FAQ for Students
What is the KIT-Card?
The KIT card is a multifunctional chip card and is used to identify members of the KIT. For students, the KIT card serves as a student ID in accordance with Section 12, Paragraph 3 of the Matriculation and Admission Regulations.
What can I do with my KIT-Card?
There are many possible uses for the KIT card, see below.
Public transportation
You can use your KIT card free of charge on the entire KVV network every day from 6:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., provided you also have a printed KVV certificate with you. You can download this certificate at the campus-Site.
At KVV it is also possible to purchase a semester ticket for students, named Studikarte. This is a price-reduced ticket for one term (6 months validity starting with the date of issue) which you must use together with your KIT card and the KVV certificate mentioned above.
Cashless payment
You can use the KIT-Card for cashless payments at the canteens and cafeterias of KIT (Campus North and Campus South) and many other canteens operated by the Studierendenwerk Karlsruhe. You can top up the credit at one of the many terminals in the canteens' entrance halls.
For automatic top-up, you can register for Autoload. For further information, please visit the website of Studierendenwerk Karlsruhe.
KIT library services
You can use your KIT-Card as a library card. After registering the KIT-Card in the KIT library, you can borrow books there and you can use the library's lockers, and the machine for interlibrary loan. For more information, please contact the KIT library.
Access to Campus North
The student KIT card alone does not grant access to the Campus North. To do this, you need a semester admission card, which you can apply for at the registration desk on Campus North.
For reasons of corona prevention, many buildings are currently closed and only employees who work in the building have access to them. The activation of your KIT card for the building can only be requested from the institute's secretariat.
Access authorizations can be granted in special individual cases, please contact the KIT building management.
Who gets a KIT-Card?
After enrollment, all KIT students receive a KIT card that serves them as a student ID.
How do I get my KIT-Card?
KIT cards for new students are created automatically. Depending on the case, successor cards are issued: expiry of validity, loss, defect, change of course / name change automated / on site in the ID office
Where do I get my KIT card?
You can pick up your KIT-Card at the registration desk on Campus South.
You have to collect your KIT card personally. It is not possible to send it by post or to assign it to third parties, even with a power of attorney.
Be sure to bring your ID / photo ID and - if you swap your card - your previous card. Print out a certificate of enrollment and bring it with you if you cannot present a previous KIT card, for example to pick up a first card or if you lose your card.
How long is my KIT-Card valid?
The validity of the first student KIT card is usually 5 years. Successor cards are only issued for one year.
I need a new KIT card, what do I have to do for it?
Important: Uploading a photo in the self-service portal my.scc.kit.edu does not automatically start the creation of a new KIT card, but it is a first step towards it. In certain cases, we ask you to upload a photo if none is available.
My KIT card has expired
It is not possible to extend the validity of the KIT card! A successor card must be issued if the expiry date printed on the KIT card is to be reached shortly (4-6 weeks) / has already been exceeded.
Requirements: You are enrolled and re-registered for the coming semester.
I have changed my field of study
Since the course of study is printed on your KIT card, you will need a new KIT card after changing the course.
Prerequisites: The change of course has been reported to us by the supervising institution (student office) and you are enrolled and re-registered for the coming semester.
My name has changed / the printed name on my KIT card is not correct
First you have to report the name change/correction to the student office , because we can only use information received from there for the KIT Cards. Upload a picture of yourself at my.scc.kit.edu if you do not have one there . Then go to the ID office where a KIT Card with the new/corrected name will be produced for you.
I have lost my KIT-Card
Please contact one of the registration desks. In case of loss of the KIT-Card costs of 15 Euro will be charged.
You must also report the loss to the KIT Library in order to have the KIT-Card blocked for library services.
If you also use your KIT-Card as an ID card of the Stadtbibliothek Karlsruhe or the Badische Landesbibliothek, report the loss there as well.
If you have credit on your KIT-Card, you can apply for a refund / rebooking to the Studierendenwerk Karlsruhe.
What do I have to consider before / after exchanging a KIT card?
The credit on the current KIT card can be transferred to the new KIT card when the card is exchanged. Talk to the employees in the ID office. The Studierendenwerk Karlsruhe will take care of it later or if you no longer have the previous card or if the process is not possible for technical reasons.
Autoload customers (= automatic card top-up) must register again for Autoload after receiving a new KIT card.
For automatically produced successor cards, we will then send you a notification to the KIT mailbox. This will tell you when and where it will be ready for collection. If no e-mail message has arrived two or more working days after uploading the picture, please contact the responsible ID office, which in exceptional cases can issue you with a KIT card on site.
Do I have to reapply for authorizations that I received for the old KIT card?
No, they will be transferred to the successor card. This applies to all building access that you have applied for and that have been approved.
What do I do if I cannot (anymore) enter a building with my KIT card?
If the building belongs to the standard profile of the students (SCC, KIT library, etc.), a distinction must be made between:
No authorization: The LED on the card reader lights up red. Is the building of general interest and accessible to all students - e.g. the KIT library or the SCC. Write us an e-mail and tell us your matriculation number, your ID number (top right corner) and the area to which you have no access.
Defect of the card reader: No LED display on the card reader, not so on other card readers. Report the location of this reader to us by email, which should be checked and replaced if necessary.
