<p>Do most UR students have checking accounts with Chase and banks like that? How does this work? Should I open a college student checking account with Chase?</p>
<p>and What about international students?</p>
<p>During freshman orientation, there is a welcome/activities center. (When D was a freshman, it was in the gym on move-in day.) There will be reps from all the local banks and one credit union there to open accounts for students. </p>
<p>D is now a junior and she has never opened a local bank account. Her account is with a regional bank in her hometown. She has never had any problems getting cash or making purchases with her out of state debit. The only issue that has come up is that UR will not direct deposit her paychecks. Annoying, but not insurmountable.</p>
<p>The ATMs on campus will charge you a service fee if you don’t have a Chase account, but there are ways to avoid the service fees. (Such as by using the cash back option when you make a debit purchase off campus, using off campus ATMs that are in your network, or using a bank that will reimburse you for transaction fees-- e.g. USAA, eTrade, Charles Schwab, etc.). </p>
<p>Just about everything on campus can be charged to your student flex account. Your student ID works kinda like a debit card for everything from textbooks and computer supplies to a cup of coffee at Starbucks to the washing machines in the dorm. </p>
<p>So no need to decide right now if you want to open an account or with which bank.</p>
<p>I’d imagine that an international student (except for Canadians) would need a US based bank account to manage their finances while in school.</p>
<p>My daughter is a graduating senior and did open a Chase account but not until last summer and only because she worked locally one job and a second part-time campus job-easier to deposit checks rather than mail home to local acct. I think the campus job would only do direct deposit for a local bank, which is different than my other experiences at other schools. It is nothing that you need to decide on immediately.</p>
<p>You can open a Chase student account on line at any time.</p>
<p>BTW, if you bank with a credit union already, you probably have reciprocity with the credit union(s) in Rochester. (Which means you can use their services/ATMs and not pay any service or transaction fees.)</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply!</p>
<p>I believe if you work on campus, you need a local account for direct deposit of paychecks.</p>