Key Points
- We’ve curated 61 of the best side hustles for college students to make some extra money. Continue reading to learn more.
- College students usually don’t have the time for full-time jobs because of classes, so part-time side hustles tend to be the best way to make money.
- For more ways to make money in college, read our guide on ways to make money online.
It is possible to have a side hustle in college while also balancing classes, studying, and your social life.
You just have to pick the right side hustle. The question is, what’s the right one for you?
That’s exactly what you’re going to learn in this post. I’ve compiled a list of 61 side hustles perfect for college students.
Keep reading to find the right side hustle for you.
61 side hustles for college students to make money
1. Start a blog
Starting a blog can be an incredible side hustle for college students. It’s why it’s #1 on this list. Think about it. The only thing you need to start a blog is a laptop, web hosting, and a niche to blog about. That’s it.
Starting a blog on top of juggling your college classes, homework, and other responsibilities can be daunting. But it can be done. And of all the side hustles included on this list… this has the most potential to turn into something huge.
I have an entire guide dedicated to starting a successful blog. If you read that guide and take it seriously, there’s no reason you can’t find yourself earning six or seven figures eventually.
Start A Blog TodayWhat you can expect to earn: How much you can earn blogging will vary a lot. For example, some niches get more traffic than others, therefore giving you more income potential from ad impressions and affiliate links. There are bloggers who make a few thousand a year, $100,000 plus, and even $1,000,000 plus.
2. Rent your bike out
If you’ve ever been on a college campus, you know you will always see two things: college students and bikes. They’re everywhere. If you have a bike that you use to cycle around campus, you can rent it out and earn extra money.
There are two ways to go about renting your bike out. You can rent it only to friends or acquaintances to decrease the likelihood of it getting stolen. Or you can streamline the process by using a service like Spinlister.
Spinlister will give you peace of mind by guaranteeing the safety of your bike up to $5,000.
What you can expect to earn: Spinlister has price suggestions listed on their website. They recommend charging $7/hour, $20/day, and $100/week. You can, of course, list it for more. That’s ultimately up to you.
3. Sell old essays on Gradesaver
If you’re having to spend countless hours of your college life writing essays, you might as well get paid for it.
This is an easy side hustle for college students because you’re killing two birds with one stone. You don’t have to do any additional work. Instead, you’re simply doing the work that’s required for your class, and then getting cash for it.
Plus, this may some motivation for you to actually finish your essay on time.
What you can expect to earn: Gradesaver will pay you $5 per essay they accept. That may not seem like a lot, but it can begin adding up if you are writing dozens of essays every college semester. Bonus tip: collect essays from your friends and sell those as well. You can double, trip, or even quadruple your earnings!
4. Rent your car
I had a 1993 Nissan Altima in college. Most of the time, the car would just sit in the student parking lot. If services like Getaround and Turo existed when I was in college, I would have definitely used them.
Renting your car can be a perfect side hustle if you’re in college because it can pay very well. Generally speaking, the newer your car, the more income you can generate. But even older cars—like my 1993 Nissan Altima—will make you quick money.
What you can expect to earn: If you use Getaround, you can expect to earn an average of $800 a month renting your car. That is the national average. The amount you earn can be more or less than that, depending on your car and location. Nonetheless, even $100 extra each month can help get you off that ramen noodle diet.
5. Fill out online surveys
You’ve likely heard this before, but completing online surveys can be an excellent way to earn extra income as a college student.
Think about it for a moment. You’re sitting in a lecture, laptop open, pretending to take notes. Instead of surfing Facebook, why not use that time to knock out a few easy online surveys?
What you can expect to earn: The more surveys you complete, the more money you can make. If you are hammering out several surveys a day, you can easily earn over $500 a month. But you have to stay consistent. It’s very easy money for a college student!
6. Help others move
Helping people move was a summer side hustle for me when I was in college. If you don’t mind spending hours lifting boxes, furniture, and house plants (lots of house plants), you can earn a nice income.
There are some great services such as Dolly and Lugg that allow you start working quickly. You can also check good old Craigslist for jobs as well.
What you can expect to earn: Dolly.com claims that top movers can earn up to $1,000 per week. However, since this will only be a side hustle, you can expect to make $30/hr if you have your own pickup truck, and $15/hr if you don’t have your own truck. Lugg.com claims “luggers” can make up to $2,500 per week with their own truck.