Defect of the card chip: No LED display on several card readers. You need a replacement card, which you can obtain from the ID office at the CS. For the production of a new KIT card, upload a portrait photo to the self-service portal my.scc.kit.edu and then go to the ID office. The KIT card will be produced on site and given to you.
Students are not granted access to other buildings! If you have to go to one of the buildings as a student assistant or because of other work, please contact the relevant secretariat, who will apply for activation of the electronic locking system from the responsible building officer.
What do I do if I cannot (anymore) use my KIT card to payments / top up?
Contact the Studierendenwerk Karlsruhe (service point in the foyer of the cafeteria) to check the card / card account. If necessary, have a new KIT card created at the registration desk if it turns out that the chip on your card is damaged.
How can I transfer / withdraw the credit on my KIT card?
Important: The credit cannot be paid out in the registration desk! For processes that are handled by the Studierendenwerk Karlsruhe, the ID and wallet number of the KIT card must be known, for rebooking to a new KIT card for both cards!
Rebooking at the registration desk
When exchanging an expired / defective card, the credit available on it can be transferred to the new KIT card on request. If necessary, speak to the employees in the registration desk about this. Make a note of the ID and wallet number of the KIT card before exchanging it at the registration desk.
Rebooking at the Studierendenwerk
If the rebooking at the registration desk was forgotten / was not possible because no previous card could be presented (loss) / defective card chip, etc., the process must be carried out via the Studierendenwerk Karlsruhe.
Important: For this process, you will need to know the wallet number of both the old and new KIT Card. This can be found at my.scc.kit.edu under the KIT-Card tab.
Pay out at the Studierendenwerk
You have to contact the Studierendenwerk Karlsruhe and fill out the application on this page. In it you have to state the ID number and the wallet number of the KIT card from which the credit is to be paid out. For more information on reimbursement, see the Website of the Studierendenwerk.
Where can I find the ID and wallet number of my KIT card?
You will find this data for your current KIT card created from May 2018 in the self-service portal my.scc.kit.edu. When a new KIT card is activated, this information is overwritten and is therefore no longer available to you. If necessary, you can obtain this information for the previous card (s) by sending a request to the KIT Card Service PO Box.
For KIT cards created before May 2018, you will find this data on the printout that was given to you when the card was issued. This information can give you the o.g. Do not deliver PO box as it was not available when the card inventory was migrated!
I have finished my studies, what do I have to do with my KIT card?
The KIT card is the property of KIT and must be returned after deregistration. Send your KIT card to the student office.
If you have already issued your first KIT card but did not picked it up, you will receive an informal confirmation from the registration desk, which you can submit to the student office. You will also receive a confirmation from us if no KIT card has ever been created for you!
I've just started my studies
What do I have to do myself to get my KIT card?
You have to upload a picture at https://my.scc.kit.edu/shib/kitcard.php where you can be easily recognized, then you can sit back and we'll do the rest for you. As soon as the card production has been completed, you will receive an email from us stating when and where the card can be picked up. We send this e-mail exclusively to your KIT mailbox, check there regularly for new messages or set up a forwarding there.
What do I have to consider when uploading the picture?
Please note the information regarding resolution, sharpness, background, dimensions, etc. If you scan the photo, you should set the resolution to 600 dpi or greater. If you only have a scanner with 300 dpi available, make sure that the image is at least 3x4 cm.
Does the picture have to be a passport photo / contain biometric identification?
No, You must be easy to recognize on the photo and no other person may be shown on it. Photos with animals, full-length photos or photos in which you cannot be recognized, such as with sunglasses or oversized headgear, are also not permitted. Otherwise only your own requirements for the photo remain. After all, it will always be with you during your studies.
If the picture does not show you but someone else, or if the picture has been changed in any other way (so-called fun pictures), the KIT card will not be issued. but a replacement KIT card must be created at your expense (15 €).
I don't have a picture at hand right now. Can I also take the picture with my smartphone?
Yes, go to the my.scc.kit.edu site in your mobile phone browser. Log in and then select "Upload" in the menu with the three bars. Most cell phones will give you then the option to choose an existing picture or to take one. You can take the picture with your smartphone's selfie camera. When the recording is complete, the image is usually uploaded automatically. Make sure that you can be easily recognized in the picture.
I see my photo on my.scc.kit.edu site, do I have to confirm again?
No, if you see the photo on the my.scc site, it is successfully uploaded and can be used for the production process. An additional confirmation is neither possible nor required.
I have to upload my photo, but I can't log in.
You can find your account data on the applicant portal at https://campus5.kit.edu. Log in with your e-mail address and password. After successful login, click on your application on the homepage of the applicant portal to access the detailed view of the application. You will find the downloadable documents for the application in the "Dokumente Studienbüro " section. Download the document you want by selecting the checkbox on the document you want to download and clicking the "Download" button at the top of the page.
Where do I get my KIT-Card?
At the beginning of the (winter) semester, special counters are set up in the Studentenhaus, otherwise you can pick it up at the regular registration desk. If you have received the mail for collection, come to this location during opening hours (mentioned in the mail) and collect your card there. Please do not come over until you have received the e-mail; there is no KIT card ready for you before that. Please bring your ID card, passport or residence permit.