What Do You Use Your Student ID (UID) For?

You’ve got your University Identification card (UID) at orientation, but exactly what is this card used for?

1. You use it to get into your dorm building, dorm elevator, and dorm stairwell. You also need to swipe your UID to go up on your dorm elevator.
• If you’re in the honors college, you can use your swipe to get into other dorm buildings with honors classrooms. For example, if you live in Prince Frederick and you are in the Honors program, you can use your swipe to swipe into the lobby of LaPlata to access the Honors classrooms in LaPlata. However, you can’t take the elevator up into the residential part of LaPlata.
2. You use it to get into the gym (hand it to the person at the reception area, and they’ll swipe it and let you in)
3. You use it to pay for food - your Terpbucks and dining points are loaded onto your student ID. Simply hand your ID over to the cashier, and they’ll swipe your card to charge you for the food.
4. You might bring it to exams – some professors require your student ID to be out on your desk during an exam
5. You present it to get onto certain UMD buses.
6. If you have Terrapin Express, that’s stored on your University ID as well. You can use Terrapin Express to pay for laundry, and there are machines in dorm laundry rooms where you can swipe your UID to pay for the washer/dryer.
7. You can use it when you’re out shopping – it’s good for student discounts! J. Crew offers student discounts, if you’re looking for a nice interview outfit!

Basically - you carry it with you all the time, wherever you go.