7. Housesit homes near your college
Housesitting can really be one of the best side hustles for college students. When you’re in college, you have to deal with cramped dorm rooms, shared showers, and loud dorm halls. However, if you housesit, you can temporarily get away from all of that.
I did a little housesitting when I was in college, and it was amazing. I got paid to spend a few days in a comfortable home. And as a bonus, the homeowner will sometimes provide food for you.
What you can expect to earn: When you use a housesitting service like the ones listed above, you can usually set your own price. It can be anywhere from $25 per day to over $150 per day.
8. Sell old textbooks
This is a side hustle that works for college students, college graduates, and even college professors!
If you’re in college, you’ve likely had to purchase an expensive textbook. Or seven. Or ten. Some of these textbooks can cost $100+ brand new. So why not sell them after you’ve finished the semester? Even if you got half of that, that’s still great.
You can find marketplace Facebook groups for your specific college or university. My college didn’t have a marketplace Facebook group, so I created one. In any case, you can sell your books in these groups for some fast money.
What you can expect to earn: How much you earn will vastly depend on how many books you have and how expensive they are. From my experience, the average college textbook can cost anywhere from $50 to $200+. So you can expect to earn between $25 and $100+ by selling them used. If you wanted to increase the amount of money you make from this side hustle, you could buy books from your peers at a discount, and then flip them for more money.
9. Advertise on your car
Not everyone has a car in college, but if you do, you can make some serious money.
First, you can rent it out using services like Getaround. Then on top of that, you can allow companies to place banner ads on your car.
It won’t be the prettiest thing, but would you allow Pepsi to put an ad on your car for an extra $1,200 per month? I like to think that you would.
What you can expect to earn: You can earn anywhere from $300 to $1,200 per campaign. A campaign typically runs for about a month. There may be some vehicle requirements. For example, Carvetise requires your car to be a 2008 model or newer.
10. Lifeguard at the university pool
Enjoy catching a tan while relaxing at the pool? And why not get paid for it also? Although you’ll technically be doing more than “relaxing,” becoming a lifeguard at your college or university pool is a nice side hustle. If your college doesn’t have a pool, there’s a chance you can find local public pools in your area.
What you can expect to earn: According to ZipRecruiter, the national average hourly pay for a lifeguard is $12. You may be paid more if you are lifeguarding at your college or university’s pool.
11. Rent your parking space
If you are renting a home or apartment in college and have an extra parking spot, you can rent it out.
That’s right, similar to renting out a room using Airbnb, you can use ParqEx rent out spare parking spaces. Just make sure you aren’t breaking your rental contract by doing that.
What you can expect to earn: How much you make is up to you. You can list your parking space for however much you think it’s worth. If you live in a busier city, you will be able to list your parking space for more than if you live in a more rural area. Check to see what the average price is in your area, then set your price slightly below the average to beat the competition.
12. Rent extra storage space
If you are renting a house off-campus, you likely have some extra space. For example, perhaps your rental has a car garage or basement that no one uses.
Rent them out! Why not? As long as your landlord is okay with your side hustle, there’s no reason not to take advantage of the extra college passive income.
What you can expect to earn: If someone is storing something, it typically means they want it stored for several months. In this case, you would charge a monthly fee based on the size of their storage items. The larger the storage space they are taking up, the higher the monthly fee. You can easily make up to $300+ per month.
13. Sublease your extra room
It’s one thing to be lucky enough to get your own rental house off-campus. It’s even better if you’ve got that house all to yourself! That is until it starts getting too expensive for your college budget.
If you find yourself in this situation, you can easily sublease the extra space and create an awesome college side hustle for yourself.
What you can expect to earn: Your sublease income will solely depend on the rental rate in your city. For example, if single rooms are renting out for $350 per month in your city, you can likely charge that same price.
14. Using get-paid-to websites and apps
As a college student, you are likely to surf the internet all day. Either to research for an important paper or to procrastinate writing that paper by spending time on YouTube. Either way, did you know you can make money doing those things?
There are several apps and websites that will pay you to use the internet the way you normally do. And if you are using the internet regularly, you can earn some great college passive income.
15. Become a sperm donor
You can turn this into a legitimate college side hustle. Take time to read through the requirements and preparations if you are considering becoming a sperm donor. For example, are you mentally prepared to be the biological father of a child you may never meet? Really take some time to think about this before cashing in. If you are ready to start, simply search “sperm donation centers near me” and follow the search results.
