Birmingham Uni charges students £10 to replace ID cards, but they only cost £1.73 to make

We’ve all lost our student IDs at some point and have dreaded having to pay a tenner for a new one


At UoB student ID cards are pretty important. They are especially important for freshers in UoB halls (excluding Maple Bank) because it is the key to their flats and their rooms. For all student though it how you access certain buildings and university printers amongst other things. Also, it’s hard to get into Circo without your student ID. So when you lose it, it is extremely inconvenient.

Most students will have lost their ID card at some point and had to go to the Aston Webb building to purchase a replacement. When purchasing a replacement you will be charged £10. However, figures obtained through a Birmingham Tab request show that it only costs the uni £1.73 in raw materials to replace the cards

However, the university said that the £10 cost also includes other factors, including  the administration of the process, the software licence, IT staff time, and hardware costs required for the printing of the cards.

The University of Birmingham told The Birmingham Tab that all “income received for the replacement cards is directed to the institutional ID card budget which is used to fund ID card related work”.

The university also explained how there are circumstances where students will not be charged for a replacement, which are when a students name or appearance changes, the card is damaged or expired, or if the student can get evidence that the card has been stolen.

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