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Before you Start

Before you start

  • You need to be an accepted student and paid your deposit; an employee paid by the University; or a qualified NENS (non-employee/non-student).
  • Ensure that you are enrolled in two-factor authentication, otherwise you won't be able to log in to MyPhoto to submit your UCard photo.  
  • You need to know your UMass campus NetID and password. This is the same username and password that you use to log into SPIRE and your UMass email.
  • You need a digital photo (in jpeg format) of yourself that meets our UCard Photo Requirements. Read and understand the UCard Photo Requirements BEFORE uploading your photo. This will minimize the chances of your photo being rejected.

UCard Photo Requirements

The UCard photo requirements are similar to those for U.S. Passports.  The photo you submit must:

  • Be of you (We know, but if we didn’t say it….)
  • Be taken within the last 6 months to reflect your current appearance
  • Be in color
  • Be taken in front of a plain white background, Please Note: Photo's must be on a "Solid" White Background. Photos taken in front of a White door with Panels or white block wall with lines will be rejected. (A taut sheet works well.)
  • Have a small space between the top of your head and the top of the image.
  • Have a slightly larger space between the bottom of your chin and the bottom of the image
  • Be taken in full-face view directly facing the camera (No side profiles or tilted head!)
  • Be taken with a natural smile or a neutral facial expression with both eyes open
  • Be taken in clothing that you normally wear on a daily basis:
    • Uniforms, clothing that looks like a uniform, and camouflage attire should not be worn in photos except in the case of religious attire that is worn daily.
    • You may only wear a head covering if you wear it daily for religious or medical purposes. Your full face must be visible and your head covering cannot obscure your hairline or cast shadows on your face.
    • Hairbands, headphones, wireless hands-free devices or similar items are not acceptable in your photo.
    • If you normally wear prescription glasses with clear lenses, a hearing device, or similar articles, they may be worn for your photo.  Glare on glasses is not acceptable in your photo.
    • Dark glasses, colored lenses, transitional glasses (if they don’t lighten up enough), or non-prescription glasses with tinted lenses are not acceptable unless you need them for medical reasons (a medical certificate may be required).
  • Not be a group photo
  • Not be derogatory in any way. The UCard Office reserves the right to reject any photo that we feel is inappropriate. 
  • Please remember that this photo is for identification purposes. The picture must clearly identify you.
Submit your Photo

MyPhoto

  1. Start MyPhoto.
  2. Complete the step-by-step instructions on the MyPhoto site.
  3. For a more visual guide, take a look at our new UCard Photo Upload Tutorial

Important Tips

  • Look straight at the camera.
  • Rotate and crop your photo after you upload it.
  • Don't worry about rotating the picture of your government id.  The software currently does not allow you to rotate it, but we have access to view it regardless of orientation.
  • Check you UMass email account to ensure that your photo was received and that it was approved or rejected. (These notifications will come in separate email messages.)
    • When you submit your photo you should receive an email (to your UMass email address) confirming that we received your submission.  
    • You will also receive a second email a few days later.  If your photo is accepted, you will receive an email notifying you of this.  If you receive this message, you are all set.
    • If your photo is rejected, you will receive an email with the reason(s) why your photo was rejected.  You will need to correct the problems and resubmit your photo.

Trouble Shooting

  • If you are having problems uploading photos taken with an iOS device (iPhone, iPad, etc.), make sure that your device is set to save photos as jpegs and not heic files.
  • A recent update in iOS changed the default file format in which photos are saved.  Rather than the traditional JPG format, they are now saved as HEIC, a high efficiency format that saves room on their iPhones, iPads, etc.  Unfortunately, this format is not currently compatible with our MyPhoto application. One telltale symptom is that they select the photo to upload, but the application cycles back to asking them to select a photo.
  • Rather than attempting to convert the image, students should temporarily set their camera settings to save photos as JPGs, retake the photos, and submit the new photos.  The instructions for doing so are pretty straightforward.  On your iOS device, Settings > Camera > Formats > Change the checked format from “High Efficiency” to “Most Compatible”.
  • Please contact the UCard Office if you are still having difficulties uploading your photos.
The Approval Process

The Approval Process

  • When you successfully submit your photo via MyPhoto, you will receive an email at your UMass email address, confirming that we received your submission.  This email does not indicate whether your photo was approved or not, only that we received your submission.  You will receive a second email indicating whether or not your photo was approved.  
  • If you do not receive either an approved or rejected email from the UCard Office within two business days after submitting your photo, you should contact the UCard Office at @email.  Please be aware that the UCard Office is closed holidays, the day after Thanksgiving, and the week between Christmas and New Year's.
  • If your photo meets the UCard Photo Requirements, and your identity matches your government issued id, the UCard Office will approve your photo.  You will receive an email (at your “@umass.edu” email address) from the UCard Office notifying you that your photo was approved.  Once your photo has been approved, you cannot submit another photo. 
  • If your uploaded photo does not meet the UCard Photo Requirements, or your identifity cannot be verified, your photo will be rejected.  You will receive an email (at your UMass email address) from the UCard Office notifying you that your photo was rejected, and an explanation of why it was rejected.  You will need to submit a new photo that corrects the problems.
  • Normally photos are processed within one business day.  However, during busy times of the year, it may take up to 2 business days.
  • Once your photo is approved, and you receive notification that it has been approved, it typically takes between 2-4 hours to migrate over to SPIRE.