Samsung Wallet Now Supports University Student IDs — How Does It Work?

Students in the US can now use their Samsung Wallets as their school IDs.

Samsung recently announced it has launched student IDs on Samsung Wallet at around 70 colleges, universities, and higher education institutions nationwide.

The update is now available to the many students in the US to use as long as their Samsung device is capable of supporting such a feature.

Samsung Wallets As School IDs

Samsung Electronics America mentioned in its announcement it partnered with Transact Campus, a leader in "innovative payment and Mobile Credential solutions, to allow Samsung Wallet to act as a student ID.

According to the company, the feature is available at 68 higher education institutions like colleges and universities nationwide. These institutions include Penn State, the University of Florida, Central Michigan University, the University of North Alabama, and the Stevens Institute of Technology.

Thanks to the update, students in these higher education institutions can use their Samsung Wallet to unlock doors at places like dorm rooms and academic buildings. However, students could only use this feature based on school availability, facilities, and more.

They could even use their devices at the campuses of participating higher education institutions for NFC-based payments at on-campus stores, vending machines, and more.

The feature has two modes students can use - Fast Mode and Power Reserve. Fast Mode allows students to tap their phone without needing to unlock it or switch their screen on, while Power Reserve lets students tap their student IDs even when their phone has switched off due to low battery.

According to Samsung, the creation of these modes are only possible because student ID information stored on Samsung Wallet is kept in an isolated environment on the device itself - the embedded Secure Element. This isolated environment gives users one of the highest levels of hardware security in the mobile category with a CC EAL6+ rating.

Thanks to this rating, students can rest assured that their student ID and their credentials are protected against digital and physical hacking.

Jude Buckley, Samsung Electronics America's executive vice president of Mobile eXperience Business, said that the company is "always looking to innovate and improve the Galaxy experience for every user."

He added that due to the feature's addition, Samsung was able to create a way for students to use the technology they already have on hand to "simplify their lives."

Which Devices Are Eligible For Samsung Wallet Student ID?

Samsung's Student ID feature is available to students in higher institutions with devices that can support Samsung Wallet. While the company didn't specify what models can support such a feature, Endgadget mentioned that the following devices can support it:

1. Galaxy S20 phone or later
2. Note 20
3. any Galaxy Flip or Fold device
4. Galaxy A53 phones

The feature will be available to Galaxy Watches this fall. Meanwhile, Samsung said it is working to expand the feature's coverage to make it available for students in more institutions.