How to Obtain Your Student OneCard ID

  • 1

    All Photo Submissions Will Start With an Email From OneCard

    Orientation students – You will receive an email within 3 business days or sooner after registering for your orientation date.

    New students not required to attend an orientation (e.g., graduate students) – You will receive an email within five (5) business days after your enrollment date.

    If you have not received an email by the expected time period, please email onecard@niu.edu.

    All other students – requesting new, lost or damaged OneCard,  will need to stop by the Onecard office to get a replacement during normal business hours.

  • 2

    Guidelines for Uploading a Successful Photo

    Provide a clear, recent color photo of only yourself (within 6 months)

    Select a plain, light-colored background (no objects in view)

    Face the camera straight-on and centered

    Avoid photos of a photo (e.g., passport, license)

    Capture from top of your head to your waist (include space around head and body)

    male

    Submitted photo

    male onecard id

    Final OneCard ID

    female

    Submitted photo

    female onecard id

    Final OneCard ID


    Below are examples of denied photos:

    No Sunglasses and no background

    - Background
    - Sunglasses

    no Headwear and too close

    - Headwear
    - Too Close

    Side/Profile

    - Side/Profile

    Group

    - Group
    - Partial Head

    no Hands/Gestures and no facial expressions

    - Hands/Gestures
    - Face Expressions

    no Grainy/Blurry images

    - Grainy/Blurry

    no Copyright/Watermark and no text

    - Copyright
    - Text
    - Watermark

    no Black and White

    - Black & White
    - Edited/Filters

  • 3

    Wait for Your Photo Approval or Denial Status

    • You will be given status of your request via your NIU student Z-ID email within 2-3 business days on whether your photo was approved or denied.
    • Approved photo – See step 4.
    • Denied photo – Please resubmit a new photo following the guidelines in step 2 listed above.
  • 4

    Receive Your OneCard ID

    Your ID will be available for pick up in two (2) business days at the OneCard Office located in Founders Library, room 104 during business hours.

    For more information, see our OneCard brochure.

Contact Us

OneCard ID Services
Founders Memorial Library
Room 104
DeKalb, IL 60115

Phone: 815-753-9569
Email: onecard@niu.edu

Business Hours

OneCard Uses

The OneCard ID is the official identification card of Northern Illinois University. It is your key to accessing all functions on campus:

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