All full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students aged 18 and over may be eligible for an 18+ Student Oyster photocard, which provides a 30 per cent travel discount on most Transport for London (TfL) services.

The 18+ Student Oyster photocard enables you to buy Travelcards and Bus & Tram Pass season tickets at 30 per cent off the equivalent adult weekly and monthly fares. These are for use on:

• National Rail trains in the London area
• the London Underground (the tube)
• Docklands Light Railway
• Tramlink
• London bus services

To be eligible for the 18+ Student Oyster photocard, you must be aged 18, be living at a London address during term time AND be one of the following:

• a full-time student enrolled on a full-time course, consisting of 15 or more tuition-led and/or structured learning hours a week over a period of at least 14 weeks
• receiving NHS Bursary funds as a full-time student (proof is required)
• a full-time postgraduate student (e.g. studying or writing up for 15 or more hours per week)
• a part-time student on a course lasting at least 14 weeks and receiving an NHS bursary funds (you must provide evidence of this)
• a part-time postgraduate student on a course lasting at least 14 weeks and in receipt of hardship funding
• a sabbatical officer
• a full-time student as defined above on mandatory work placement in London for a minimum period of 14 weeks

Please be aware that part-time students are generally not eligible under the terms of the 18+ Student Oyster photocard scheme, and applications will not be approved automatically.

If you are a part-time student and believe that you qualify for an 18+ Student Oyster Photocard, please contact the Student Funding Office by emailing funding@kcl.ac.uk providing your name, King's ID and course details, and let us know which criteria you believe you qualify under. 

Applying online is the only way to receive your discount entitlement. Your 18+ Student Oyster photocard will be sent to the address you provide and should arrive within five to seven days after approval from King's (this is carried out by the Student Funding Office). 

Please note that when applying you will need:

• A colour, digital photo
• Your student, enrolment ID from your school, college or university
• A London address
• A valid debit or credit card to pay the £20 administration fee
• An active, valid email address

When applying for your TfL 18+ oyster card please ensure you search for 'Kings College London' and select the entry with address ‘Kings College London, James Clerk Maxwell Building, 57 Waterloo Road.’

If selecting the institution from a list, make sure to select Kings College London, and not the NHS Foundation Trust or “Kings London.”

If you don’t apply to the correct 'Kings College London' your application will be rejected by another institution and you may have to make a new application and incur the £20 administration fee again.

When entering your Course Details (Step 3) you will be asked to provide your Student enrolment (ID) Number. This is the 7 or 8 digit number on your student card. Please do not enter the ID that begins with a “K” as this may cause delays in approving your application.

Applications cannot be approved until your first day of term, so we will not be able to submit approval before this date. 

We will only be able to approve applications for students who have fully completed registration, including on-campus enrolment and the collection of their student ID card.

If you have any further issues, please contact the Student Funding Office on funding@kcl.ac.uk. 

As King's is a university, under the terms and conditions of the 16+ Zip Oyster Photocard scheme we are not able to approve applications for this scheme. Students at King's who are not yet 18 will be able to apply for an 18+ Student Oyster photocard after their eighteenth birthday.

Students can apply for a National Rail 16-25 Railcard (formerly known as a Young Persons Railcard). It costs £30 and saves students 1/3 on rail fares throughout Great Britain for a whole year. For information about eligibility and how to apply visit the 16-25 Railcard website.

Mature students (over the age of 26 and in full-time education) can also apply.

Please note that if your registration status changes (e.g. if you graduate, interrupt or withdraw from your studies or change your study status to part-time), you may no longer be entitled to the 18+ Student Oyster Photocard under the terms and conditions of the scheme. Under these circumstances we are required to report this to TfL and your card will be stopped.

If you have interrupted your studies, then you will need to reapply for a new 18+ Student Oyster Photocard when you have re-enrolled as a full-time student.

Medical students intercalating externally will be considered as interrupted at King's, and will need to apply for a new 18+ Student Oyster photocard with the institution where they are completing their intercalated degree, once their card at King's is stopped.

If you extend your period of study you will need to apply for a new 18+ Student Oyster photocard to cover this additional study time. 

You can find out further information on the TfL website. 

Privacy notice:

Please visit our Student Fees & Funding Privacy Notice webpage for further information about student data collection and King's core privacy notice.