Opening a bank account in NI or ROI

You should check with your chosen bank what documents they require in order to open a student account with them, but ordinarily at a minimum you will need photo ID, proof of address in either jurisdiction, and a letter from your college/university confirming that you are a student.

Comparing student bank accounts in ROI

• Competition and Consumer Protection Commission: Compare student current accounts 
• The Irish Times: Students, here is all you need to know about choosing the right bank (2021)

Comparing student bank accounts in NI

• Queens University Belfast guide to opening a bank account: qub.ac.uk
• Save the Student, the number one student money website in the UK: Best Student Bank Accounts 2022

Common cross-border questions

How will I receive my student finance from Student Finance NI? 

Payment of Student Finance NI maintenance loan/other grants 

• Must be paid into UK account

If you are studying in Northern Ireland and receiving a Tuition Fee Loan from Student Finance NI, this is paid directly to your university or college on your behalf once they have confirmed that you’ve registered on your course and are attending. Source: studentfinanceni.co.uk

If you are studying in the Republic of Ireland and receiving a Student Contribution Loan from Student Finance NI, this is paid directly to your university or college on your behalf once they have confirmed that you’ve registered on your course and are attending. Source: studentfinanceni.co.uk

If you are studying in NI or ROI and receiving a maintenance loan and/or any available grants from Student Finance NI these will be paid directly to you, so you’ll need a UK bank or building society account in your own name. Student Finance NI will not pay it into anyone else’s account. If you do not have an account when you apply, you’ll need to get one and let Student Finance NI know the details before it will release any payments. Source: Student Finance NI.

How will I receive my student finance from SUSI (Ireland)? 

Payments of SUSI maintenance grant  

• SUSI paid into ROI bank account – no issue
• SUSI paid into UK account – check that your NI account is set up to receive Euro payments and accepts Electronic Fund Transfers

If you are studying in the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland and receiving a fee grant from the Irish Student Grant Scheme (SUSI) these are paid directly to the college/institution on your behalf.

If you are studying in ROI or NI and receiving a maintenance grant from SUSI you will need a Euro bank account within the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) that can accept Electronic Fund Transfers (Ireland and the UK are included in SEPA). Source: SUSI.

If you have an ROI bank account this is straight forward. If you want to receive your student finance from SUSI into a UK bank account, you may need to open a sterling account and then open a separate Euro account with the UK bank. Please check with your bank if in doubt.

See also:

• Border People: Third level education: financial assistance

Page last updated January 2023

This webpage is for general information purposes only and while we endeavour to keep it up-to-date, errors may occur. It is very important that you check with the relevant body to ensure the information is current and is applicable to your situation.

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