Setting up a student bank account

Now it will come as no surprise but one major change when starting uni is how you handle your money! Whether it be that you're more financially independent than before or you have costs that you didn’t have previously, it never hurts to try and get as much financial help as available. A great way of making your budget stretch that little bit further is setting up a student bank account!

It isn’t essential to have a student bank account but it is definitely worth considering. Student bank accounts can offer a number of benefits such as having an over draft, good interest rates (if you’re in the positives) and help for budgeting at uni. Some can even offer incentives such as a free railcard for the first year!

If this is something that you’re interested in than it’s definitely something to look into now in the run up to September. Student bank accounts can differ on how easy they are to set up depending on who you choose to start the account with but nearly all are fast and easy to set up (most can be done online!) Many of these accounts will have certain requirements so it is important to read the terms and conditions before applying! For instance, many will require you to be at least 17 years old along with proof of study which can be your UCAS code (found easily on your UCAS account) or a letter of place confirmation from your university.

If you want more information it can definitely be worth looking at different banks websites or even visiting in person branches to see what the different benefits to a student bank account are! Staff are there to help you so if you are facing some difficulty make sure you speak to someone even if it is calling up or help services on bank websites.

Let me know if you have any questions or any current student have advice please comment them on this post!

-Yasmin (Kingston Rep)

(edited 1 year ago)