HawkCard

The first HawkCard is free to all new students, faculty and staff.

The process to obtain your HawkCard will begin upon official registration.

Staff/Faculty, will receive their HawkCard when they stop by the HawkCard Office to have their picture taken. We recommend that all staff call the office first to make sure that they are in our system.

This process is for new incoming students only

NEXT STEPS: OBTAIN YOUR CAMPUS ID- THE HAWKCARD

After completing your SOAR:

• Check your UW-W email for a personalized link to the HawkCard Online Portal
  • Do not share personalized link
• Follow the tips & criteria outlined below
• Once your HawkCard photo is approved:
  • You will receive an email confirming success
  • Your HawkCard will be mailed to the address on file in WINS
• For any issues or questions please contact the HawkCard Office
  • (262)472-1437 or hawkcard@uww.edu

Tips & Criteria

• Be sure that the photos are not in “live” mode
• Photos that are too big will display a message stating the photo cannot be greater than 2MB. Please crop the photo from above the top of the head to the collarbone and submit.
• Photos that are too small will display a message stating the photo must be greater than 300KB. Try taking a photo using the rear-facing camera and re-submitting.
• You will be submitting 2 photos, the first one will be the photo for your HawkCard, the second photo will be of your government issued photo ID so we can verify your identity.

Heavily filtered photos will not be accepted. Filters will also affect the size of the photo.

Do's & Don't's

Do

Don't 

Any ID card that is found should be immediately forwarded to the HawkCard Office at the University Center (Rm 250). Anyone looking for/reporting a lost card should call (262) 472-1437 to see if the card has been turned in and to suspend the activity.

*Cardholder must request reactivation in person at the HawkCard Office.

You may also create an Online HawkCard Office account and suspend activity straight from your phone (as well as other features).

*To suspend your account, click on "Card Services" on the top banner after logging in.

• University ID Card (Proof of association with the University)
• Residence Hall Access Card
• Meal Plan/Dining Dollar Card
• Purple Point Debit Card
• University Library Card
• Textbook Rental Card
• Admission to UW-W Athletic Events
• UW-W Fitness Center ID Card (with paid membership) 

To receive your HawkCard, one of the following forms of government-issued photo identification must be presented except when attending  Warhawk SOAR (Student Orientation, Advising, and Registration):

• Driver's License
• State Identification Card
• Passport
• Military Identification card

The technology that makes your HawkCard work includes an antenna, electronic chip, and magnetic stripe. There are three primary reasons for your HawkCard to stop working on electronically controlled doors:

• Damage to the antenna or to the bond between the chip and the antenna.
• Exposing the card to electro static discharge (ESD) can damage the integrated circuit.
• Strong magnetic fields can wipe out the programming on the card's chip.

Your HawkCard is intended to be used strictly for access control and identification purposes, including meal plans, Purple Points and other specific uses at UW-W. When HawkCards fail, it is frequently the result of unintentional abuse by the card holder. Below is a list of common actions that damage a card:

• Machine washing the card by accident when it is forgotten in a pocket of a shirt or pair of pants.
• Exposing the card to extreme heat (direct sunlight on the dash of your car, clothes dryer or iron).
• Punching a hole or slot in the card.
• Using the card as an ice scraper for the windows of your vehicle.
• Bending, twisting or crimping the card.
• Exposing the card to chemicals including organic solvents, thinners, mineral spirits, alcohol, isopropyl, ethanol or methyl.

There are two types of non-functioning HawkCards. 1) Non-functioning for electronic door locks and, 2) non-functioning for meal plans, Dining Dollars, etc. If either happens to you, bring your HawkCard into the HawkCard Office to have your HawkCard tested. Sometimes the chip hidden in the card for door access stops working, or never worked to begin with. Sometimes the mag stripe for meal plans, Purple Points, etc., becomes corrupt. In either case the HawkCard staff will review and determine if the card was bad to begin with or if the card was damaged in some way and if there will be a replacement fee charged.

A replacement card will be provided at no charge under the following circumstances when your old HawkCard is turned in:

• Name change (must be verified with Registrars/WINS)
• Change of university status (i.e., student (undergraduate to graduate) or to staff)
• Defective card (at the discretion of HawkCard Office staff)

All other replacement cards will require a $25 replacement card fee.

Voter IDs allow out-of-state students to vote in Wisconsin. However, most students either have a Wisconsin ID, or are not voting when it expires. The expiration of the Voter ID does not impact the functionality of the HawkCard in any capacity. The HawkCard itself never expires.

The HawkCard photo ID card is the property of UW-Whitewater, is non-transferable, and does not guarantee current university status. Fraudulent use or reproduction of a UW-Whitewater ID card violates Wisconsin criminal statutes and will be referred for prosecution.