PrIDe Card – Student ID

Your PrIDe Card: Now on Your Phone

Your PrIDe Card, sometimes referred to as your student ID or photo ID, proclaims you a member of the Purdue University Northwest Community. It provides you access to a variety of services on and off campus.

PrIDe Card is a mobile-first student ID, which means you will receive your ID electronically, unless need for a physical ID is shown.

PNW students play foosball

Your PrIDe Card will be stored in the MyPNWLife app. MyPNWLife is the best place for students to connect with student organizations and campus events! If you haven’t already downloaded the app, download it from the Google Play or App Store.

Once you are logged in to the MyPNWLife app on your phone, you will select “More” on the navigation tabs at the bottom of the screen. In the “Connect” section, you will select the PrIDe Card option. You can utilize the QR code or barcode depending on where you are using your ID. You will not see this option until you have submitted your photo and it has been approved.

Your PrIDe Card can be used around campus to allow access to the following services and areas:

Every person who receives a PrIDe Card must be aware of some basic regulations. These include:

  • ID Cards are the property of the university. Any misuse, defacement, modification, alteration, tampering or deliberate damage to an ID Card and any falsification, forgery, fraudulent or illegal use of an ID Card may be subject to appropriate disciplinary action. The university will refer suspected violations of law to appropriate law enforcement authorities.
  • A cardholder may only possess one official Purdue ID card at a time.
  • ID Cards are non transferable. Only the individual to whom the card is issued is eligible to use the ID Card for authorized purposes. Cardholders may be subject to a fee for the replacement of a lost or stolen card.
  • Cardholders may have accounts tied to their ID Card for the purchase of goods and services at university locations. Cardholders are subject to all terms and conditions of those accounts.
  • No department, office, employee, student or associate of the university may hold another individual’s ID Card as collateral or security.
  • The university assumes no responsibility for the misuse of an ID Card.
  • The card is subject to confiscation if found in possession of another person.
  • If physical ID is found, please return the card to The Point in Student Union and Library Building, Room 101, or Dworkin Student Activities Room 1014

The following students are eligible for an PrIDe Card:

To obtain a physical PrIDe Card, complete a request using this link.

If your physical PrIDe Card has been lost, stolen, or damaged, The Point can replace it.

  • Visit this link to purchase a new physical PrIDe Card using a credit or debit card, or visit the Bursar station in the Enrollment Service Center to pay with cash.
  • Visit The Point in SUL 101 or DSAC 1114 to get your new PrIDe Card.
  • Provide a government-issued photo ID such as a driver’s license, state-issued ID, military ID or passport at pick up.

How Do I Submit My Photo?

Ready to get started? Upload your headshot for approval. Your photo should be professional in nature and be a standard front-facing head shot. You may smile, but do not make any other faces. Do not include photo filters or overlays.

Correct and incorrect ways to upload photos.

Full Photo Requirements

  • A current, color photo with a neutral-colored, smooth background and proper lighting
  • A forward-facing, centered, full-face image with eyes open and visible
  • Cropped from just above the head to the middle of the chest
  • You must be the only person in the photo
  • No sunglasses or dark eyewear
  • Headphones or wireless hands-free devices may not be worn
  • No hats or head covering unless worn for religious purposes* or medical purposes**

* If a religion requiring headgear is not widely recognized, please submit a signed statement from a local religious leader (on appropriate letterhead) that verifies that the hat or head covering in the photo is part of traditional attire that is customarily or required to be worn continuously in public.

** If a hat or head covering is for medical purposes, please work with PNW’s Accessibility Center to submit a signed doctor’s statement verifying the hat or head covering in your photo is used daily for medical purposes.

Submit Your Photo

Need help or have questions? Email us at pnwid@pnw.edu.

Online photo submissions are denied most often for the following reasons:

  • Photo quality is too low or filed in the wrong format
  • Eyes are closed or face is obscured by hat, sunglasses, etc.
  • Background is not a smooth, neutral color
  • Photo is too dark or bright
  • Proximity—photo was not taken between the chest and top of the head
  • Cropped in too far, cutting off part of the head
  • A filter or digital effect was applied (i.e. black and white photo)
  • Other objects are in the photo
  • Photo is not forward facing

PNW students huddle during intramural sports

PrIDe Card FAQs

Eligibility

Students at Purdue University Northwest that are currently enrolled in undergraduate, graduate, English Language Program, concurrent enrollment and online nursing programs as well as students attending an admissions-sanctioned New Student Orientation program and expected to begin classes at the university the following term.

No, the first steps to getting your mobile are uploading a photo and downloading the myPNWlife app.

Yes, please complete an Appeal Request Form to get a physical card.

Contact The Point at 219-989-4160 or thepoint@pnw.edu to set up a time to get a physical PrIDe Card.

“Mobile First’ is a strategy used by many universities. And at Purdue University Northwest, all incoming new students beginning in Fall 2023 will be issued a mobile PrIDe Card, which will become their primary identification on campus. Physical ID cards, meantime, will be provided as an alternative to undergraduate students who do not have a smartphone device or if theirs is not compatible with the new mobile credentials system.

Using Your PrIDe Card

No. Voting precincts in Indiana currently will only accept physical IDs for voting. The Point will offer a photo ID to meet the state requirements. There is a $3 fee for this physical ID, and you can come to The Point during business hours or contact thepoint@pnw.edu to schedule a time to pick up your ID outside of regular office hours.

The PrIDe Card can be accessed through the MyPNWLife app in the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.

Starting in the fall of 2023, students will no longer receive a physical student ID card by default.

Yes, your physical PrIDe Card will continue to function after you have added your mobile PrIDe Card to your myPNWlife account.