Mobile credentials are the future of access control on campus – on that, most universities agree. But Andrew White, CEO of ITC Systems says the number of schools in North America implementing mobile credentials remains low compared to the interest level.

He believes a major reason for this is the time and cost required to meet Apple’s strict requirements to add mobile credentials to Apple Wallet.

“What is considered to be the future doesn’t necessarily align with the current state of technology on campus,” says White.

For two years, he has worked with Wake Forest University to implement an in-app mobile credential through his company’s AVRO Mobile platform.

Evaluating in-app vs. Wallet-based mobile credentials at Wake Forest

Wake Forest had a few concerns when planning the move from physical cards to a new, fully mobile credential system.

“First and foremost, we looked at price,” says James Byrd, Senior Director, Deacon OneCard & Security Technology at Wake Forest. “It’s not only the purchase of the software, but everything that credential is working through – from additional readers to digital credential fees.”

Going with the in-app credential eliminated the need to have the entire campus accept the Apple Wallet credential on day one. It allowed the team to bridge the hardware and software gaps at their own pace.

The second and more complex concern was the flexibility of the software itself. “Some of them were proprietary, meaning we would have to use their readers and their credentials,” explains Byrd. “This was something we hoped to avoid.”

Previously, the university had built out a ten-year renewal schedule for their campus access systems. This included three to four years dedicated to renewing every card reader on campus.

“That’s when we said, if we’re going to replace every reader anyway, let’s future proof it for mobile,” he says.

But after moving forward with new access control reader technology, the backend software integration stalled.

Moving straight into mobile wallet would mean making the entire campus Apple Wallet compliant. “Wherever a card tap is accepted – be it a door reader, a vending machine, or a point-of-sale device – the wallet needs to work,” explains ITC’s White.

Because the university was not ready to make this leap, it would either have to put off mobile ID or move away from Apple Wallet.

Pivoting to in-app as a stepping stone

Faced with the cost and complexity of replacing readers in all these other use cases, Byrd says the project stalled for 18 months. During this time, they explored options that did not include Apple Wallet. They looked at multiple options before deciding on an in-app solution from ITC.

Going with the in-app credential rather Apple Wallet eliminated the need to have the entire campus able to accept the Wallet credential on day one. It would allow Byrd’s team to bridge the hardware and software gaps at their own pace.

“When the university decides they want to move from in-app to full wallet functionality, we’ve already identified the infrastructure we need to bring up to speed,” explains Byrd.

It all sounds very easy, like it’s ‘hit the button and go to wallet,’ but there are lots of moving pieces.

He stresses that a significant amount of time is required to connect multiple systems, including food services, biometrics, athletics facility access, HR, facility key boxes, locker systems, copy services, mail services, and event management.

“You can try to throw more money at it or hire more people,” he adds, “but it’s not going to take away the time needed.”

White echoes Byrd’s concerns.

“It all sounds very easy, like it’s ‘hit the button and go to wallet,’ but there are lots of moving pieces,” he explains. From his perspective, taking the steps to move in-app relieves the time pressure.

The AVRO in-app solution uses Bluetooth to transmit the credential information from iPhones. Because Android does not have the same requirements as Apple, these phones can use Bluetooth or NFC. Wake Forest will use both options, depending on the Android phone model.

Byrd expects the transition to be seamless moving from AVRO’s in-app credential to their mobile wallet, though he hesitates to put an official timeline on it.

Intercollegiate pressure and the role of students

“The student government has been asking us for about five years now when we are going mobile,” Byrd says.

The fierce competition between the so-called “Tobacco Road” schools in North Carolina plays a role in the pressures faced by some university administrators. When Duke went mobile in 2018, students at Wake Forest became even more interested in mobile credentials. He says students understand it takes time, but when their buddies at other schools already have it, it’s hard to have a good answer for them.

The official pilot program is underway with a limited pool of students and staff utilizing the in-app credential. The number is expanding to around 500 people over the next few months with an anticipated full rollout in January 2027. Byrd says there has been a learning curve, but the feedback has been largely positive.