“Can you scan me in? Sorry, I lost my ID card.”
If TCU students had a penny every time they heard that phrase outside of the library, they might have nearly enough to cover tuition.
But the days of lost IDs locking students out of buildings have ended with TCU’s new virtual ID cards.
In the spring of 2026, TCU officially transitioned from physical student ID cards to virtual IDs.
During the Chancellor’s yearly “Coffee and Chat,” Former Chancellor Daniel Pullin discussed the success of the transition, describing it as seamless for both students and faculty. He said the change was necessary to ensure that TCU remained on the “leading edge.”
For first-year students, virtual IDs are all they have ever known.
A TCU student taps their phone against a scanner to access a campus building using their virtual ID (Photo courtesy of TCU’s ID Center).
“I think if they were not digital, I would definitely lose my key and forget to bring it around with me, but I always have my phone on me so it is super helpful,” MG Curtain, a first-year fashion merchandising student, said.
Curtain’s concern about losing her ID reflects a problem that many students faced before the transition. Pullin also addressed the issue, highlighting the security benefits of virtual IDs.
“Thinking about it from the security and safety perspective, if it’s a physical ID, anyone can have access to it if the ID is lost,” said Pullin.
He went on to say that a student would have to hand over their phone for a stranger to access their digital ID, joking that no student would willingly risk losing their phone.
A student uses the new tap ID card. Many buildings already have the new scanners making it difficult for majors to access their classrooms and materials after hours (Photo courtesy of Caleb Gottry).
However, not all students prefer virtual IDs.
Billy Lowther, a senior finance major, prefers physical IDs.
“Physical ID cards are superior because there was a sense of pride in holding something with my name on it. It made me proud to be a student at such a prestigious university,” said Lowther.
He went on to joke that scanning his virtual ID feels like he’s using Apple Pay just to get into a building.
TCU is not the only university moving away from physical ID cards.
According to UT News, the University of Texas at Austin plans to make the same switch for the 2027-28 academic year.
In a world where nearly everything is going digital, students no longer need to ask themselves where they last left their ID, only where they left their phone.