Student bank accounts...will I be in trouble?

[GrizzlyBisquits]

A few years ago I started a degree course but hated it so dropped out after a few months. I had absolutely no money and a hefty overdraft so I didn't tell my bank I was no longer a student (free overdraft). Then a few years later they wrote and said they were changing the account to a graduate account (still a free overdraft) and now I think it's just a normal current account again (6 yrs after opening the original account).

Anyway, I'm going back to uni - this time to do something I really want to do.

1. Do I have to have a student bank account?

2. If the bank finds out will I have to pay back all the overdraft interest and charges I should have paid?

3. Can I apply for another student account at a different bank?

I'm starting to wonder if I'll just have to decline my place at uni because I can't afford to pay back all of the charges.

Any advice please?

I'd apply for another student account and not bother telling your current one!

I have a student account with lloyds tsb. I am 33 and left uni after 6 months aged 19! I did tell them maybe it should be changed and they told me that I would lose out so not to bother. I've even had other products from tsb where I have clearly stated I am a housewife, and not a student but they don't seem to care! Actually I even went in to extend my student overdraft recently and they were fine with it.

Thank you chops :) that is good to know.
I have been worrying over this since I put my uni application in!

You can get a student bank account more than once! I had one for a degree and one for a PGCE four years later. No problem at all.

Possibly best to get the student account at a different bank, but to be honest they probably don't really care now! You don't actually need a student account, a lot of the offer they have are no good to mature students anyway (with the exception of the overdraft facility) so shop around to see who has offers which you can actually take advantage of, eg Natwest are popular for their student railcard but can only be used until you're 25 so no good if you're over that.

Honestly you are worrying over nothing.

Ok, thank you all. I feel much happier now :)
As you say, there's probably not much point in gettng a new student account anyway as I'm an old codger mature student, and I am hoping not to use my OD (that's what got me in a mess last time!). I just thought maybe you HAD to have one to get your student loan paid in.

Thank you!