Obtaining or Replacing an ID Card

Hours of Operations

Spring 2022 Hours of Operation

Monday through Friday, 9am - 5pm

Summer 2022 Hours of Operation (May 27th through September 2nd)

Monday through Thursday, 9am - 5pm

Friday 9am - 1pm

Obtaining an ID card

Obtaining a University ID Card:

All first time issuances of a University ID Card requires the recipient to show a valid U.S. ID or passport.
Initial ID Cards are issued at no charge. Students must be enrolled in the current semester to pick up their ID card.
University ID Cards may be obtained by visiting the TC Office of Card Services located in:

Whittier Hall Suite 1B
1230 Amsterdam Avenue
New York, NY 10027

When entering the building, inform the Public Safety Officer on duty that you are here to pick up your ID.
IDs will be available according to the following schedule:

Semester	Available beginning on
Spring	December 1
Summer	April 1
Fall	July 1

Submit a Photo

Important: ID Photo submission deadline for Fall '21 semester is Thursday, August 26. Anyone submitting a photo after 5:00 pm Eastern will not have an ID ready for New Student Orientation.

Upload Your Photo

Incoming students, staff, faculty, and housing affiliates who have activated their UNI should upload their photo directly to the University ID processing site by clicking on the submit photo icon below. Failure to do so may cause extended wait times when picking up ID cards. The photo must be passport-style and meet the below specifications:

The photo should be a color, JPEG file
The background should be uniform and light-colored
You must be facing forward, with your head and shoulders clearly visible
No photos with sunglasses or hats will be accepted
The file cannot exceed 100k in size

Please note: The size of the photo you submit must be less than 100 kilobytes. All photo submissions are reviewed before being activated, so please note approval time may be necessary.

If you need to resize your photo before submitting, you may do so by using any of the following applications:

Desktop: Picasa, Photoshop, Microsoft Picture Manager (PC only), and iPhoto (Mac only).
Online: Web Resizer

You may also upload a photo to Facebook or a similar networking site, resize it, and then export it to your desktop.

Please note, this feature is available only to new students/faculty/staff/contractors at Columbia University or affiliated schools — Teachers College, Barnard College, and Union Theological Seminary.

If you are a new student and have activated your UNI, click on the below camera to upload your photo. When prompted for your UNI, the program is case sensitive, so please enter your UNI in lower case.

Click on the camera to upload your photo

*** To prevent possible identity fraud, whether first time issuance or replacement card, all cardholders are required to pick up their TC ID Card in person.

Request to Mail ID

Students, alumni, and employees may request their Teachers College ID card via mail if they cannot pick up their ID in person.

If you would like your ID card mailed to you please click on the link below to login to our portal, where you will see the necessary form and instructions.

Residential & Card Services Portal

Replacing an ID Card

There are a variety of reasons for which ID cards need to be replaced:

Lost Cards: Please call the Office of Card Services at 212-678-3098 as soon as you realize you lost your card so that we can deactivate the card. A replacement card can be issued for a $20 fee.

Stolen Cards: Please call the Office of Card Services at 212-678-3098 as soon as you realize your card was stolen so that we can deactivate the card. If you submit a copy of a police report indicating a theft, we will replace your Teachers College card at no charge. Otherwise, there is a $20 replacement fee.

Damaged Cards: Any card that has been bent, broken, hole-punched, sat on, or that shows any noticeable signs of neglect of damage will be replaced for a $20 fee. Cards that appear to otherwise be in good condition but are unable to be read by our readers will be replaced for free.

Card Expiration Date Past: Bring your existing ID Card to the Office of Card Services before the expiring date on the front of the card for a replacement, as you must return the old card in order to receive a replacement at no charge. Otherwise, there is a $20 replacement fee.

Roles on Back of Card Have Changed: If there has been a change, adds or deletes, in the list on the back of your ID Card, please bring your existing ID Card to the Office of Card Services so that we can verify the change(s) and issue a new card. You must return the old card in order to receive a replacement at no charge. Otherwise, there is a $20 replacement fee.

Name Change: If you have changed your name:
Students should contact the Office of the Registrar, 212-678-4050
Employees should contact the Office of Human Resources, 212-678-3175
Alumni should contact the Office of Alumni Relations, 212-678-3215
** New ID Cards can only be issued if the new name appears in BANNER and matches the government issued photo ID.

All others should bring their old ID showing your previous name and a copy of your marriage certificate, social security card, or other government identification which verifies your new name.

*** To prevent possible identity fraud, whether first time issuance or replacement card, all cardholders are required to pick up their TC ID Card in person.