What you can expect to earn: Sperm can be donated as much as 2-3 times a week. You can typically expect to receive between $35 and $100 per visit. This means you could earn over $1,000 a month. Talk about a good side hustle for college students!
16. Become an egg donor
Becoming an egg donor should be approached thoughtfully. Although it pays extremely well, you really have to take time to consider the possibility of having a future biological child that you will never get to meet. That may be difficult for some people. If you can handle it, then start by searching “egg donor center near me” and following the search results.
What you can expect to earn: You can expect to receive between $4,000 and $10,000 for your donation. Depending on many factors, such as your education, genetics, and even family social class, you could potentially get paid more.
17. Donate plasma
Donating plasma is a classic side hustle for college students that you’ve likely heard about. Although the FDA allows donations every 48 hours, the American Red Cross recommends only doing it once every 28 days.
Plasma is the protein-rich part of your blood that can be used for many treatments. If you are ready to begin donating your plasma, search “plasma centers near me” and follow the results.
What you can expect to earn: You can make between $25 and $50 per donation. So, if you follow the FDA guidelines and donate every 48 hours, you can make up as much as $300 per month.
18. Amazon FBA
Amazon FBA is short for Fulfillment By Amazon. It’s a service that allows you to sell in-demand products using Amazon’s powerful ecommerce platform and distribution network.
FBA can easily turn into a top paying side hustle for college students. It will require a little more time than most side hustle ideas on this list, but the rewards can be lucrative. To get started, learn how FBA works and decide if it’s right for you.
What you can expect to earn: According to JungleScout, the average Amazon seller makes at least $1,000 per month in sales. However, if you’re really good, you can earn as much as $250,000 per month in sales.
19. Take up odd jobs
If you’re one of those Jack-of-all-trades, you can make some quick money as a college student doing random jobs. For example, TaskRabbit.com is filled with random jobs such as screwing in light bulbs, lifting heavy boxes, mounting TVs, building IKEA furniture, and a wide variety of other random tasks.
The best part? If you are consistently doing jobs, you can actually turn this into a good side hustle.
What you can expect to earn: How much you earn ultimately depends on how many odd jobs you are willing to do in a single week. For example, the average “mount a TV” job will pay you between $42 and $117. Once you get the hang of how to do this, you can easily mount a TV in well under an hour. Do imagine mounting four TVs per day for $100. That’s $400 right there. Now do that a few times per week. You’re talking potentially $1000+ per week.
20. Hunt for lost golf balls
This might sound a bit funny, but it’s a real side hustle that can earn you great money as a college kid. Many country clubs and golf courses will allow you to hunt for golf balls on their greens. They will typically want you to sell the balls back to them, but many don’t care what you do with them. These balls can be easily cleaned and resold bulk on eBay or to other golf clubs.
What you can expect to earn: On average, you can sell each golf ball for about $0.10 to $0.20. These figures may not sound that impressive, but it can add up very quickly. There’s a video of a man who made $15 million during his career as a “gold ball diver.”
21. Pick up groceries for people
Using apps like Instacart or Shipt, you can go grocery shopping for people and make some extra spending money (or investing money).
Like Uber or Postmates, Instacart gives you the flexibility to work when you aren’t in class or studying, which makes it a great side gig.
What you can expect to earn: Instacart will pay it’s shoppers a minimum of $7 to $10 per trip. This does not include tips, which you get to keep 100% of. However, depending on many factors, such as the size of the grocery list and distance of the store, shoppers can earn a lot more. Hlad said she can make between $100 and $120, doing 3–4 trips a day.
22. Bug bounty programs
I’m going to be straight forward with you here. Becoming a bug bounty hunter can be a high paying side hustle for college students. But it requires a significant amount of programming skills.
Huge corporations like Apple, Google, Adobe, and Microsoft will pay you tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars to find bugs in their software. Why? Because if there is a bug with the potential to exploit data, they could lose billions in lawsuits.
If you really want to consider becoming a bug county hunter as a side hustle while in college, I would start by checking this list of bug bounty programs.
What you can expect to earn: You can earn anywhere from a few hundred dollars to as much as one million dollars. For example, Apple will pay out $1 million or more for discovering major flaws in its operating system.
