Issuing a student ID card

Overview

Institutions issue a digital student ID credential to enrolled students, stored securely in a wallet and usable across campus services and partner ecosystems.

The student ID becomes a reusable proof of current student status rather than a physical card or a set of disconnected account records.

Why it matters

Student identity is used across many interactions: portal access, facility entry, exam attendance, library services, student concessions, and partner discounts. A verifiable student ID reduces friction while keeping verification consistent and privacy-preserving.

Verifiable Credentials create a cleaner model:

• the institution issues a trusted student credential from the student management system
• the student presents proof of enrollment or identity from a wallet
• campus and partner services verify current status at the point of use
• credentials can refresh or expire when student status changes

Ecosystem roles

• Issuer: The institution or student management system issuing the student ID credential.
• Holder: The student storing the credential in a wallet.
• Verifier: Campus services, libraries, facilities, exam systems, and partner organizations.
• Trust governance: The rules that define accepted student attributes, status checks, credential refresh, and partner use.

Trust decision

The verifier decision is narrow: is this person a current student with the attribute or entitlement needed for this interaction?

That decision may depend on active enrollment, student identifier, cohort, campus, concession eligibility, photo binding, expiry, or status.

Privacy and assurance

The verifier should request only the attributes needed for the service. A concession check may need proof of current student status; an exam attendance check may need stronger identity binding.

Assurance depends on issuer trust, credential status, expiry, photo or identity binding where required, and policy fit.

Implementation notes

• Treat the student management system as the source of truth for issuance and lifecycle.
• Refresh or revoke credentials when a student becomes inactive, suspended, graduated, or transferred.
• Define different disclosure profiles for campus services, external partners, and high-assurance events.
• Provide fallback handling for students without supported devices or wallets.

Objective

Issue a student ID card to a registered student.

Description

The student ID credential contains verified student identification and status information that can be presented from a wallet.

Actors

Student; education institution; campus services; partner organizations.

Dependencies

Student registration, active status, approved photo or identity binding, credential schema, wallet support, and status endpoint.

Preconditions

The student has required details recorded in the student management system and is eligible for a digital ID.

Postconditions

The student has a digital ID credential stored on their device and can present it to approved verifiers.

flowchart LR
    UNI@{icon: "tabler:building-bank", label: "Institution", pos: "b"} -->|Issues student ID VC| WAL@{icon: "tabler:wallet", label: "Wallet", pos: "b"}
    WAL -->|Presents credential| VER@{icon: "tabler:id-badge", label: "Campus verifier", pos: "b"}
    VER -->|Verify issuer, status| REG@{icon: "tabler:book", label: "Student registry", pos: "b"}

sequenceDiagram
    participant Institution
    participant Wallet
    participant Student
    participant Verifier as Campus verifier
    participant Registry as Student registry

    Institution-->>Wallet: Issue student ID VC
    Student->>Wallet: Stores credential
    Student->>Verifier: Present student ID VC
    Verifier->>Registry: Check issuer and status
    Registry-->>Verifier: Valid
    Verifier-->>Student: Access granted