Improving your credit quickly and at the lowest possible cost should be your top priority as a student. Not only will this put you in a strong position as you enter the “real world,” but it could also help you qualify for one of the best student credit cards while your college/university email address is still active. With that in mind, our editors compared 1,000+ credit card offers in search of the best cards for students with bad credit, and you can find their selections below.
2017’s Best Credit Cards for Students with Bad Credit
| Best For… | Card Name | Editors’ Rating | One-Time Fee | Annual Fee | Minimum Deposit |
| No Security Deposit | Credit One Bank® Platinum Visa® | 3 Stars | $0 | $0 - $99 | $0 |
| International Travel | Capital One® Secured Mastercard® | 5 Stars | $0 | $0 | $49, $99 or $200 |
| No Credit Check | OpenSky℠ Secured Visa® Credit Card | 4 Stars | $0 | $35 | $200 |
| Rewards | Discover it® Secured Credit Card | 5 Stars | $0 | $0 | $200 |
If you happen to have bad credit as a student because of mistakes made with a credit card you were an authorized user on, things actually aren’t so bad. Authorized users aren’t responsible for making payments, so they can’t really be punished for mistakes made by the main accountholder. As a result, you can simply ask the major credit bureaus to remove any authorized-user accounts that have negative information associated with them. Doing so could immediately improve your credit standing and expand your credit-card options.