Policies
The University Card Management Committee hopes to make Card Office policy clear. Any changes to policy will be passed on to Card Representatives by email and added to this site. The date in brackets indicates the date the policy takes effect.
Click on the policy header for details:
- Collection of 'leavers' cards (2 March 2004)
- Professional names (9 January 2004)
- Expiry date policy (1 May 2002)
- Policy for deferred students or students who spend time abroad (1 May 2002)
- Charging policy for University cards for non-University College staff (1 August 2001)
- Charging policy for University cards for independent organisations (4 March 2002)
- Policy and procedure for obtaining University cards for non-confirmed graduates (1 April 002)
- Photo changing (19 July 2007)
- Replacement for lost or stolen cards (19 July 2007)
Collection of 'leavers' cards
The University Card Management Committee requests that Card Representatives collect the University cards of all students and staff leaving the University by incorporating card collection into leaving processes. Cards should be returned to the Card Office for disposal.
Professional names
Where a card holder has a professional name that is different from the name that appears on their Personnel or Student record, the Card Office is able to issue cards in a card holder's professional name only upon request and authorisation by a Card Representative. The professional name will continue to be used until a Card Representative advises the Card Office otherwise.
Card holders who would prefer that their professional name appears on their replacement card when their current card expires, should contact the Card Office.
Expiry date policy
| Undergraduate cards | expire 31st January of next but one year after end of course. |
| Graduate cards | expire 31st January of next but one year after end of course. |
| Staff cards | expire four weeks after contract end but never between 15th September and 15th November. Dates that would fall between these dates receive a two-month extension. |
| Indefinite study or contract periods. | expire six years after issue but never between 15th September and 15th November. Dates that would fall between these dates receive a two month extension. |
All cards will be capped at six years and two months.
Deferred Students
If a student has a University card and either defers or spends time abroad, their University card need not be returned to the Card Office. However, relevant building and service managers should be informed to temporarily block any access and service rights associated with the card if deemed appropriate.
When the student returns to College they should continue to use their existing card until it expires and then contact their Card Representative for a replacement. On their return to College the Card Representative should reinstate any blocked access or service rights.
Non-University Staff
Charges will be made from the 1st August 2001 to cover the costs of production of University Cards requested by the College for non-University College staff.
From the start of the University Card Project, it was agreed by the Bursar's Committee that Colleges would cover these costs but to date charges have not been applied.
The Card Office will now invoice Colleges each year for the costs of the cards referred to above, issued in the preceding year. Each card will be charged at £7.50 unless advised otherwise.
Cards for Card Representatives will be exempt from charges.
Independent Organisations
Current students and employees of the University are supplied with cards on the basis of their status as students or employees. Employees of a College who are not also students or employees of the University, are supplied with cards under separate arrangements with the Colleges.
"Independent organisations", that is, organisations whose staff are not University or College employees, can also apply for some or all of their staff to be provided with a University Card, on the basis that they have a close relationship with the University and that there is a need for Card use arising from this relationship. Examples include the Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre, Cambridge University Press, and the Local Examinations Syndicate.
Such applications will be decided upon by the University Card Management Committee. Cards supplied to this category of cardholder will be charged for, to cover production costs. The current charge is £7.50.
Payment is requested by invoice from the Card Office on an agreed basis (monthly or quarterly).
Procedure for Non-Confirmed Graduates
Current policy is that a card will be issued to a student by the Card Office when an offer is confirmed by the Board of Graduate Studies but from Michaelmas 2002, Colleges can also request University cards for those graduates who have not met all the criteria of their offer on arrival.
However, as the student has not officially been offered a place, the College bears the responsibility for retrieving the card or terminating access and services rights, should the offer not subsequently be confirmed.
To request a card for such a student, please email the full name, date of birth of the student, details of the length of their study period and their USN if known. This will enable the Card Office to match your request with the skeletal data for applicants held by the Card Office.
Photo changing
A card representative can change a photo on the database as long as they inform the card office first.
If a card is required before the expiry date, the normal card issuing fee will apply. Otherwise when normal card expiry occurs, new cards using new photos will be issued free of charge.
Replacement for lost or stolen cards
Please contact your card representative for any replacement cards.