Published on
Student discounts in Canberra: the complete guide to spending less
Did you know you can eat for free on campus, watch a movie for $11, climb a bouldering wall for $17 and get around the city at concession rates?
Canberra has a surprisingly strong student discount ecosystem, spread across food, transport, cinema, leisure, fitness and culture. The trick is knowing where to look before someone eventually mentions it to you in week eight.
This guide pulls it all together: the best student discounts in Canberra, what you need to access them and which ones are worth setting up in your first week of uni.
First, set yourself up
A handful of platforms unlock discounts at dozens of venues across Canberra. Getting these sorted takes about five minutes and saves you money during your degree.
UNiDAYS
UNiDAYS is a free membership platform for university students. You verify your enrolment using your student email, and from there you get access to discount codes and deals at a wide range of brands, including several venues mentioned in this guide.
Student Edge
Student Edge is another free Australian student membership platform, with a particular focus on entertainment and cinema deals. HOYTS, in particular, runs its student discount through Student Edge. Worth having alongside UNiDAYS since the deals don't always overlap.
Student Beans
Similar to UNiDAYS, Student Beans offers verified student deals across fashion, food and lifestyle brands. Some venues, like Grease Monkey, accept any of the three as proof of student status.
Free food and cheap eats
Eating well on a student budget is possible in Canberra, and there are a couple of free options worth knowing about before you find yourself staring at an empty fridge at lunch.
Free lunch vouchers via ANUSA
The Australian National University Students’ Association (ANUSA) offers ANU students up to five free lunch vouchers per year, redeemable at The Food Co-Op in the city centre. The Co-Op has been running for over 50 years, and everything on the menu is organic, vegan and gluten-free.
Free breakfast at the Brian Kenyon Student Space
ANUSA also runs a free breakfast program at the Brian Kenyon Student Space (BKSS) in Kambri, Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 10:30am during teaching periods. The spread covers cereal, toast, tea, coffee and dairy-free milk options. Outside breakfast hours, the room has free tea and instant coffee available throughout the day, plus $1 Nespresso if you need something stronger.
Grease Monkey
For something more indulgent, Grease Monkey in Braddon offers students either 15% off their order or a $15 meal deal that includes a burger, chips and a drink. Show a valid student card or an active UNiDAYS, Student Edge or Student Beans account at the counter. Their beer garden is excellent in summer.
ANUSA is an amazing resource for students looking for food assistance at uni. Image credit: The Food Co-Op
Getting around Canberra for less
If you’re not on a public transport concession fare yet, you’re paying more than you need to every time you tap on.
Day trips to the snow
Students enrolled at ANU are eligible for concession rates on ACT buses and the light rail. To activate this, register your student status when loading your MyWay+ card, which is the card you tap on and off with. The concession rate is a meaningful saving across a full semester of commuting, so it is totally worth sorting out in your first week rather than months in.
For interstate bus travel, showing a valid student ID when purchasing tickets will also get you a discounted fare with most providers. Coach companies like Murrays Coaches and FlixBus regularly operate between Canberra and cities like Sydney and Melbourne, making them popular choices for students.
Getting around Canberra is made easy for students with public transport.
Watch your favourite movie with a discounted ticket
Movie buffs, you are in luck. Canberra has three major cinemas that run student deals in the city, meaning you are absolutely spoilt for choice when your favourite releases hit the big screen. Between Palace Electric, Dendy and HOYTS, you have options at pretty much every price point.
Palace Electric
Palace Electric at NewActon shows a mix of independent films, arthouse releases and major titles. Every Wednesday, student tickets are $12, or $10 if you sign up for a free Palace Movie Club membership. The cinema itself is a really nice place to spend a few hours and it’s the closest cinema to ANU so getting there before the ads finish won’t require much prior planning.
Dendy Canberra
Dendy offers $11 student tickets every Wednesday, which puts it at the cheaper end of the three options. It leans into independent and quality releases alongside major films, and the Wednesday deal applies to all sessions.
Hoyts via Student Edge
If you have a Student Edge membership, HOYTS offers $12.50 general session tickets Monday through Thursday. Canberra has a HOYTS at Woden and Belconnen, so it’s worth knowing about if you want the big screen experience all over town.
Want to watch your favourite new movie release? Canberra cinemas have you covered. VisitCanberra
Save money by having fun
After a cold winter, spring in Canberra hits differently. The city is so beautiful when it warms up, and there are a few things worth putting in your calendar.
Holey Moley Mini Golf
Holey Moley in Canberra does $12 student mini golf, any day of the week. Verify through UNiDAYS to get a unique booking code. The discount applies to groups of up to six, so it works well as a low-key social option if you are trying to organise something that does not involve a bar tab.
Canberra Theatre Centre
The Canberra Theatre Centre offers student concession pricing on most performances, typically bringing tickets down by 10 to 30 percent off the standard price, landing somewhere between $25 and $35 depending on the show. Full-time students qualify, as do most people under 27 or 30 (the age cutoff varies by production). The program covers theatre, comedy, dance and live music.
Canberra has plenty of ways to have fun on a student budget. Image credit: Canberra Centre
Stay active for less
Blochaus Bouldering Textbook Tuesdays
BlocHaus Bouldering in Fyshwick and Mitchell runs Textbook Tuesdays for students: show your student card and climb all day for $17, no membership required. It is a drop-in activity, which means you can go whenever it fits your week rather than committing to a class or schedule. It’s a healthy method of stress relief during exams and you might find yourself going back.
Club Lime
ANU has a partnership with Club Lime that gives students access to reduced gym membership rates. With multiple locations across Canberra, there’s likely one near where you live. If you are planning to join a gym during your degree, the ANU arrangement is the most straightforward way to access student pricing rather than hunting for promotional rates.
There are lots of ways to stay fit as a student on a budget. Image credit: Blochaus Bouldering
Culture on a student budget
Canberra is home to Australia's major national cultural institutions, and your student card gets you in cheaper – or free. General admission is already free for everyone, but if you are booking for special travelling shows, your student ID gets you the concession rate. When in doubt, just whip out your student card and ask if they do student discounts.
National Gallery of Australia
The National Gallery of Australia (NGA) holds Australia’s largest art collection, covering everything from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander works to French Impressionism. General admission is free. For the bigger ticketed exhibitions (usually the international travelling shows), a valid student card gets you the concession price. If you plan to visit regularly, ask about student membership rates.
National Portrait Gallery
The National Portrait Gallery is smaller and more intimate than the NGA, which makes it a better choice for a quick 90-minute visit. Full-time students get concession admission with a range of accepted IDs including high school, TAFE, CIT, university and international student cards. It sits right next door to the NGA, so it’s easy to do both on the same afternoon. The cafe also does excellent scones!
National Museum of Australia
The National Museum of Australia covers Australian history through objects and stories in a way that is engaging rather than dry. General admission is free; concession rates apply for special exhibitions, guided tours and events with a valid Australian or international student card.
Access concession rates to the world’s leading travelling exhibitions. Image credit: Instagram - @LolaHubner
Quick wins for week one
- Set up UNiDAYS, Student Edge and Student Beans
- Activate concession fares on your MyWay card for Canberra buses and light rail
- Claim your ANUSA free lunch voucher (up to five per year at The Food Co-Op)
- Check your student card works at your nearest cinema on their discount day.
Want more student-savvy tips? Check out our favourite cheap recipes and cool places to study around Canberra.
