No More Student Cards For Lunch: HAW Kiel Cafeteria Goes Digital
Since March 16th, 2026, HAW Kiel students can verify their student status with their phone via the UniNow app at the Schwentinemensa on HAW Kiel Campus in Dietrichsdorf.
While currently all students and employees can still verify and pay with their HAW Kiel ID card, with the UniNow app, HAW Kiel wants to offer students an additional easy way to manage their university life. The digital student ID is an essential component of the app and will replace most functions of the physical student ID card.
“It is the next logical step to make the physical student ID largely unnecessary,“ stated Vice-President of Digitalization Prof. Dr. Ulrich Jetzek. Right now, the app features access to the personal library account, displays the cantine schedule, has an email-client, a calendar function and a task manager.
From June 16, 2026, the credit top-up for the HAW Kiel Card will no longer be available at the HAW Kiel Campus. However, you will still be able to pay with existing balances on your physical card.
STEP – BY – STEP – GUIDE
STEP 1
Download and set up the app with your HAW Kiel username and password.
STEP 2
After collecting your food, open the app.
STEP 3
Access your student ID in the app.
STEP 4
Choose “Mensa” underneath your digital student ID.
It will generate a QR-Code that renews itself every 10 minutes.
STEP 5
Place your tray under the terminal.
On the terminal display choose to pay with card.
STEP 6
Hold the QR-Code under the scanner underneath the card reader.
After the discount is applied to the price, pay by electronic payment using regular bank cards.
According to professor Jetzek, students praise the change overall, because it represents another step toward the digital world. He added, “We experienced that our new campus App by UniNow is well accepted by the students. They highly appreciate to have an app, that strongly supports the organization of their personal student and university life.”
Other accounts report opposite opinions, for example from Jesper Köhler, a media engineer student. He complained about long waiting lines and crowds due to the increase of steps until you pay, as well as malfunctioning scanners. He reported, “You know where the sensor is, but it’s very difficult—it doesn’t work.“ However, he did not seem concerned about the money left on his student card. “I don’t care about the one euro that’s left on the card. It sounds like too much of a hassle to get it,” he said shrugging his shoulders.
Refunds of remaining balances are offered at the cashier’s desk in the Schwentine Mensa until March 15, 2027. After that any payouts require an application form on the Studentenwerk Schleswig-Holstein (SH) website.
As for the cooperation between the Studentenwerk SH and HAW Kiel, Jetzek revealed, “Overall, the Studentenwerk strongly supports this idea.” The institutions have been and remain in close and continuous communication regarding the introduction of the new system. The Studentenwerk SH benefits from the change, as it wants to discard the card reloading machines.
In the future HAW Kiel plans to make the status group recognition also available for staff members. HAW Kiel is currently working together with UniNow to introduce the UniNow app for the staff as well. ProfessorJetzek said, “Then all members of HAW Kiel could use this system.” Starting June 16, 2026, employees may also use the uninow to verify their user status. As they will be provided with a digital ID card in the same App by mid June.
As other universities are likely to adopt the system, HAW members could use it in other dining halls as well.The system had already been a pilot project at the University of Applied Sciences Flensburg and the European University of Flensburg. Both universities worked together with the Studentenwerk SH and UniNow. Professor Jetzek announced, “The experience there has also been positive.”
It is likely that the Muthesius Academy of Fine Arts and Lübeck University of Applied Sciences will follow shortly as they are already using the UniNow app. However, as of now the verification at cafeterias of the Christian Albrecht University of Kiel is only available with your student ID or the campus card.
