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European Student Card

The European Student Card module allows an institution to issue European Student Cards through Flow. Students can add the card to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, depending on which wallet integrations the institution has configured.

Flow connects to the European Student Card Router to find or create the student's card. The module uses the student data available in Flow to generate the European Student Identifier (ESI) and populate the wallet pass. It does not provide a separate interface for university staff to create individual cards manually.

Student workflow​

The European Student Card menu item is available to students when the module is enabled and at least one wallet integration is fully configured. From this page, a student can select the available Apple Wallet or Google Wallet option.

When a student requests a wallet pass, Flow:

  1. generates the student's ESI using the configured algorithm;
  2. checks the ESC Router for a card associated with that ESI;
  3. creates the person and card records if no card exists;
  4. renews the issue and expiry dates if the existing card has expired; and
  5. generates the pass for the selected mobile wallet.

If the ESC Router returns more than one card for the same ESI, Flow uses the first card returned and records a warning in the application log.

Card information​

The wallet pass contains information returned by the ESC Router together with data from the student's Flow record. The current implementation includes:

  • the European Student Card Number (ESCN);
  • the European Student Identifier (ESI);
  • the student's full name;
  • the issuing higher education institution;
  • the issue and expiry dates;
  • the student's enrolment number; and
  • the student's study programme.

The default ESI algorithm uses the student's enrolment number together with the configured institution identifier. The card validity period is configurable and defaults to 365 days.

General configuration​

The general configuration defines the connection to the ESC Router and the institutional information used when issuing cards:

  • higher education institution name and identifier;
  • ESC Router API token;
  • ESC Router organisation identifier;
  • processor identifier for the card issuer;
  • card validity period; and
  • ESI generation algorithm.

These settings are managed in Flow under Configuration → European Student Card. The module becomes available to students only after the general ESC Router settings and at least one mobile-wallet integration are complete.

Apple Wallet configuration​

Issuing Apple Wallet passes requires:

  • an Apple Pass Type Identifier;
  • an Apple Developer Team Identifier;
  • the organisation name displayed by Apple Wallet;
  • an Apple pass certificate in .p12 format and its certificate password; and
  • an Apple Worldwide Developer Relations certificate in .cer format.

Once these values are configured, Flow can generate and return an Apple Wallet pass to an authenticated student.

Google Wallet configuration​

Issuing Google Wallet passes requires:

  • a Google Wallet issuer ID;
  • a Google API key; and
  • a Google Wallet class ID suffix.

Flow uses these values to generate the Google Wallet link and serve the images required by the pass. Apple Wallet and Google Wallet can be configured independently or made available together.

Personal data considerations​

Issuing a European Student Card transfers student identity and card information between Flow, the ESC Router, and the selected wallet provider. Institutions should review the data fields listed above, restrict access to the configuration credentials, and establish the appropriate transparency, retention, and data-processing arrangements before enabling the module.