Access Cards

Access Card Policy

• The control of access at the University is a key element in providing a comprehensive secure environment. The University has invested significantly in its access control strategy across campus with a number of campuses and buildings being keyless sites
• The purpose of issuing identity cards is to ensure positive identification of authorised University members.
• The purpose of access control is to regulate access and to ensure that unauthorised access is prevented. This is for the safety and security of all. Access control supports the life-cycle of user access until the time when access is no longer required.

This webpage describes how identity cards and access control is managed across the University estate and the policy in place.

Identity Cards

Identity Card Entitlement

• All staff & registered student members of the University are mandated to have a university identity card.
• Any collaborative member (temporary staff, external partners, contractors, collaborative researchers, lay members, council members, industry partners etc) who are required to be on university premises for more than a 2-week period in any single year are mandated to have a university identity card.
• Visitors to the University who are required to be on campus for up to a 2-week period are required to have a university visitor identity card.
• All identity cards are issued to an individual and are non-transferable.
• Identity cards are only valid for a maximum of 5 years. Access and other services may cease if the card is not replaced before the expiry date of the card.

Issuing of ID Cards

Students: The main point of production is the Information Hub on the ground floor of the library, which is staffed by the Library and Student Enquiries team. Identity cards are issued on the successful completion of registration, an identity check must be completed before issuing the identity card.

The identity card will be printed with the individual’s photo uploaded during the registration process or a photo will be captured on collection if not submitted during the registration process.

On collection of the card the photo will be checked to ensure it is suitable for identifying the individual and meets the Photograph Requirements, described below. If the photo is deemed not suitable the student will be requested to visit one of the identity card print locations (Information Hub at the Library, John Foster Hall, Freemen’s) to have a new photo taken, card printed and issued. This photo will then be used on the student's identity profile.

Distance learners will receive their card through the post on successful completion of registration.

Students agree to the Terms of Use as described on this web page.

Staff: The issuing of staff identity cards is managed by the Estates and Campus Services, Service Desk team located at various reception spaces (ECS Service Desk, George Davies Centre, Robert Kilpatrick Clinical Sciences Building, Brookfield, John Foster Hall, Freemen’s, Space Park Leicester). Identity cards are issued on or as near to the individuals start date of employment once the user has a valid University IT account.

On collection the photo will be checked to ensure it is suitable for identifying the individual and meets the Photograph Requirements, described below. If the photo is deemed not suitable the staff member will be required to have a new photo taken, card printed and then issued. The staff member is required to bring another form of Photo ID on collection to verify their identity. This photo will then be used on the staff members identity profile.

 

Staff members agree to the Terms of Use as described on this webpage.

Collaborative Members: The issuing of collaborative member identity cards is managed by the Estates and Campus Services team located at the ECS Service Desk Reception. Identity cards are issued on the instruction of an approved authorised member of University staff. This type of card can also be issued by nominated teams across the University for specific collaborator types, e.g. Space Park industry partners, library external users, external sports members etc.

The University staff member requesting the card should use the Collaborative Identity Card request form. The staff member will be designated the responsible person for the collaborative member and will receive notification about the expiry of collaborative member. A photo of the collaborative member can be submitted with the request or the photo can be taken on collection.
The collaborative member is required to bring another form of Photo ID on collection to verify their identity on collection. Collection can be made from the ECS Service Desk Reception.

Collaborative Members can have a card issued to them so long as they meet the following requirements:

• Is onsite for more than 2 weeks in a year
• Does not already have a University Identity Card
• Has agreed to the usage of the SafeZone App when on campus
• Agrees to the Terms of Use within this webpage

If required the Collaborative member must sign in and out of campus on the ReSet system, access maybe ceased if this isn’t adhered to.

Visitors: Any visitor is the responsibility of the College/School/Departments being visited; individual College/School/Departments are responsible for the issuing of visitor cards to visitors. The visitor badge is non-personalised and reusable.

College/School/Departments can issue a visitor a card so long as the visitor meets the following requirements:

• Is onsite for less than 2 weeks in a year.
• Does not already have a University Identity Card
• The Visitor agrees to the Terms of Use as defined on this webpage

All visitors to the university campus are required to have either a University Identity card or a University Visitor card, exemptions to this apply (where access to secure areas is not required): 

• Open Days
• Graduation Events
• School Visitations
• Conferences & Event Guests

Any further exemptions require authorisation by the Head of Security.

