Big List of Student Discounts
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Sterling College If you’re barely scraping by on your university student’s income (or Mom and Dad are giving you a very limited budget), then student discounts can really help you to stretch those funds until the end of the month. The following is a list of the major discounts obtainable to those with a valid student ID card (or college email address). (See also: 9 Places to Get Student Discounts)
Electronics
If you're looking for great deals on pricey gadgets for school, then look no further than the following section.
Apple Store for Education
The Apple Store for Education offers discounts its products (particularly favorable in regards to MacBooks and software) for college students and teachers, administrators, staff, and board members for K-12.
HP Pavilion
There are PC and laptop discounts for students and educators at HP Pavilion's store online.
Dell University
You can get discounts on PCs and laptops specially designed with students’ needs in mind at Dell University.
Sony Education Store
Students can find discounts of up to 10% on VAIO products upon checkout at the Sony Education Store.
Travel
Looking to travel on a budget as a college student? There are several deals created just for you!
Student Universe
One of the best websites offering low-cost flights and hotel bookings for students is StudentUniverse.com. I’ve used this one personally, and most flight offerings were much less than the stated price on airline websites, and even less than most other “discount travel” sites.
American Airlines
One of the biggest airlines in the U.S., American Airlines offers flight discounts for current college students, including 5% on land components (hotels, tours, rental cars, theme park tickets, etc.) when booking through their site.
Student Air Travel Association
One of the biggest travel agencies in the world is the Student Air Travel Association, targeting the traveling college student crowd.
Squaw Valley Lift Tickets
College students can find $59 Squaw Valley Lift Tickets (regularly $70-84) at the world-renowned skiing resort that once hosted the Winter Olympics. You can check to see if your local ski area offers discounts as well.
Food
Restaurants in college towns love university students for two reasons: they eat a lot, and they tell their friends afterwards (assuming the food was good). Relying on word of mouth marketing is crucial to these food joints staying in business, so they often offer student specials throughout the week. You never know which restaurants and fast food places may offer a student discount, so be sure to carry your school ID with you wherever you go, just in case.
Entertainment
Looking for a way to spend a few hours without a lot of cash? Check out the following options for entertainment.
Regal Movie Theaters
Students can get discounted movie tickets on select days at Regal Movie Theaters (price depends on location).
Several other movie theaters offer discounts for students as well. For more information, either call or check the website of your local cinema.
Broadway Shows
To help students save money and still get to see their favorite performances, many Broadway shows have begun offering tickets through a Student Rush pricing structure.
For smaller theaters, especially those on high school or university campuses, student discounts are usually offered to those who bring a form of ID. To see if a local theater offers student discounts, give them a call or check for ticketing options online.
Museums
Across the country, there are hundreds of museums that value their educationally inclined visitors and often have significant discounts offered to high school and college students with valid ID cards. For example, Columbia University students get free admission to 34 museums in New York through the CU Arts Program. The same applies for many other cities, so be sure to contact the museum before purchasing tickets. You might be able to save as much as 50% or more off of the regular admission price!
Basics
The following three items listed do not fit into a specific category, but they are too good not to mention.
International Student Identity Card
The International Student Identity Card has over 4.5 million members worldwide and over 40,000 discounts currently offered to members. This includes language schools, transportation, magazines, hostels, motels, clothing, etc.
Amazon Student
Free two-day shipping on millions of items and special deals and promotions offered frequently to members of Amazon Student.
Sam's Club
Get a $15 gift card through the Sam’s Club collegiate program when you sign up or renew your membership. This gives you access to the low prices on their entire inventory, saving you a bundle while struggling to get by in college.
What about your college town? Feel free to share other student discounts that you know about in the comments below.
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The independent movie theater in my college town had a student night -- I think it was Tuesdays. That was awesome. I'm pretty sure the independent-film-showing chain in Philadelphia, the Ritz, has student nights too, although I'm not sure if that's changed since they went under new ownership.
If you are going back to school for retraining or taking a class at community college with a college ID, then you might qualify for these deals as well.