College is expensive. There's no question about that. Whether it's a community college or an Ivy League university, tuition costs you thousands of dollars. Even with scholarships, grants, and other financial aid, it can leave many of us broke—but it does come with some perks.
Did you know as a college student you can get a lot of discounts for many businesses? And not just discounted tickets to sports games or other events your campus hosts. You can get real discounts at stores all across the country on everything from clothing to food to electronics to travel fare.
Student discounts can take the edge off your college costs. Sure, it’s only a 10%–15% edge—but every little bit helps! Here are some of the best discounts for college students. Keep in mind that some of these discounts may vary from place to place, so always check to see if you’re at a “participating location” before assuming you’ll get a student discount and make sure to have your ID on you.
Clothing and apparel discounts
- Adidas: 30% off your purchase online and in stores
- Asos: 10% off full-price online orders
- Club Monaco: 15% off sale and full-priced items in store and online
- Express: 5% off regularly priced items
- J. Crew: 15% off regularly priced items
- Levi: 15% off regularly priced items
- Madewell: 15% off regularly priced items
- Nike: 10% off your online and Nike app purchases
Electronics and software discounts
- Adobe: Up to 70% off Creative Cloud
- Amazon Prime: 6 months free, then 50% off after
- Apple: 20% off select products
- Adorama: Discounts vary by tech items
- AT&T: $10 off per month for up to five phone lines
- Microsoft: Up to 10% off hardware and 50% off software
- Spotify: $5 per month for Spotify Premium and Hulu (with ads)
- Verizon: $10 off your phone and internet bills per month
- Headspace App: 85% off at only $9.99 per year
Related: Dollars and Devices: How to Make Tech Work on Your Student Budget
Restaurant discounts
- Arby’s: 10% off
- Buca di Beppo: 10% off
- Buffalo Wild Wings: 10% off
- Burger King: 10% off
- Chick-fil-A: Free drink with purchase
- Chipotle: Free drink with purchase
- Dairy Queen: 10% off
- Dunkin Donuts: 10% off orders of $6 or more
- Firehouse Subs: 10% off
- IHOP: 10% off
- Pizza Hut: 10% off
- Qdoba: $5 burrito deals or free drink with purchase
- Shoney’s: 15% off
- Sweet Tomatoes: 10% discount on healthy salad buffet
- Subway: 10% off
- Taco Bell: 15% off
- Waffle House: 10% off
Travel discounts
- Amtrack: 15% off when you book at least one day in advance
- Getaway: 15% off your booking
- United Airlines: 5% off flights with the United app and free MileagePlus account
Miscellaneous discounts
- AMC Movie Theaters: Discounts vary depending on location
- FedEx: 20%–30% off
- Regal Cinemas: Discounts vary depending on location
- Sam’s Club: Discounts with membership vary depending on location
Other places to ask for student discounts
- Museums
- Sight-seeing companies
- Small local businesses
Related: Real Student Advice to Save More Money in College
While these discounts may not seem like a lot, even 5% off is better than nothing. Some of these discounts don’t apply at every location, and you do sometimes have to ask if a location offers student prices. But the worst they will say is no! Do you really want to lose out on saving money just because you were too nervous to ask?
Also, there are tons of discounts this list does not cover. It doesn’t hurt to ask any business if they offer a student deal. Again, just have your college ID on you for proof, hold your head up, and ask away. Who knows, you may find an amazing student discount that no one else knows about! (If you do, please share it with the world so the rest of us college students can join in!)
A sure-fire way to save more money is to learn how to budget! Luckily, we've got the resources you need with The Best Budget Templates for Students to Master Money Management.
