Vanderbilt University is now enabling students, faculty and staff to add their Commodore Card, the Vanderbilt student ID, to Apple Wallet for use via their iPhone and Apple Watch. The mobile credential initiative will enable the Vanderbilt campus community to access buildings on campus, purchase meals and more.
Vanderbilt, a CBORD campus client, is leveraging CBORD’s GET app to add student credentials to Apple Wallet, as well as reader hardware from HID Global to support the full range of transactions across the Nashville campus.
“This initiative has been of interest to both the student body and university administrators, as it supports both accessibility and convenience for our campus community,” says Eric Kopstain, Vice Chancellor for Administration. “We are also excited about this new option because it provides an added health and safety benefit for students. The contactless payment option will allow students to not touch surfaces or other individuals, thus helping to prevent exposure to COVID-19 and other viruses when making purchases.”
The mobile Commodore Card can be used at almost any location where the plastic student ID card was previously swiped. Using their iPhone or Apple Watch, students can now access residence halls and campus libraries, buy food at campus dining locations, and make purchases at the university Barnes & Noble, campus post office, student health center and the campus event ticketing office without needing their physical Commodore Card. The mobile credential is also an option for students to purchase food at the nearly 40 dining locations participating in the “Taste of Nashville,” Vanderbilt’s off-campus program.
The Commodore Card in Apple Wallet can also be used for:
- Residence halls and campus door access
- Campus dining locations
- Food trucks
- Taste of Nashville partner merchants
- vuPrint stations
- Student rec center
- Libraries
- Parking
The addition of a mobile credential option at Vanderbilt also provides an added level of security. Accepted nearly everywhere the plastic Commodore Card is used, students no longer have to worry about misplacing their physical card. Additionally, student credentials are protected by two-factor authentication through the app.
As with other mobile credential deployments, the Commodore Card in Apple Student ID works with iPhone 6 models and later and Apple Watch Series 1 and later. To ensure a consistent experience for all Vanderbilt students, the university is working toward a launch of a mobile ID offering for Android devices in the future.
