For anyone that wants to attempt to get a railcard, open a new Natwest account (or use an existing one) and place all of your money into there. As long as you have at least a few hundred or a thousand+, call their dedicated student railcard helpline that you can find on their main website and explain that you would love to stay with Natwest, but X bank is offering X introductory offer and that you will be looking to move over to them. Explain that the ONLY reason you had opened a Natwest account was for the railcard offer and that you'll be looking to move your thousands over to the other bank, as well as the ~£9000 you'll be receiving this September, as a result. Stand your ground and don't say anything else - let them talk.
That is the best shot.