Yes, a student can get a credit card, but if you’re under 21, federal law makes you clear an extra step first. The Credit CARD Act of 2009 requires applicants under 21 to show either their own income sufficient to make minimum payments or an adult cosigner who accepts joint liability.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1637 – Open End Consumer Credit Plans Once you meet that requirement, applying for a student card is quick, and cards designed for students are built for people with thin or no credit history.
The Under-21 Rule
No issuer can open a credit card account for someone under 21 unless the written application shows independent income to cover minimum payments or a cosigner who is at least 21 and willing to be jointly liable for the debt.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1637 – Open End Consumer Credit Plans The cosigner can be a parent, legal guardian, spouse, or any other qualifying adult.
The statutory cosigner path exists, but in practice it has narrowed. None of the top ten credit card issuers currently accept cosigners on student cards. Some local banks and credit unions still do. If you’re applying at Chase, Capital One, Citi, or another large national bank, you’ll need to qualify on your own income, which means most students under 21 need a job, paid internship, or other verifiable earnings.
After you turn 21, these special rules fall away and issuers evaluate you under the general ability-to-pay standards that apply to any adult applicant, which are more flexible about whose income you can list.
What Counts as Your Own Income
For applicants under 21, Regulation Z requires proof of independent ability to make minimum payments, and issuers cannot count income from parents, household members, or anyone else not jointly liable on the account.2Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 12 CFR Part 1026 Regulation Z – Section 1026.51 The income has to be yours.
Sources that qualify include:
- Wages from part-time jobs, work-study, freelance work, or paid internships.
- Scholarship and grant funds left over after tuition and required fees are paid, when those funds are disbursed to you for living expenses.
- Regular deposits into an account you hold. Regulation Z permits issuers to count income “deposited regularly into an account on which the consumer is an accountholder,” even if the money comes from someone else. Not every issuer interprets this the same way, but if your parents transfer a set amount into your checking account each month, the regulation allows you to include it.2Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 12 CFR Part 1026 Regulation Z – Section 1026.51
If you’re 21 or older, you can also include any income you have a reasonable expectation of accessing, including a spouse’s salary or household income that regularly covers your expenses.2Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 12 CFR Part 1026 Regulation Z – Section 1026.51 Qualification gets meaningfully easier at 21.
How Much Income Do You Need?
There’s no published minimum. Issuers look at whether your income can cover minimum payments on the credit line they’re considering. Student cards typically start with limits between $500 and $1,000, so the minimum payment on a maxed-out card might be $25 to $35 a month. Modest part-time earnings can clear that bar. The issuer weighs your income against your existing debts and your monthly housing costs.
What to Have Ready Before You Apply
Most student card applications are submitted online and take under ten minutes if you have your information ready. Expect to enter:
- Full legal name, date of birth, and Social Security number.
- Permanent home address and, if different, your campus or dorm address.
- Gross annual income before taxes, including qualifying scholarship funds disbursed for living expenses.
- The name and location of your college, and your expected graduation date.
- Monthly housing payment (enter zero if you live at home rent-free).
Keep recent pay stubs, bank statements showing regular deposits, or your financial aid award letter accessible. Issuers don’t always ask for documentation upfront, but they may request verification if your stated income looks inconsistent with your profile or if the application goes to manual review.
The income figure needs to be honest. Making a false statement on a credit application to an FDIC-insured bank is a federal offense under 18 U.S.C. ยง 1014, with penalties of up to $1,000,000 in fines and 30 years in prison.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1014 – Loan and Credit Applications Generally Nobody is going to federal prison over an inflated student card application, but issuers do flag inconsistencies, and a denial for suspected misrepresentation is harder to recover from than a denial based on a truthful but modest income.
What Happens After You Submit
One of three things follows. Many applications get an instant decision from automated underwriting that checks identity, income, and credit report data in seconds. Some land in a pending status where a human reviewer needs to verify enrollment or income, which can take a few days to about two weeks. If you’re denied, the issuer must send an adverse action notice explaining the reason, which tells you what to address before applying again.
An approved card typically ships within seven to ten business days. Activation happens through the issuer’s website or the phone number on the card’s activation sticker.
Costs to Watch
As of late 2025, the average interest rate on credit card accounts was about 21%.4Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Commercial Bank Interest Rate on Credit Card Plans, All Accounts Student cards sit in that range, sometimes slightly higher because the issuer takes on more risk with a thin-file borrower.
That rate only affects you if you carry a balance. Pay the full statement balance by the due date each month and you pay zero interest. Build that habit early. Carrying even a few hundred dollars at 21% adds up quickly.
Late fees are the other cost. Under current federal safe harbor rules, issuers can charge up to roughly $32 for a first late payment and $43 for a second late payment within the next six billing cycles. A payment 30 or more days late also gets reported to the credit bureaus and can damage the credit score you’re trying to build. Setting up autopay for at least the minimum payment removes that risk.
Most student cards charge no annual fee. If one does, that’s usually a signal to keep looking.
If You Can’t Qualify Yet
Authorized User on a Family Member’s Card
If you’re under 21 without your own income, becoming an authorized user on a parent’s or family member’s card is the most practical way to start building credit. The primary cardholder asks their issuer to add you, and you receive your own card tied to their account.
The account’s history appears on your credit reports. If the primary cardholder has held the card for years with on-time payments and low balances, that positive history is added to your file. Some issuers begin reporting authorized users right away; others wait until you turn 18. Minimum age requirements range from 13 to 18, and several major banks set no minimum at all.
As an authorized user, you’re not legally responsible for the bill. That’s what makes it lower-risk for both sides, but it also means you need a clear agreement about spending. The reverse also matters: if the primary cardholder misses payments or runs up balances, that negative history can drag your credit down too. A year or two of authorized user history is often enough to qualify for your own student card.
Secured Credit Card
If you can’t qualify for a traditional student card and don’t have anyone to add you as an authorized user, a secured card is the next option. Secured cards require a refundable cash deposit, typically $200 to $300, which becomes your credit limit. The deposit protects the issuer, which is why these cards are available to people with no credit history.
Secured cards work like any other credit card for purchases and credit reporting. The major bureaus receive your payment history just as they would from an unsecured card. After a stretch of on-time payments, many issuers will upgrade the account to unsecured and refund the deposit, often within about a year. The deposit is the main hurdle, but it’s money you get back.
A Note for International Students
Most credit card applications require a Social Security number. If you’re on an F-1, J-1, M-1, or Q-1 visa and working in the United States, you’re eligible to apply for an SSN through the Social Security Administration.5Internal Revenue Service. Taxpayer Identification Numbers (TINs) for Foreign Students and Scholars Once you have one, student card applications work the same as they do for domestic students.
If you’re not eligible for an SSN, you can apply for an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number using IRS Form W-7 if you have a valid tax-filing reason.5Internal Revenue Service. Taxpayer Identification Numbers (TINs) for Foreign Students and Scholars Some issuers accept ITINs, though availability is limited. Secured cards tend to be the most accessible option for international students still building a U.S. financial footprint, because the deposit reduces the issuer’s risk and identification requirements are sometimes more flexible.