed things along, we take the pictures for the IDs on the first day of the session, then print the IDs in the afternoon for distribution to the students the next morning.

Transfers

Transfer students have a one-day orientation session, in January, April, May, June, July, August or November. Because they are here for only one day, we take pictures and print the IDs while the students are in the office, and the students can take their new IDs with them.

What if I miss Connections?

If you sign up for Connections and pay the $200 New Student Fee, then your first KU ID is paid for, even if you are unable to come to the session. Just stop by the One Card Office and tell us that you were supposed to come to Connections, but you didn't make it. We'll look you up so we know the fee was paid, and then make your ID for you.

Not Attending Connections

If you don't plan to attend Connections, just stop by our office when you're on campus to get your card. Check our home page for our hours.

What if I can't get to campus during business hours?

If there's just no way you can get to our office during business hours, drop us an email or give us a call. We may be able to accommodate you.

Paying for ID cards

All students who pay a New Student Fee have paid for their first ID cards. Graduate students who pay an application fee have also paid for their first ID cards. All other students are charged a separate $15 fee on their Bursar bill noted as "ID replacement", even for the first ID.

We do not take payment for any IDs, first or replacement, in our office or at Public Safety. The ID charge appears on your bill, payable in myKU or at the Bursar's Office.

Faculty/Staff

Faculty and Staff ID cards are issued free of charge. It may take some time for new hire information to reach our card system, so if possible, please stop by our office the day after completing HR's paperwork. We require a government-issued ID such as driver's license, state ID card, passport, green card, or military ID before we can take a photo and issue a card. It takes about a minute to produce the card once we have verified your identity.

If you lose your card, we must change the card number to protect your privileges. Some doors need to be manually updated when card numbers change, so please notify your area's Authorizing Official if you get a new card.

If your card no longer works, we can test it and re-encode the magnetic stripe if necessary. If the card will no longer take an encode, we must replace the card. If you trade in your non-functioning card, we will not change the card number. We cannot do this, however, unless you turn in your old card. No one is allowed to have more than one card with the same number. That's for your safety.

Non-KU Employees

Employees of companies with long-term contracts with KU, such as our dining contractor or building management company, receive KU photo IDs with the notation "Non-KU Employee". In addition to a government-issued ID, we require an employee from the department with which the contracting company works to vouch for the non-KU employee's status with the contracting company. It's easiest and best if a KU employee accompanies the new employee to the card office.

Please remember that we produce the card, but privileges must be assigned to it separately. Door privileges must be requested through your area's Authorizing Official.

Short-term Contractors, Visiting Scholars, and Other Temporary Cardholders

When a KU department contracts with an outside company, they often need the employees of the contractor to have access to doors on campus. In this case, we ask the authorizing department to fill out this form and submit it to us, ahead of time if possible. Contractors such as these are issued KU ID cards with the notation "Contractor", and their cards have expiration dates, though these dates are not printed on the cards. If no expiration date is given on the form, the default is to expire the card in one year.

The same procedure applies to Visiting Scholars and any other KU affiliates who are on campus for a defined period of time. As always, we require government-issued ID from anyone requesting a KU ID card.

Please remember that we produce the card, but privileges must be assigned to it separately. Door privileges must be requested through your area's Authorizing Official.