Optional Physical Student Card at UU

Since March 2026, we have been lobbying Utrecht University to re-introduce an optional, physical student card so that students can prove their status at university facilities—such as the Drift Library and the Botanical Gardens—without being forced to carry a smartphone.

We believe that the University’s digital student card policy is a de facto smartphone ownership mandate. This is inappropriate for an institution of higher learning as smartphones are distracting and depressing. Furthermore, making non-smartphone users print out a certificate of their enrolment to accomplish what is normally done with a student ID represents an accessibility barrier (see example)

We are documenting our efforts here for all interested observers. If you would like to get involved with anything on the “Next steps” list, feel free to e-mail Victor at v.j.b.elgersma@students.uu.nl

Contents

• Next Steps
• Timeline

Next steps

A summary of the work that is still to be done

• promote survey
• present survey results
• Publish an explanation for putting 2FA codes on your laptop (using G2FA)
• write up position: “Why a print out of your enrolment certificate is not a genuine alternative to a digital student card”
• do some research into whether the decision to switch to digital student cards would qualify as “greenwashing”
• write manifesto / whitepaper / suggested questions for the U-raad, based on the survey results.

On ice 🧊

These are steps which are on hold for the moment, either because they are judged to not be very effective or because we lack the time.

• File a formal complaint here

Timeline

June

• Sent e-mail to Drift reminding them that enrolment certificate is a valid means of ID.
• DUB publishes piece on whether it is possible to study at the UU without a smartphone, basically agreeing with our assessment.
• Victor denied access to the botanical gardens because he did not carry a smartphone. Validity of enrolment certificate questioned. Wrote another email about this to student services Read email. Eventually he was let in, provisionally, while the employee would check with their manager if this is an appropriate way of entering the Botanical Gardens.
• Victor pointed out to student services that the enrolment certificate is unprintable due to a permissions issue on the PDF. As far as we are aware this is still an issue. Read email
• Victor approached the parties Vuur and PVDUS encouraging them to look into this issue. We seem to have some traction with Vuur.

May

• Put up a poster for the student survey
• Student survey created
• Reached out to the U-raad (again) Read email (NL)

April

• Reached out to U-raad. Read email (EN)
• Victor asks Student Services for an “enrolment certificate in business card format” so that he can more easily enter the library at Drift; Advised to print and laminate the enrolment certificate.
• Initial e-mail to student services, regarding accessibility concerns of the enrolment certificate print-out.