Unified Access Control Takes Center Stage as Campus Security Leaders Tackle 2026 Challenges

Regardless of industry or building type, owners, administrators and executives will take concrete steps in 2026 to keep their campuses safe.

Campuses are moving away from point solutions and adopting a platform approach that lets them scale and adapt access control solutions as needs change. Platforms offer significant advantages, including easier integration with third-party systems, greater flexibility for upgrades and expansions and the ability to pick best-of-breed solutions, rather than using one vendor for everything.

Related Article: Biometrics Fights College Retail Fraud While Improving Store Operations

Respondents to a recent physical access survey reinforced the shift toward software-driven security solutions that unify such physical access control systems (PACS) as video surveillance, access control and intrusion detection into a single platform, a trend seen by 67% of security leaders and 73% of integrators and consultants.

In addition to industry trends, each campus type has its own unique challenges. Read on to discover the top access control trends for K-12, higher education, campus healthcare and corporate campuses.

——Article Continues Below——

Top K-12 Access Control Trends

Every school type, every K-12 campus and every district administrative building has its own needs, culture and challenges. Creating an effective and comprehensive school safety plan requires specialized expertise. These four trends will dominate efforts in 2026.

1. Shift to Unified, District-Wide Access Control: Schools are moving away from standalone security products toward integrated platforms that tie together access control, video, alarms and visitor management for faster, coordinated emergency response. Creating a district-wide safety and security committee can help determine needs at a holistic level and then outline the best approaches.
2. Layered Security from the Inside Out: Districts are focusing on securing not just building perimeters, but every layer, with additional security to address exterior doors, vestibules, classrooms and interior spaces. Particularly useful are unified access control systems offering district-wide command, contain, control and communication capabilities that can identify who is entering the building in real time.
3. Automated Lockdown and Remote Door Control: Electronic locks integrated with a central platform can enable instant, system-wide lockdowns and door control, reducing human error during emergencies. Studies show a 60% reduction in casualties and 79% fewer deaths during school shooting incidents where classroom doors could be locked.
4. Mobile Access for Staff and First Responders: If emergency responders have mobile credentials on their phones, they can immediately enter a building to provide aid. With a unified access control and life safety platform that links access, video, alarms and numbered doors, emergency rapid entry can be communicated to first responders based on real-time visualization intelligence and executed with pinpoint accuracy and situational awareness.

Top Higher Education Access Control Trends

Colleges and universities require secure and flexible access control solutions both for safeguarding people, assets and data and for connecting students to services and applications across campus. These trends help connect students and staff while promoting a safety-first culture.

Related Article: Mobile Credentials Emerge as Leading Access Control Option

1. Shift to Mobile-First Campus Credentials: Mobile phones are ubiquitous on college campuses, with 97% of adults ages 18-29 owning a smartphone. Universities are replacing physical ID cards with mobile IDs to meet student expectations for convenience, security and seamless campus experiences.
2. Centralized, Real-Time Access Management: Managing mobile identities is simple using a cloud-based portal, and enrollment is straightforward through invitations to students, faculty and staff to download an app for mobile access. Contractors and other temporary users receive their own access via this process as well. Administrators can remotely provision, modify and revoke access instantly across multiple campuses and systems, improving safety and operational efficiency.
3. Enhanced Security through Modern Authentication: Mobile credentials leverage biometrics, encryption and multifactor authentication (MFA), reducing risks from outdated magstripe/proximity cards and shared PIN codes. Unlike physical IDs and access cards, mobile phones are rarely shared. Also, mobile access saves staff and student time by eliminating the need for staff to create and students to pick up physical IDs.
4. Expansion of Mobile Access Beyond Doors: Mobile IDs are increasingly used for everything — dorms, dining, point-of-sale transactions, transit, parking, recreation, printing, events and more — creating a unified digital campus ecosystem. One credential for all access needs also promotes sustainability efforts to reduce waste.

Top College Campus Healthcare Access Control Trends

Although there is significant overlap in the access control needs of colleges and their healthcare facilities, campus health centers handle sensitive situations and student medical data that require more stringent security measures.

Related Article: Security Industry Embracing Mobile Credentials, Biometrics and AI, HID Study Reveals

1. Integrated Physical + Digital Access (“One Credential”) Models: Campus clinics are shifting toward unified systems where a single ID (card or mobile credential) controls building entry, electronic healthcare record (HER) access, medication cabinets and more. This reduces silos and improve audit trails to strike the right balance between access and student privacy.
2. Layered, Role-Based Security to Balance Openness and Safety: Flexible, tiered access levels help maintain an open, student-friendly environment while protecting sensitive areas, behavioral-health spaces and regulated data. Facility records are governed by FERPA or HIPAA, making restricting access based on job role especially critical for protecting student data.
3. Future-Ready, Modular Upgrades (Mobile + Biometrics): Universities are adopting phased enhancements — upgrading readers, adding mobile IDs, and introducing biometric authentication — to meet evolving compliance and workflow needs. By promoting software interoperability, college clinics are upgrading for today while laying the groundwork for any future enhancements.
4. Greater Use of Automation for Compliance and Efficiency: Automated reporting and credential management reduce administrative burden, support bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies and improve accuracy. Healthcare organizations, including campus health centers, using automated compliance tools experience up to 30% fewer misidentification incidents, save more than 20 minutes per staff shift and complete audits 50% faster — efficiency gains that mean more time caring for students.

Top Corporate Campus Access Control Trends

Corporate campus security leaders must juggle rising challenges that include strengthening cyber defenses, managing tight budgets, integrating legacy and new systems and balancing privacy with security, all while exploring emerging technologies like artificials intelligence (AI). Here are four key trends.

1. Greater Reliance on Biometrics: Biometric technologies are increasingly being integrated into multi-factor authentication (MFA) strategies for an additional layer of security, especially in highly regulated industries. Biometrics reduce the risks associated with traditional login or access credentials while enhancing user convenience.
2. Mobile Use Continues to Proliferate: Mobile credentials eliminate the need for physical cards or fobs, offering a secure, convenient and scalable alternative. Features such as biometric authentication, encrypted communication and remote management enhance security and operational efficiency while supporting sustainability goals.
3. Security Platforms Promote Unified Security Management: Adopting a platform approach empowers security teams to deliver greater business value by leveraging data for organization-wide intelligence and real-time decision-making. Unified security management offers significant benefits, including improved operational efficiency, simplified management for faster incident response, enhanced visibility across systems and cost savings.
4. Creating Efficiencies with AI: Artificial intelligence in general and AI agents specifically are transforming the security industry with applications in access control, identity management and security management platforms that offer enhanced efficiency and

Campuses of All Types Embracing Unification

Across many types of campus, security is evolving from hardware-based silos to software-driven ecosystems. Unified platforms now anchor safety strategies, integrating systems, streamlining management, and enabling mobile and biometric credentials.

No matter the environment, message is clear: the future of access control lies in unification. Intelligent, flexible, and scalable platforms are redefining how we protect people, assets as well as data, setting the stage for a more connected and resilient 2026.

Mike Garcia is K-12 evangelist with HID.

Note: The views expressed by guest bloggers and contributors are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, Campus Safety.