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£100 and a free 4 year tastecard. Criteria and T&Cs apply.

Open our Student bank account

Student bank account offer

£100 cash offer and a four year tastecard

Open a Royal Bank Student account and receive £100 and a free 4 year tastecard worth £55.00 per year*

 

*Annual tastecard value excluding any offers. Correct as of May 2024.

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Student Offer

£100 and a free 4 year tastecard*.

Get £100 in cash.

Get an annual tastecard, worth £55.00 per year*. Eating in or dining out, enjoy 2 for 1 meals, 50% off your food bill or 25% off your entire bill at thousands of UK restaurants. With exclusive offers for students with discounts on movie streaming, attractions, membership perks with a tastecard membership. Valid for 4 years.

Receive your cash offer within 10 days of opening your account. We'll send your tasetcard redemption code to your email address. Offer T&Cs apply.

This offer can be withdrawn at any time due to limited availabilty. 

If you have received a student offer from Royal Bank at any time from 1st July 2020 you will not be eligible.

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Why apply for our Student bank account?

Whether you’re already enjoying university life or planning ahead and thinking about your first year on campus, you could apply to open a Student account with Royal Bank of Scotland today. 

What else could you get?

Interest-free overdraft - get an overdraft of up to £2,000 from year one (Limited to £500 in term one, year one) with an instant online decision. Students can apply for up to £3,250 interest free from year three onwards.

No monthly Student current account fees.

More ways to pay

Debit card

Brand-new plastic

Shop online or pay in-store with a new student debit card.

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Contactless

Shop, tap and go

Tap-and-bleep your debit card to check out up to £100 in shops, restaurants, and more.

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Apple or Google Pay

Banking for any device

Paying for items on your iPhone or Android is simple. You can use it to pay for things online or in-store with a tap.  Criteria and retailer limits apply.

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Are you an international student?

If you’ve lived in the UK for more than 3 years, you can apply for our Student account. If you’ve lived in the UK for less than 3 years you’re recognised by us as an international student and are not eligible for our Student account. See our current accounts hub for more options. 

Switch to Royal Bank

The Current Account Switch Service will do all the work when it comes to switching, moving everything across from your old account all within 7 working days, including Direct Debits and standing orders. All you need to do is tell us the details of your old bank account and when you want the Switch to start.

We can not switch savings accounts or ISAs through this service. Any other products you have with your old bank will not be moved at the same time.

Current Account Switch Guarantee (PDF, 39KB)

A Guide to Switching Current Accounts (PDF, 3MB)

How does the Switch Service work?

Make use of a student overdraft

Our Student bank account comes with an interest-free overdraft. A quarter of students budget and monitor their spending. But around one in three are still short of money by the end of the month, says our annual Student living index.

That's when your overdraft may come in handy as a short-term option. And because it’s interest-free, you won’t pay any interest on what you’ve spent.

Interest-free overdraft - get an overdraft of up to £2,000  from year one (Limited to £500 in term one, year one) with an instant online decision. Students can apply for up to £3,250 interest-free from year three onwards. 

Manage your Student account with our app

See how much you have in your Student current account and transfer money between accounts from your smartphone. Students save on average £109 per month, according to our Student Living Index 2023. Easily move money into your savings account with our app.

Student FAQs

Get ready to apply

Before you apply, we need to check you're happy with a few things. And ask you a few questions up front. Then we can make your application as quick and simple as it can be.

First things first. You can apply if you:

  • are aged over 17 and have been living in the UK for at least 3 years
  • are completing a full-time undergraduate course that lasts at least 2 years, completing a full-time post-graduate course, or are training as a nurse at a UK university or college of higher education
  • Have your unique 16 digit UCAS status code
  • are completing a course that has already started, or is starting within the next 6 months.

Now please take a look at the important legal info

If you carry on applying, it means you're happy with what's in these documents, including the FSCS information sheet. And happy to view your statements in Digital Banking - not posted. Please take some time to review, print and/or save the important information.

How your information might be used

It's important for you to understand how we use and share your information. Please read this short summary before you continue with your application.

All okay? You’re nearly ready to start.

To speed up your application for our Student account, we need to do a few final checks with you. They'll only take a minute.

Do we already know you?
Have you lived in the UK for:
Are you ready to provide us with your UCAS code?
To confirm you’re a student and eligible for this account we require your unique 16-digit UCAS code. If you can’t find your code, log into your UCAS hub or contact UCAS on 0371 468 0468 before starting the application.

You're all set

Your application will be completely online, as part of our checks we'll ask our partner Mitek to confirm your identity using; 

  • Proof of your UK student status, such as your: UCAS status code.
  • We’ll do this by matching your Photo ID to a selfie of you. You’ll need a device with a camera to upload these. We might also ask for other information like proof of address.  If you don’t have your ID to hand, you can finish this step later. 
  • Photo ID, which must be a Passport, UK or EU/EEA Driving Licence or an EU/EEA National ID card
  • Proof of your address, such as a utility bill, bank statement, driving license, UCAS letter, Student Finance letter or a letter from your University​.

Sorry you can’t apply for a Student account at the moment

We need to confirm you are eligible for a Student account and the unique UCAS code is the fastest way to prove this.

If you are a full time undergraduate student (on at least a 2 year course at a UK University / College), a full time postgraduate or on a nursing course lasting a year or more, you will have been provided with a UCAS code. You can apply within 6 months of your course start date. Part Time students including apprenticeships are excluded.

Don’t worry, we have a range of other current accounts which may suit your bankings needs.

Sorry, you can't apply for this account

Sorry, we can’t offer you the Student account.

You can view our full range of accounts and apply for a suitable one.

Do you have our app on a mobile device?
You can apply using either the mobile app or online banking. The mobile app is easier and quicker as we can prefill some of your information.

Great, let's get started

Just a heads up, you'll need to take a few steps to start your application.  

  1. If you're already using a device with the Royal Bank app, select the 'Start application' button below. Using a desktop? Simply scan the QR code with your mobile device that has the Royal Bank app.
  2. Once logged in, select 'Current Accounts'. 
  3. Then choose what type of account you would like to open, change or switch to, and follow the instructions within app to start your application. 

Can't scan the QR code?

Do you have RBS Digital Banking?

Log in to Digital Banking

  1. Enter your customer number or 16-digit card number to get started. 
  2. You'll then need to enter your Digital Banking pin and password.
  3. Once you're logged in, select 'Current accounts' from the product list. 
  4. Finally, choose the account you want to apply for and complete your application.

Let’s get you signed up for Digital Banking

You’ll need to sign up for Digital Banking with us in order to apply for a Student account. The good news is that it normally takes only 5 minutes and all you’ll need is your sort code, account number and your Royal Bank Debit Card, if you have one.

Once you’ve registered, select ‘Next’ to log in and apply for a Student account. 

Log in to Royal Bank Digital Banking

  1. Enter your customer number or 16-digit card number to get started. 
  2. You'll then need to enter your Digital Banking pin and password.
  3. Once you're logged in, select 'Current accounts' from the product list. 
  4. Finally, choose the account you want to apply for and complete your application.

Forgotten your Digital Banking Details?

If you've forgotten your log in details, don't worry, select 'Reset my Digital Banking' for further instructions. 

How to download and apply via the app

First, download the app, then:

  1. On your mobile or tablet, open the camera and point your device at the QR code.
  2. Follow the link that pops up to download the app.
  3. Use your details to log in, then select ‘Apply’ at the bottom of the app.

Can't scan the QR code?

Available on selected devices.