Electronic identification card in higher education: Hungarian Student Chip Card

Today in Hungary every student in higher education can prove that they are enrolled in a higher education institution with a chip card (smart card). The student card is emitted by the Ministry of Education, and the Diák-Bónusz Kht -which company of public utility is owned by the Ministry of Education - is dealing with the practical utilisation of the chip (found on the card) and the tasks related to the technological transfer.

With the Hungarian student card it is possible not only to enjoy travel and cultural discounts but it has commercial benefits as well. The student card is accepted in about 800 stores, like a regular customer card. In 2002 this was made by visual basis.

The student card is a multifunctional card, which main functions are the logical and physical identification, data storing, electronic validation and value storing in access control systems. There can be found three electronic purses on the card, from which one is reserved for the institutions (dedicated EP).

In the higher education there were experimental programmes and beginning developments in 2001-2002, which give basis for building a countrywide acceptance net throughout the country in 2003. The Ministry of Education and the Diák-Bónusz Kht is trying to involve the institutions in this programme and deploy more card readers this year. Besides this it is an aim to develop suitable systems, which are able to deal with logical and physical identification and prepaid systems and to install those experimentally. In these programmes more developer firms got involved in, the Diák-Bónusz Kht is a member of the Hungarian Smart Card Forum.

Zoltan Majó

Diák-Bónusz Kht