Photo Rosters

A photo roster is an electronic file folder that contains persons’ ID card photos in .jpeg file format. System employees may view photos only in the conduct of their employment-related duties. Photos are subject to strict handling, disclosure, display, and data security requirements. We reserve the right to decline requests.

Photo use guidelines

The data disclosure rules of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) apply to photo releases and use. Photos may be released for academic use,  which is defined as:

  • Use by professors or teaching assistants to learn names, create seating charts and so on, of students in their course(s). Only teaching assistants who have access to students’ grades or other confidential information are eligible to access photo rosters. (The course professor may also have access to the photo roster.)
  • Use by academic advisors to visually identify a student advisee. Only the advisor may use these photos.

Photos may not be released for purposes related to interviewing, job searches, promotions, awards, or hiring.

Photos must never be displayed publicly or semi-publicly. If your unit wishes to use photos for public or semi-public use, you must obtain express individual consent from each photographed person for use of their photo. Contact i-card Programs for more information.

Photos no longer in use must be disposed of in a secure manner, such as permanently deleting saved photo files and shredding any printed photos as well.

Roster costs and request requirements

Beginning July 1, 2022, we will charge $12 for each individual roster we produce. Roster charges are billed to a university CFOP.

Only a current i-card Programs Data Security Administrator (DSA) may request photo data. A DSA is not a university Unit Security Contact (USC). DSAs are unique to i-card Programs. Contact us to see if your unit has an active DSA.

How to request a photo roster

To request a roster, a DSA must:

  1. Prepare a .txt or .csv file that contains only the University Identification Numbers (UINs) of the students whose photos are needed. Each UIN must be on its own line, with no extra spaces, characters, or line returns between them, as shown below.
    • 650123456
    • 612345678
    • 654567890
    • 669876543
  2. Decide which filename format you want for each photo file. You have four options:
    • uin.jpg
    • firstname_lastname.jpg
    • lastname_firstname.jpg
    • lastname_firstname_uin.jpg
  3. Obtain the CFOP you will use to pay for the photo roster.
  4. Send an email to icardhelp@uillinois.edu that indicates you need a photo roster.  Designate the filename format you want, provide your billing CFOP, and attach the file of the list of student UINs.

Please email from your individual email account and include your email signature, in order to quickly identify yourself to us.

How requests are processed

On receipt of a photo request:

  1. We verify that you are your unit's current DSA and that the request includes the required information.
  2. We forward your request to the appropriate staff member for production. Allow two business days for rosters to be provided.
  3. Your roster is assembled, uploaded to U of I Box, and shared there. You’ll receive a reply to your request when your rosters are ready. (We create unit folders and set the Box permissions for DSAs as needed.)
  4. The cost for each roster is billed to the CFOP that you provided.