Photograph Requirements

The photograph on the identity card must meet the following requirements: 

• Passport style photograph, clear and in focus, in colour, unaltered by computer software, at least 600 pixels wide and 750 pixels tall, at least 50KB and no more than 5MB
• Can be suitably used to identify the individual, i.e. is an accurate likeness, substantially of the persons head
• Contain no other objects or people, be taken against a plain light-coloured background, be in clear contrast to the background and not have ‘red eye’
• Have no filters applied
• Is a current photograph that was taken no more than 3 months ago
• Card holders are required to replace their cards every 5 years with a new photograph

Cards that do not meet these requirements will not be issued and the card holder will be requested to take a photograph on site.

Replacement Cards

Expired Cards: card holders will be contacted prior to the expiry of the card and requested to submit a new photo through the applicable self-service portal or emailed directly to the team.

Lost/stolen card: must be reported to ecs-service@le.ac.uk as soon as possible so the existing card can be disabled as well as submitting the request for a new card as below.

Damaged/non-functional card: request a replacement card as described below, you will need to return the damaged/non-functional card to the appropriate reception area.

A damaged card includes any card where the card can no longer reasonably be used to identify the individual.

Replacement cards can be requested through the replacement card request form, and collected from any of the locations that have been outlined for new cards.

The University reserves the right to charge for any card replacement at a fee of £5, this fee will be applied where the card holder makes frequent replacement card requests.

Forgotten Card

If you have forgotten your card, you can visit either the Information Hub (for Students) or ECS Campus receptions (Staff and Collaborators) and request a temporary card for the day. You will not be issued with the same access levels as your regular identity card grants you – you will only have general access to buildings. The temporary card will not work for print/copy services or Attendance Monitoring.

College/School/Departments Generic Cards

College/School/Departments generic, non-personal cards are NOT generally allowed. There are a number of exemptions to this:

• Departmental Vehicle Cards: where a vehicle is university owned, a card maybe issued to the vehicle to allow access through car park barriers.
• External entities to the University: where there is an external entity to the University and a regular individual cannot be identified but access to university facilities is required. This may include coach/bus drivers who are entitled to use University welfare services as an example.

Any exemption must be approved by the Head of Security prior to issue.

Identity Card Uses

For Staff and Students, the card can be used for the following services:

• Identity
• Access
• Print & Copy
• Library Services including using other participating Libraries via the SCONUL Access Scheme
• Upay Cashless Purchases in LSP Outlets
• Access to Sports Facilities
• Access to University Buses and car parks
• Entry to social facilities

For Collaborative Members the card can be used for:

• Identity>
• Access

Building Access

Staff and Students have the right of access to buildings, space and facilities owned by or leased to the University for any legitimate purposes connected with the work, business and social activities of the University or in connection with their employment by the University, except:

• (a) Buildings, space or facilities within buildings properly allocated exclusively for the use of particular University staff or student, or otherwise not designated for general access; or
• (b) Any part of the University access to which is restricted or closed temporarily or otherwise on the authority of an Authorised Officer of the University; or
• (c) Where an Authorised Officer has, for good reason and acting within his or her authority, specifically barred an individual from general access to the University or from access to a specific part of it.

This also applies to any members of the public who may be expressly or impliedly invited onto University campus by a student.

Access Control

Access Control Area Designation

Access controlled areas are separated into 3 risk categories: 

High Security Areas: Governed by legal requirement, high value or high risk.

• Examples: Category 3 Laboratories, HR record stores, Controlled Substance Stores (High Risk), Data Centres, Mortuaries, Cash Consolidation Areas, HV Plant Spaces.
• Management: Authorised Designated Administrator, University Security Management, Business Systems Administrators.

Strategy: Each area assigned to a unique partition and access levels. Each area has a designated person who can manage and authorise access to these spaces. General Access Control Administrators do not have permission to manage these areas but can view access granted.
Secure Areas: Areas that are generally expected to have controlled access or form perimeter access to other controlled areas, medium value or medium risk.

• Examples: External Entrances to Buildings, Category 2 Laboratories, Controlled Substance Stores (Medium Risk), LV & General Plant Room Spaces.
• Management: Local Departmental Administrators, University Security Management, ECS Access Control Administrators, Business Systems Administrators.
• Strategy: General University spaces are managed by ECS Access Control Administrators, this includes general building access and standard user access levels.

General Areas: Areas that have controlled access but are generally low risk or low value.

