DC4EU exploring the Future of Student Credentials

DC4EU project partners, Sinead Nealon from the ECCA – European Campus Card Association and Tor Fridell from Ladok, hosted a workshop entitled ‘Exploring the Future – What Credentials Will Students Use in Ten Years?’ 

This workshop, part of the ECCA annual conference held in Munich, Germany, from May 26 to 28, 2025, featured a panel of experts who shared insights on the long-term future of student credentials. The event attracted over 130 attendees from 18 countries.

The workshop served as a platform for various stakeholders, including representatives from the Erasmus Student Network (Darwyn Bruelemans), HEIs (Alexander Loechel from LMU), service providers (Ewald Ulrich from ANA-U), Studierendenwerke Germany (Sven Engel) and technology companies Legic (Felix Pütz) and Google (Mikhail Strunkin), to discuss the future of credentials for students.  

Key topics included the future of digital credentials and whether they will replace physical cards. Additionally, access to services for both students and staff is complicated by various barriers. This issue extends beyond technology and into legal, national, and institutional realms.

Participants discussed whether the mobility experience would significantly improve over the next decade and how current systems like OLA and the E+ app might evolve. While campus cards provide access to services, the type of credential used raises questions regarding security and cost-effectiveness. Overall, it was generally believed that technological challenges can always be addressed. However, other factors, such as housing, travel, and language barriers, will likely be more important and difficult to tackle.

Challenges regarding the compatibility of various credential types and the need for institutions to consider multiple options, including government wallets and in-app credentials, were highlighted. Migration to modern credential types often requires costly updates to existing infrastructure. 

Overall, it was concluded that a secure and privacy-enhancing digital identification method, such as the EUDI wallet, would likely be embraced by digitally native students, positioning it as a transformative solution for the future.