# Requesting Institution Access

Canonical page: https://carecard.ca/knowledge/care-card-guide/user-guide/institution-access







Before you can upload any documents, CareCard needs to know which institution,
campus, and program you belong to.

## If your institute pre-approved you [#if-your-institute-pre-approved-you]

Some institutions give their program coordinator a list of expected students
ahead of time. If your email or student number is on that list, your request
to join is approved automatically — it skips the coordinator's manual review
queue entirely.

<Callout type="info">
  You don't need to do anything differently to benefit from pre-approval — just request access as
  described below. If your institute pre-approved you, the request clears almost immediately instead
  of waiting for manual review.
</Callout>

## Request access to your institution [#request-access-to-your-institution]

If you don't already belong to an institution, your **Institution** page shows
an empty state:

<img alt="No institutions yet empty state with a Request Institution Access button" src="__img0" />

Select **Request Institution Access** to open the request form, then choose:

* **Institution** — pick from the suggested list, or select **Search
  Institution** to look one up by name
* **Campus**
* **Program year** and **Program semester** (only shown when your institution
  tracks them)
* **Program**
* **Role** — Student, Intern, or Volunteer

<img alt="Request institution access form filled in with Mock University, Main campus, and Student role selected" src="__img1" />

Select **Join Institution** to submit. If your primary email isn't verified
yet, you'll be asked to verify it before the request can go through.

<Callout type="warn">
  A verified primary email is required to request institution access. See the [Register
  guide](/care-card-guide/register) if you still need to verify yours.
</Callout>

## Check your request status [#check-your-request-status]

Your submitted requests and their status appear back on the **Home**
dashboard: **Pending**, **Approved**, **Info needed**, **Rejected**,
**Expired**, or **Cancelled**. If a reviewer marks your request **Info
needed**, check your messages for what they're asking for and reply there.

Once a request is **Approved** — automatically through pre-approval, or
manually by your institution's reviewer — your institution membership is
active and the **Requirements** page becomes available.

## After you're approved [#after-youre-approved]

Head to [Uploading Your Requirements](/care-card-guide/user-guide/requirements) to start
submitting the documents your program needs.