• Examples: Office Spaces, General Circulation Spaces, General Stores, Car Park Barriers.
• Management: Local Departmental Administrators, University Security Management, ECS Access Control Administrators, Business Systems Administrators.
• Strategy: Normal management of this level of access is devolved to local Area. Administrators to manage general access to office spaces etc, where a space has multiple College/School/department, the ECS Access Control Administrators will manage the access.

Access Control Assignment

Users will automatically be issued a basic set of access privileges on creation. The access level issues depend on the person type (Student, Staff, Collaborative Member), College/School/department, student type, course, company etc.

The issuing of access to a user over the basic predetermined levels requires authorisation by the requested areas authoriser. Users should contact their department administrators to request access.

The ECS Service Desk team can only action requests that come from an authorised member of Staff.

Card Holders are issued access to University premises to fulfil their duties onsite whether this be to work, study or other authorised onsite activities.

Users who find they have access over and above the authorised requirement are required to inform the Local Departmental Administrator, ECS Access Control Team or University Security.

Usage of access to university premises for any activity other than that specifically authorised may result in disciplinary action being taken against the user.

Scheduled Access Control

Access may be time restricted to allow access only during an authorised period of time. This may include no access to properties over night or at weekends but can be more restrictive.

Collaborative Members will normally have access restricted to university operational hours, 8.00am – 6.00pm Monday – Friday, unless specifically authorised for hours outside of this time.

Revocation of Access

The University may revoke any access at any time without prior communication.

Access in Accommodation

Access to student accommodation is managed by the Accommodation teams in the residences.

Students access to their own bedrooms is managed via the issuing of a separate access fob as opposed to their identity card, however access to accommodation facilities may require the use of their identity card.

Access to Student Bedrooms is not generally available and access should be requested via the accommodation reception teams on requirement to access the rooms, exceptions to this include Security and Accommodation support staff, however this may be time limited to the members normal working hours.

Special consideration should be taken when requesting access to student living spaces, remember these are the students' home and they have the same right to privacy within that home that you would expect from your own home. Emergency access should always be cleared with the reception and accompanied by a member of the Accommodation Support Team or Security.

Lost fobs should be reported to the Accommodation Reception as soon as possible. The University reserves the right to charge for any fob replacement at a fee of £5, this fee will be applied where the card holder makes frequent fob requests.

Minors

The University may utilise the card holder's identity card to verify if the member is under or over 18. All under 18’s will exist in a special access level which can be verified by various authorised parties across the University.

Complaints

If you have a complaint regarding the issuing of identity cards or management of access levels you can send the complaint to the ECS Service Desk in the first instance

Privacy

The University acts as the data controller and processor of personal data in relation to the issuing of identity cards and access control. The access control provides an audit trail of access allowed and denied by individual users, this information is held centrally and is covered by your contractual obligation with the University.

Security have access to this access data for the purposes of maintaining safety and security across the University.

High level non-personalised data is regularly produced for the purposes of providing building usage metrics and derivations thereof.

Students attendance at teaching data is processed into the Attendance Monitoring System for the purposes of attendance monitoring.

The access data is not made available for the purposes of staff management.

If you have a requirement to access this type of data your request should be made in writing to ias@le.ac.uk and Information Assurance will need to agree to the release of data prior to any data being provided.

Access Control Administrators and Partitioning

All members identified as Access Control administrators whether College/School/Department administrators or ECS Support Services administrators will be issued with training to enable them to manage the access control under their administration.

The access control system is divided into partitions to allow each administrator access only to manage the areas under their authorised remit. Should an administrator have access above this they should report it immediately to the ECS Service Desk.

Requests for New Access Control Areas

If you require a new area to be managed by access control you should make a request through the ECS Service Desk, who will arrange for a member of the Business Systems team to contact you and discuss the requirement prior to providing quotations and agree to progress works. New works require the requestor to describe the types of access levels required and nominate local administrators. Requests which affect the overall security strategy of a building need to be agreed with the Head of Security. Please speak to your College/School/Department for approval process for works requested.

Guidance on the installation of access control is available in the University design guides.

Key Service Contacts

• Head of Security: Responsible for the overall security strategy & policy of the University.
• ECS Service Manager: Responsible for the operational delivery of identity card production and access management.
• Head of ECS Information and Data Management: Responsible for the background services, integrations and access control hardware.

 Reviewed July 2025 - V2025.6