Open our Student

bank account

You'll need:

• UK Passport or Drivers Licence (full or provisional)
• Proof of address - Drivers Licence, Utility bill or Bank statement 

We'll also ask for your UCAS student code, UK mobile number and email address.

During your application you’ll need to provide us with a valid email address as this is how we’ll contact you about your tastecard. You’ll need to register for Digital Banking or our Mobile App and choose to receive paperless statements within 6 months of opening your account. Once you’ve done this, we’ll send your tastecard redemption code to your email address.

Your UCAS code is the simplest way to show us you’re a student. It consists of 16 digits and is displayed in 4 x 4 blocks. Your UCAS code is used to electronically verify your student status and your account will be opened faster if you provide it in the application.

If you don't have your UCAS code you can still apply for a Student account. We'll just ask you to send us one of the letters you've received from UCAS to confirm your student status.

If you have lost your code contact UCAS on 0371 468 0468 who will reissue the email within 24 hours.

After you graduate your Student account will switch to a Graduate account. We’ll notify you about 60 days in advance so there's no unexpected surprises. 

You can choose to apply for an overdraft in your online Student application. You'll need to be 18+ years old and have lived in the UK for 3+ years.

If you're approved, the overdraft limit is £500 for the first term of your first year of study. You can apply to increase the overdraft up to £2,000 after the first term. You can add an overdraft to your account once your course has started.

You can only have one student account with Royal Bank at a time. If you try to open more than one Royal Bank student account you will only receive the benefits of the account once e.g. only one 4 year tastecard.

Banking My Way is a free service that allows you to record information about the support or adjustments you need to make banking easier. You can also let us know any additional support you may need to ensure all of our colleagues are aware of this. The information will be shared on our internal systems and therefore you will not need to repeat these requirements every time you interact with us. 

Once your account is open, you can record this through Digital Banking or with our colleagues in branches or over the phone.

Learn more about Banking My Way