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Rejected Santander student bank account

I am currently on my gap year with a confirmed place at UoM, however I got declined a student bank account with Santander when I applied online. I talked to someone in one of their branches and he told me the rejection was due to my low credit score. I am only 18 years old and have no credit history at all, I have never worked or needed to pay any bills so far. Neither have most of my friends who applied for student banking last year, yet they weren't rejected, so how come I did? He advised me to get a credit building card and try again in a couple months, but I don't think I am eligible to even get one after checking online. I am very stuck on what to do next, or if I can even set up a student bank account for myself at all.

Anyone with the same issue or any advice for me? Much appreciated :smile:
Have you checked your credit report? Do you have any credit history at all (i.e. any accounts)? Try another bank and/or an account without a credit card/overdraft. It might also be worth filling out a DSAR from CIFAS to check if your name is on the CIFAS fraud database (sometimes branch staff will give a vague or erroneous reason as to why you're rejected without saying the actual reason).
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martin7
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Original post by Lyinda
I am currently on my gap year with a confirmed place at UoM, however I got declined a student bank account with Santander when I applied online. I talked to someone in one of their branches and he told me the rejection was due to my low credit score.

It's possible the "low credit score" is a red herring; but as @RedGiant suggests, it's worth checking with Cifas whether you have a Cifas marker.

You should also request your statutory credit report from each of the three main Credit Reference Agencies -- Experian, Equifax, TransUnion -- to make sure there's nothing incorrect on their records.

Also, make sure you're on the Electoral Roll.

Finally, it's possible that you've been rejected from the student account because you're not actually a student. Normally a bank will only open a student account for people who are currently studying, or whose course begins in the next few weeks. It's probably best not to apply for a student account until 6 weeks before your course begins (say, from mid-August onwards). In the mean time, try opening a normal current account and then switch it to a student account closer to your course start date.

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