How to Sign up for the Best Buy Student Discount

Signing up for the Best Buy student discount isn’t much more difficult than signing up for a regular Best Buy account. The only difference is that you need to provide some extra information, like where you go to school, and you may also need to upload proof.

How to Use Your Best Buy Student Discount

Unlike a lot of student discounts, the Best Buy student discount isn’t automatic. It only applies to specific items, and it functions more like a coupon that you have to clip and turn in than a regular discount. The basic process requires you to use the Member Offers page to find an item that’s eligible for the discount, add that item to your cart, and then click the Apply button during checkout to actually receive the discount. Here’s what the process looks like from start to finish:

Who Is Eligible for the Best Buy Student Discount?

The requirements for the Best Buy student discount are specific, so it’s easy to tell if you qualify or not. If you are currently enrolled at a U.S. Title IV accredited college or university and you’re at least 18 years old, then you qualify. Four year universities, community colleges, and other accredited institutions all count, as long as they are U.S. Title IV accredited. If you aren’t sure whether your school qualifies, you can use the Federal Student Aid site to check if it is Title IV accredited.

What Does the Best Buy Student Discount Get You?

The Best Buy student discount provides you with access to deep discounts on computers, televisions, and a variety of other electronics. There is no standard discount amount, but you can typically expect to save hundreds of dollars on big-ticket items like computers and televisions. The other difference between the Best Buy student discount program and other student discounts is that you don’t receive a discount on everything. To take advantage of your discount, you can either look through a list of offers on the Best Buy Member Offers site or wait for the monthly Student Deals email.

How Does Best Buy Verify Student Enrollment?

When SheerID isn’t able to automatically verify your enrollment, it allows you to upload supporting documentation. For this process to work, you need to scan your student ID or have access to documents such as your current class schedule or an official enrollment letter if you haven’t started school yet.

What to Do When Automatic Verification Fails

When we tested Best Buy’s student discount program, we found that it automatically provided access to student discounts as soon as we signed up. In the event that the system is unable to verify your enrollment at a qualifying college or university, you will have to provide proof of your enrollment. Best Buy uses SheerID for enrollment verification, so if the site prompts you to provide additional information to SheerID, that’s normal. All you have to do is upload supporting documents to prove your enrollment and then wait for the manual verification. Here are some of the types of proof that SheerID accepts:

Current student ID cardCurrent class scheduleAn official enrollment letterA registration receiptAny official document from the school that states your name and verifies that you are currently enrolled

If you still aren’t able to access the student discount, even after providing documentation manually, contact Best Buy customer support for additional assistance. Someone may need to manually process your application.

What Happens to Your Student Discount When You Graduate?

The Best Buy student discount is only available if you’re enrolled at an accredited school. If you graduate or leave school for any reason, you’re no longer eligible for the discount. Unlike other companies that provide student discounts, Best Buy doesn’t have a specific procedure in place to force you to reverify your eligibility on a regular schedule. If Best Buy does ask you to reverify and you are no longer enrolled at a qualifying college or university, your account will be downgraded to a regular member account. Best Buy members still receive special deals and offers each month, but they are not eligible for additional student discounts.