If you're a legit student with zero credit history just go hit up the student cards of major issuers.
If you have any derogatories (besides the repeated Freedom app inquiries, Chase isn't zero file friendly at all) or get turned down by the student card issuers, then go secured, but until then take the swing at the unsecured solid student lines.
Discover
Cap 1
BOFA
Citi
All offer decent student cards with rewards; get 3 and call it good imo. If you have money to drop on a secured anything, stuff $250 into an SDFCU savings account or similar and take out the longest term share secured installment loan you can on it.
3 revolving + 1 installment line 4 years later you'll be top tier mortgage qualified upon graduation unless you do something silly 
. Isn't a bad plan at all, or if mortgage isn't in immediate future, can diversify to whatever credit card you want at that point if not earlier.
@jesseh wrote:Revelate:
If you have money to drop on a secured anything, stuff $250 into an SDFCU savings account or similar and take out the longest term share secured installment loan you can on it.
I thought sdfcu had a minimum of $500 for a share secured loan, and would you happen to know how many terms they offer on small loans?
Could be! I might be confusing them with another; however, and that's wierd, went and spot checked a couple of lenders and they've removed the minimum size information which I'm nearly 100% confident was there early last year when I was going through this, Alliant was only one that was still posted and their rate sheets seem to have ticked up a bit too. Go figure that heh.
Guess would need to email them to find out current specifics.
@jesseh wrote:I'm maintaining a list, rev.
And yeah, they don't really make anything off of secured loans, so I guess it's not worth it for them to advertise. Several cu's don't even mention it anywhere on their website, but do offer it when you call in and ask for it
Nice thanks jesseh!
Question: 12 YEARS on the SDFCU loan? Did they have a minimum loan amount on that or would $500 work?
Something that I would suggest might be added: paying ahead, whether there's a max amount forward (i.e. DCU = 3 months) or similar. Will be case by case basis, see the installment utilization thread for idea why it might be useful to know. Good grief if 12 years was available though...
@Anonymous wrote:
@Revelate wrote:
@jesseh wrote:I'm maintaining a list, rev.
And yeah, they don't really make anything off of secured loans, so I guess it's not worth it for them to advertise. Several cu's don't even mention it anywhere on their website, but do offer it when you call in and ask for it
Nice thanks jesseh!
Question: 12 YEARS on the SDFCU loan? Did they have a minimum loan amount on that or would $500 work?
Something that I would suggest might be added: paying ahead, whether there's a max amount forward (i.e. DCU = 3 months) or similar. Will be case by case basis, see the installment utilization thread for idea why it might be useful to know. Good grief if 12 years was available though...
I did $500 with them in Sept '14, and the longest they would go at that amount was 36 months. Payments are $14 and change.
Good to know, thanks! Alliant's at 5 years for a $500 loan I know or at least was when I got mine early last year. I'm playing around with how installment loan utilization may be calculated, (thread over in UFS) and leaning towards picking up a non-trivial and long term personal loan with a lender that's prepay friendly regarding future due dates and then paying back 95% or whatever if my impending mortgage doesn't skew the whole calculation which it might, badly. Can't prepay that for potential FICO goodness.