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FlexStudent bank account

We think your student bank account should help you live your best life at university.

Kick things off with £100 cashback, £120 of Just Eat vouchers and an interest-free overdraft.

Apply for FlexStudent

Get freebies just for opening a student account

What's better than £100 cash? £100 cash and free food, of course.

When you open your FlexStudent account and pay in £500 before 13 December 2024 - the first bit of your student loan, for example - we'll give you:

  • £100 cashback, and
  • £120 of Just Eat vouchers – £10 per month for the first 12 months. Because sometimes it's nice to have something other than instant noodles or yet another bowl of pasta.

Your £100 will arrive within 14 calendar days of you paying in £500. And you'll get an email letting you know how to claim your Just Eat vouchers.

If you've benefited from a previous FlexStudent offer, or you had an open FlexStudent or FlexGraduate on 15 July 2024, you will not qualify for this offer.

We may change, replace or withdraw this offer at any time. Before you apply, it's important you read the full offer terms – PDF 59KB, (opens in a new window).

Dip into your interest-free overdraft

Doing everything you want to do at uni can really chomp away at your money. Our interest-free overdraft can help as a short-term way of borrowing.

  • You can apply for an interest-free arranged overdraft of up to £1,000 in your first year, up to £2,000 in your second year and up to £3,000 in your third year.
  • You'll need to pay in at least £500 each term, keep up with any bill payments and stay within your arranged overdraft limit.
  • After you graduate, you'll still have your overdraft – we'll just ask you to slowly pay it back over time.

To apply for FlexStudent

You need to:

  • be 18 or over
  • have been a UK resident for 3 or more years
  • not have another student bank account (if you do, you could move this to Nationwide)
  • have an unconditional offer or a confirmed conditional place on a full-time UCAS course of at least 2 years
  • be starting your course at a UK institution in 5 months or less, or have been on your course for less than 12 months
  • pay in at least £500 per term from the date the account is opened (this can be with your student loan).

Apply for our student bank account

Apply for a new student bank account with us today.

If you already have a current account with an arranged overdraft, you may need to switch your account to us.

Apply for FlexStudent

More about our £100 and Just Eat offer

Got any questions about our offer? Have you already qualified and need a hand claiming your Just Eat vouchers? Check our help page.

About our FlexStudent offer

Why open a student bank account with Nationwide?

Here are some of the other benefits you can expect when you bank with Nationwide.

We have one of the best student accounts you can get

As voted by our customers, we've been awarded Student Account Provider of the Year by Moneyfacts. Twice.

No charges to use your card abroad

Whether you're tucking into bratwurst in Berlin or gyros in Greece, there are no Nationwide charges for using your card abroad (but keep in mind individual sellers may still charge you).

Open a savings account with us too and you could get an extra £100 each year

For the last 2 years running, we’ve given a £100 Fairer Share Payment to all our eligible members. This included members who had a FlexStudent account as their everyday account and £100 in savings with Nationwide.

Just so you know, we may change the eligibility criteria and the payment is not guaranteed. It depends on how well we perform financially, but it's our intention to make a payment every year if we can.

You’ll also get:

  • Access to preferential savings rates – just because you're banking with us.

  • Over 600 branches up and down the UK – we understand that there may be a time when you want to talk to someone face to face.

  • Ongoing support – when you graduate, we will convert your FlexStudent account into a FlexGraduate account with an overdraft that remains interest-free and helps you gradually reduce your borrowing.

Bank how you want, when you want

You'll get all the standard benefits with your FlexStudent account:

  • Contactless mobile payments
    Pay quickly and easily with Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay.
  • a Visa debit card
    Buy things in shops with a tap using contactless.
  • Our banking app
    Keep on top of your money wherever you are.

The Nationwide banking app

Our app makes it easy to manage your money wherever student life takes you.

  1. Move money

    Easily pay bills and send money to friends and family.

  2. Make regular payments

    Set up standing orders and Direct Debits.

  1. Control your card

    Freeze your card if you think you've lost it. If it's definitely gone, report it lost or stolen and order a replacement.

  2. Buy things securely

    Quickly confirm it's you when making large purchases online.

Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and Google Pay are available on selected devices and operating systems. Apple Pay and Apple are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Google, Android, Google Pay and Google Wallet are trademarks of Google LLC. Samsung and Samsung Pay are trademarks or registered trademarks of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Our top student money management tips

Starting university is an exciting time. But it's normal to feel worried about managing your money by yourself.

Before your studies begin, read our top tips so you can feel more prepared.

We've got a guide on how to get ready before you go and how to budget while you study.

Our guide to managing your money

Our interest-free student arranged overdraft

Our arranged overdraft comes with no charges and no interest to pay. It's a form of short-term borrowing that gives a buffer if you think your spending might be more than the money you've got coming in. But remember, you'll have to pay it back after you graduate.

To get an arranged overdraft, you'll need to agree with us in advance an amount you can borrow if you have no money left in your bank account.

You'll need to pay in at least £500 each term, keep up with any bill payments and stay within your arranged overdraft limit.

Our student arranged overdrafts page can help you understand how repaying your arranged overdraft works. And we have an overdraft calculator to help you compare the cost of overdrafts for our different current accounts.

How it works while you’re at university

The maximum available limit you can ask us for increases in steady steps each year you’re studying, to help you manage your budget throughout your studies.

You can apply for an interest-free arranged overdraft up to:

  • £1,000 in your first year
  • £2,000 in your second year
  • £3,000 in your third year

Your limit will stay at £3,000 if your course is longer than 3 years.

Not sure what you’ll need?

Don't worry. You can apply for and change the limit of your arranged overdraft at any time.

We'll just need to look at your circumstances to see what we can offer you.

Planning on studying abroad?

You cannot increase your arranged overdraft limit if you live outside the UK, but you can usually keep the arranged overdraft you already have.

How it works after you graduate

Unless you make other arrangements, we'll move your FlexStudent to a FlexGraduate.

With a FlexGraduate:

  • you'll get a new Visa Debit card
  • you'll still get access to an interest-free arranged overdraft, but the limit you can ask for will reduce in steady steps each year
  • you can have the account for 3 years if your course was 3 years long or more or 2 years if your course was 2 years long. After that, we'll move you to a FlexDirect or FlexAccount.

You should reduce your overdraft each year to match the new limits. If you don't, your credit rating may be impacted.

Sprinkling some good on top

Because we're a mutual organisation owned by our members - everyone who banks, saves or has a mortgage with us – we can do things differently. Like donate 1% of our profits to charity.

We've partnered with Centrepoint, Action for Children and Dementia UK so we have the greatest possible impact to help those who have been dealt an unfair hand.

Read about our Fairer Futures programme

Apply for FlexStudent

When you apply for a FlexStudent current account, you can:

  • apply for a brand new bank account
  • switch your existing student current account with another building society or a bank to us, or
  • change your existing FlexOne to a FlexStudent.

Need help with your account?

Our current account help section has the answers to our most commonly asked questions

We also have a quick guide to using your current account covering your everyday banking.

Are you an international student?

You need to have been a UK resident for 3 years or more to apply for a FlexStudent account.

If you live in the UK, we have other current accounts that might be right for you.

Compare our bank accounts

Protecting your money

The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (opens in a new window) (FSCS) is a free, independent service that protects up to £85,000 of your eligible money at Nationwide.

Find out more about the FSCS - PDF, 2MB (opens in a new window)

Nationwide adheres to The Standards of Lending Practice, which are monitored and enforced by the LSB: www.lendingstandardsboard.org.uk (opens in a new window).