Student identity card, ticket, access: thoska card

• student identity card
• user ID for libraries that are part of the Thuringian library network (e.g. ThULB)External link
• copy card
• electronic wallet for paying in canteens and cafés of the Studierendenwerk
• updating the validity of the student identity card after re-registration (“Validierung”)
• ticket for public transport and rail (semester ticket/e-ticket)
• use of printer accounts at the University Computer Centre and at the Multimedia Centre
• access authorization for buildings and rooms
• culture ticket in Jena

The additional fee for new students and incoming students of €20 is charged together with the semester fee. A fee of €10 is charged for a replacement card if you lose your card or you damage it on purpose.

The thoska card, when received once, can be with you for several years, sometimes for the whole course of studies at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena. On the lower part of the card, there is a writeable area, known as the validation strip, which stores changeable data. If this data changes (e.g. change of study programme, leave of absence, re-registration), the card should be updated. In most cases, an extension of the validity period upon re-registration is the primary reason for validation to be performed. After the semester fee has been transferred, a re-registration for the next semester takes place within student management system. The thoska card can now be re-written with the current validity period, and the study programme data by using the validation stations. Please note that due to bank processing times, the re-registration and other procedures the validation is only possible around 2 weeks after the transfer was carried out.

You can update your thoska card at validation stations. These can be found in readily accessible locations across Jena.

• University Main Building, entrance at Schlossgasse, passageway to the main lecture Hall “Aula”, on the left,
• Student Service Centre in the rear waiting area, right-hand side,
• Campus, Ernst-Abbe-Platz, building 6/7, foyer between lecture halls 4 and 5,
• Mensa, Philosophenweg 20, foyer alongside the charging stations,
• Medicine library, Klinikum Lobeda, foyer on the left,
• main university library ThULB, Bibliotheksplatz 2, loan area alongside the vending machines.

 Operating times: from Monday to Saturday, 07:00‒22:00 (depending on the respective opening hours)

The semester ticket comprises several fare options:

• ticket for buses and trams in the Jena public transport network
• train ticket for local trains from Deutsche Bahn in Thuringia (2nd class), trains from Erfurter Bahn, Abellio Rail, Süd-Thüringen-Bahn, and Vogtlandbahn
• VMT ticket.

Where exactly can you travel using your semester ticket? Take a look hereExternal link.

In the thoska cards for students at our university eTickets (electronic semester ticket) are stored. These contain:

• the thoska chip serial number,
• a validity period (from/until),
• an indicator for the product and the region within the transport network VMT to which the travel permit apply and for what means of transport.

In order to receive an eTickets from VMT, the University must pass the information listed above to VMT. In this procedure, no personal data are transferred. Afterwards, VMT generates encrypted eTickets and passes it to the University. When you validate your thoska card next time, the eTickets are saved on it, too.

The eTickets saved on the thoska cards are controlled by control devices from the service providers. These check the information listed above and matches the serial chip number in the thoska card with the serial chip number stored on the eTicket. The encrypted eTickets can only be decrypted by the public transport and rail service providers, however, only regarding the travel permit. Other data stored on the thoska card cannot be accessed.

For two euros per semester, which are paid with the semester fee, Students can go to events at the Theaterhaus JenaExternal link as well as the Jena Philharmonic OrchestraExternal link and the local museumsExternal link for free.

In order to get admission to events and institutions / museums without additional payment, students must first obtain tickets at the points of sale or box offices by submitting their student IDs (thoska).

If you have lost your card, then block it immediately in the thoska office. The Friedrich Schiller University Jena does not accept liability for improper use of lost cards by third parties. If you also use other university libraries, e.g. in Weimar, Erfurt, then you also have to report your card as lost there in order to prevent abuse. A fee of €10.00 is charged for a replacement card if it is lost or intentionally damaged. The fee can only be paid locally by debit card.

For security reasons, the lost cards being found again can only be re-activated if you can prove that you are its rightful owner. According to our experience, unlocking the access authorization or similar services lasts around 1 to 2 days at the student services organization Studierendenwerk and the Thuringian State and University Library Jena (ThULB). After this, your card should function as usual again. If a new thoska card is issued in the meantime, the original card can no longer be used for security reasons. The credit on the thoska card found can be refunded.

There are various potential faults:

The card is no longer valid. Re-validate the card at a validation station or contact the thoska office.

The device, e.g. copier/printer you wish to use, is defective, i.e. other users also can use the device with their thoska cards neither. Use another device in the vicinity. Ideally, you report the defect to a technician immediately (see the sticker on the machine) or to a nearby information desk.

Your card is probably defective, as other users can successfully use their cards. Please ensure that you have followed all steps to use the card correctly. If your card still does not work, please contact the thoska office.

Your card does not work and an error is displayed. It is probably a user-based error. For example, you may have terminated the payment process on the copier or at the canteen checkout too early. Go to this point/this device and enter the card into the reader once again. The error will automatically be resolved!

Generally, the thoska card remains in your possession. The credit on your card must be used up by the date of termination of enrolment. Afterwards, a transfer to your bank account or a payment in cash is not possible since the card is not valid as a student identity card anymore. This applies to all its features. Please contact the thoska office in the Student Service Centre if you have any further questions.

A trouser pocket is not a good idea. Card defects can be prevented by safely storing your thoska card. This particularly applies to the integrated antenna, the chip, and the writeable strips.

Please note the following aspects to prevent your card from any damages. Please protect it against dirt and scratches, do not bend it or put it under severe pressure. Protect it against extreme temperatures and keep it away from any magnetic fields.

We therefore recommend you to store your chip card in a solid card case, for example the one you received at the thoska office. Please clean your card regularly, however, only using a slightly wet cloth. You only need to take the thoska card out of the card case if you are about to use devices that require the card to be inserted (validation, copiers, validation stations). Otherwise, the card can remain in the card case.

When you charge your thoska card, you can buy food in the cafés of the Studierendenwerk or use it to pay for printing and copying. It is possible to add money to the thoska card in some cafés and canteens, too, and in many libraries. The sum selected while charging your card will be charged to your debit card.