Obtain a J-card

How-to

J-Cards are available to a variety of campus constituents but require separate instructions to obtain your J-Card based on your affiliation.

Subjects

Please follow these instructions for obtaining a J-Card, based on your JHU affiliation.

J-Cards are part of the student and employee experience at Johns Hopkins University. Remember, any relevant rules stated in the student Code of Conduct or the University HR manual apply. Use your card responsibly! If you have questions or concerns about using your J-Card, contact the J-Card Office at 410-516-5121 or [email protected].

On-Campus Students

Incoming First-Year Students

One of the first steps in the New Student Portal is to upload a color picture of yourself so your J-Card can be ready when you arrive for Move-In. If you have a preferred name you wish to use, you can add it in the myProfile area of the myJH portal. Photos and chosen name need to be submitted by July 1 to be included on the J-Card you’ll receive at Move-In/Orientation.

When taking or selecting your photo, please keep the following guidelines in mind:

  • Passport and graduation photos are ideal.
  • Choose a plain, indoor background, as outside shots do not reproduce well on the card.
  • Only the image of your head, neck, and shoulders will be printed on your J-Card, so if your head takes up too small a portion of the picture, it will be difficult to reproduce for your card.
  • Do not wear sunglasses, hats, or hairstyles obscuring your eyes.

Once your photo has been uploaded, your J-Card will be printed and delivered to On-Campus Living, where it will be included in your Move-In/Key packet. If you have any trouble with the upload, please send an email containing your JHED ID and attached picture to [email protected].

New Students in Part-Time Programs

If you are enrolled in one of the following programs and will be taking courses on the Homewood campus, you are welcome to stop by Student IT and ID Services Hub in the JHU Campus Store during business hours. 

Otherwise, please contact these offices for information on obtaining your J-Card:

Full-Time ASEN Graduate Students

Log in to the Graduate Student Portal, where you will be prompted to upload a photo. Additional information for newly admitted students is available on the ASEN website.

Online Students

If you are currently enrolled in classes, please complete the J-Card request form and we will send out your J-Card via standard mail. We do not mail out cards outside of the US.

J-Cards sent through the mail will have your chosen name at the time of printing. If you have not updated your chosen name, your legal name will be on your card by default. You will need to upload a photo in the myJH portal to be used for your J-Card.

Faculty and Staff

All faculty and staff (full-time, part-time, and casual) are eligible to receive a J-Card, which serves as the official university identification card. Once you have your Hopkins JHED ID, please visit the Student IT and ID Services Hub in the JHU Campus Store.

On the Homewood campus, your J-Card can provide access to the Milton S. Eisenhower Library, parking facilities, and the Ralph S. O’Connor Center for Recreation and Well-Being. You can also deposit J-Cash to your card and take advantage of the convenient, cashless way to pay for your purchases on campus or at participating off-campus merchants.

East Baltimore Students and Staff

Students and staff who are primarily based in East Baltimore should work with their department to obtain a blue and yellow JHMI badge.

JHH Identification Badging Office

Office Hours

Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (closed for lunch 1 to 2 p.m.)

Location

600 N. Wolfe Street – Harvey/Nelson 108
Baltimore, MD 21287

Phone: 410-955-5325
Email: [email protected]

Vendors and Contractors

Vendors, contractors, and other Hopkins affiliates must obtain a sponsored JHED ID or a guest account before they can receive a J-Card. Sponsored (“ad-hoc”) JHED IDs and guest (“B2B”) are requested through your departmental JHED administrator or HR representative and are granted at your department’s discretion. These IDs are valid for up to six months and can be extended if necessary.

J-Cards associated with sponsored JHED IDs or guest accounts come with the same privileges as faculty and staff cards, and your department can use them to grant access to campus buildings and other spaces.

Once your department JHED administrator or HR representative has confirmed that you have been assigned a J-card, you will need to visit the Student IT and ID Services Hub in the JHU Campus Store.

Please have your JHED ID or the personal email address used to set up your guest account when visiting the J-Card office.

Preferred Names

J-Card is one of the downstream systems that receives preferred name updates from the myJH portal. If you would like your preferred name printed on your J-Card or updated in your mobile credential, follow these instructions to update your name.

Pursuant to Article 18, Section 2 of the CBA with TRU-UE, TRU-UE employees may obtain J-Cards to reflect their Chosen Name and/or photograph up to five(5) times at no charge. 

The university provides one free preferred name J-Card replacement to all individuals; subsequent ID badge replacements for additional preferred name changes are $20. It takes 24–48 hours for the new information to transfer to the J-Card system and be available for printing. At this time, your preferred first name will also be displayed in your mobile credential. You may wish to call at 410-516-5121 to confirm availability prior to coming to the Student IT and ID Services Hub.

Please note, J-Cards with preferred names may not be accepted to verify your identity in cases where your legal name is required.

Legal Names

ID badge replacements are available at no cost for legal name changes.

For Students

Use the SEAM online form to contact Records and Registration. This will link to various registrar options, including “Update my student information.” Steps to update biographical information are noted on this page.

It takes 24–48 hours for the new information to transfer to the J-Card system and be available for printing. You may wish to call the Student IT and ID Services Hub at (410) 516-5121 to confirm availability prior to visiting in-person.

For Staff and Faculty

If you would like your new legal name printed on your J-Card, please work with your department administrator, department HR manager, or divisional/school-level HR leader. You will need to submit proof of name change in the form of a social security card bearing your legal name, and then they can perform the actions to update your legal name in SAP/payroll, which will then pass it along to other downstream systems.