Please Help with Student Bank Accounts!

Do choose carefully which bank you want to go with as it's a lifetime choice

Thank you so much for replying so quickly!! (and sorry for this late reply)So basically should I make an appointment with a bank in order to tell them my situation - then I ask for a standard bank account which will turn into a student bank account when I receive that UCAS acceptance letter - right? However, do you also know whether there'll be a problem in making the bank account or receiving that acceptance letter due to the fact that I will defer my entry at uni (as I'm reapplying at another at the same time) ?Also I have a couple of other questions if you don't mind.. So does interest free overdraft mean that if I go over the money I have on my card then I won't have to pay extra when I pay them back, just the exact money that I took, right?I'm a bit scared now that you said it's a lifetime choice, to choose which one.. I came across this link on student room where it explains the differences between all the banks.. But could you give me a piece of advice when choosing? As I don't just want to go with a bank just because of a slightly better advantage at the beginning.. I'm thinking at the long term advantages too..does that even make sense? Furthermore, do you know whether when opening a bank account you must have passport, or is an identity card enough? As I'm an EU national and I have never needed a passport for anything as the id was the same.. I am thinking of getting one though, but it will have to be in my country and that's only possible when I'll go in holiday later next year..Regarding the student loan, I know it's very advised to apply as early as possible, however I actually cannot apply any earlier than the beginning of July next year (I have to reapply) because this is when I will have 5 years of residency here.. But it's worth receiving maintenance loan even with delay, because at least I still get it..isn't it?Thank you again I appreciate lots the help on this website!

I've changed banks twice with no hassle.

Hey!
I'm a year 13 student that recently finished school and thinking to take a gap year to reapply to Dentistry but at the same time deferring my entry for Biochemistry (in case I don't get into Dentistry the second time). I want to apply to student finance now (I know the deadline was ages ago..) just in case I change my mind when I see my results on the 18th of August. The only problem is that they want my personal bank account..I don't yet even have a bank account.. So obviously now I'm looking into getting one asap but since I'm so bad when it comes to banks and money management, I decided to ask here someone to kindly explain what to do.
Basically, I don't even know what to get now.. a normal bank account or a student bank account (what's the difference anyway?) as I don't think I qualify to get neither or do I?... I just went on HSBC website and says I need "unconditional proof of acceptance onto a qualifying course qualifying course i.e. your UCAS slip or letter from your university/college " which I have no idea what it is..Do I need to go to uni in September now to get this?
As a side note I need this bank account to get paid when I will be working part time in this gap year..
So can someone answer this questions and maybe just give me an outline on how to use a bank account.. I know it sounds stupid but I honestly don't understand anything, like does the government pay you maintenance loan on this student bank card and you can also earn money from part time job and they go on the card? Also what is this UCAS status code I received by email?
Thank you so much for reading this long message ! Your help would be much appreciated

Its time to wise up to the real world. No more studying here. But you do need to know the basics and a bank account is right in there. Any bank account will do, but some offer special facilities and service to students which are definitely worth having. Interest free overdrafts, free railcards and more besides. For an authoritative view on anything money, go here but start with bank accounts:

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/students/Student-bank-account

Good luck!

Thanks for the website I was currently looking on it (knew about it from a teacher last year but never gave it a try)

You don't need a student account if you do go uni but you do need to have a current account (typical account). If I were you I'd apply for one right away as setting up your first account can take some time.

Student loan goes into a normal account. Student account is only really there for the no interest overdraft which you might end up having to use while at uni.

No point getting a normal account and then swapping it for a student account. You're better off then having two accounts. One current and one student account

Goddamn but did you mess up. if you had applied in time, it would've been 3 years and you would have gotten full maintenance. The maintenance loan is given depending on your residency at the start of your course so if you start this year, you will not get it at all for any of the 3-4 years your course is. If you want to get the loan, which I recommend, you will have to wait for next year entry.

As for the bank account, you can get a currents one which is just a regular one. They do need some information from you like ID and, since you're EU national, usually support from someone who has a bank account or a letter from school/college/work. What exactly is needed can be found on bank websites as it varies slightly by bank.

Thanks for the help
Well since I'm taking a gap year I won't be able to get a student account anyway, right? So will start a standard one as soon as I can; I've been advised to go with Santander as it's apparently pretty good, do you agree?

Hahaha very dramatic you! I didn't actually mess up with student finance, you must have misunderstood what I said. Basically I didn't even need to apply for SF this year as I knew before even you could apply for it that I'm going to take a gap year to reapply for Dentistry. When you take a gap year and want to go uni the following year, even if you applied when before it doesn't matter as you must apply again for it. I called them to ask about this because obviously I knew about the 3 years requirement changing to 5, but they said when I reapply it will be 5 anyway. There's a problem when applying next year however as requiring 5 years means I will have to apply 'with intentional delay' missing the deadline (which my headteacher said it doesn't matter- you can apply even 9 months after the course started) because I'll need to wait until I have exactly 5 years which unfortunately is at the beginning of July 2017, not in May..
Do you mean that I could get help from my parents which have a bank account?
Thanks

That's right. You're going to have to wait until your place next year is confirmed until you can get a student account.

Yeah Santander is one of the really good banks so if you can open an account with them, then go for it

You don't need to apply late. They calculate it from the course start date so if you apply in march, you will just need to show you being in uk from September 2012(?) To the date that you've applied and since you're applying for uni it's assumed you're not going to leave anytime soon.

For the bank account, most just need your ID and address if you are going to work and a letter confirming your place if you're studying. So you should be able to get any regular current account. Some banks require extra information since you're EU national. For example, I had a friend who came here to find a job but they wouldn't give her an account until she got a job and showed them proof of it to make sure she's staying in the country. And another one had to have someone who has had an account with them for at least 6months to support her application.

But considering you've been in the country for so long it should be fine.

Oh wow really didn't know that! Thanks so much Do you recommend ringing SF just to be sure that I can apply like you said? Because obviously if I can, then as soon as they start receiving applications I will apply straight away. I thought I need to wait until the time I arrived here which is in july 2012 in order to apply with that new requirement of 5 years of residency, but actually it would be better if it's like you said as I can only prove I moved here at the of beginning September 2012 when we moved into our house (stayed at relatives until that so of course no bills from our house) . The earliest water bill is from 2nd of September and that's very important document to keep as evidence right?