23. Sell t-shirts using Merch by Amazon
Merch by Amazon is a hidden gem. I haven’t seen many blogs or websites talking about the program. It’s an amazing opportunity to make some great passive income as a college student. The program allows you to design t-shirts and sell them. Pretty simple, right? What makes this program powerful is that Amazon will produce, sell, and ship your t-shirts for you. On top of that, your t-shirt gets to be listed on Amazon.com in front of millions of monthly visitors.
Sell t-shirts using Merch by Amazon: Merch by Amazon
What you can expect to earn: Generally speaking, the more t-shirts you have listed, the higher your chance of income. There are stories of people making as much as $93,000 in 19 days. Your success will depend on a few variables, such as how good your designs are and how competitive your prices are.
24. Become the go-to campus expert
If you have a unique skill that is in-demand on your college campus, then you can sell your services right out of your dorm room. For example, a user on Reddit by the name of alistr3 said he made between $60–$90 an hour repairing computers for students on his campus. The work was easy for him because he had computer skills.
Perhaps you are great at making presentation slides or designing resumes for students about to graduate. Advertise your skills on school bulletin boards, Facebook pages, and fliers. You’d be surprised at how much business you can get.
25. Become a notetaker
There are three ways you can go about making this a side hustle in school. The first way is by taking high-quality notes and selling them to other classmates.
The second way is by visiting your university’s office of disabilities or resource office to see if they are looking for notetakers for disabled students.
The third way to turn this into a legitimate side hustle is to sell your notes and guides to large audiences on marketplace websites such as OneClass.
What you can expect to earn: If you use all three methods explained above to sell your notes, you can easily make over $1,000 per month, depending on the size of your college. If you choose only one of the methods above, for example, working with the office of disabilities, you can make between $25 and $50 per credit hour.
26. Do virtual odd jobs in the comfort of your dorm room on MTurk
By using Amazon Mechanical Turk, you can generate some nice extra side income when you aren’t in class. If you are really enthusiastic, instead of browsing Facebook in class, you can work on your side hustle.
What you can expect to earn: According to TheHustle.com, you can expect to earn anywhere from $2/hour to $7.25/hr doing small jobs here and there. Side Hustle Nation had a guest who made between $125 and $300 per week on the side on top of his full-time job.
27. Fix iPhone screens
If you have some repairing skills or don’t mind quickly learning on YouTube, you can replace iPhone screens for students on your campus. I’ve personally replaced two iPhone screens myself, and it’s easy if you have a little patience. You will need to invest in a cheap iPhone screen replacement kit, but that’s all you need.
You can buy replacement screens for as little as $20 (depending on the model) and charged 4x that amount to replace the screen.
What you can expect to earn: According to Thumbtack, Apple charges anywhere from $129 to $600 to replace a screen. To gain traction and get business, you can replace screens for around $100 and make a lot of profit even after buying the replacement screen.
28. Rent out an extra room with Airbnb
If you have a house near campus with extra bedrooms, you can either sublease them or rent them out using Airbnb. If you wanted to go the extra mile, you could rent out extra storage space like garages, attics, and basements. Why not?
What you can expect to earn: Depending on your location and the size of the bedroom you are renting out, Airbnb hosts can make anywhere from $200 to a few thousand dollars a month.
29. Review and test apps and websites
If you have some extra free time while sitting in a boring lecture, why not use it to generate extra money? Some websites will pay you to write short reviews for other websites and apps.
A popular website is Apperwall, but others do exist.
What you can expect to earn: Top users on sites like Apperwall are earning about $100 per month. You will typically be paid $1 per short review written. It’s not the highest paying side hustle for a college student. Still, any extra income is a step in the right direction—anything to stop eating ramen noodles.
30. Drive for Uber or Lyft
Easily one of the top 10 side hustles for college students—drive for Uber or Lyft. While this college side hustle isn’t as passive as some of the others on this list, it’s still a great way to make more money.
What you can expect to earn: According to Indeed, the average Uber driver makes about $29,313 per year. But there’s no way of telling if this is part-time or full-time. Generally speaking, according to The Rideshare Guy, drivers can expect to make between $15 and $20 per hour.
31. Look after someone’s pet
When it comes to side hustle ideas, this one is perfect for college students. Getting paid to relieve your stress from classes by petsitting. Many pet owners will pay you to walk their dogs (or cats) if they are out of town are have a busy schedule.
Sometimes this can even turn into a housesitting gig where you are paid even more.
What you can expect to earn: How much you can make pet sitting in college will depend on many factors. For example, if you live in a large metropolitan area, you will likely earn more per visit. But, generally speaking, you can expect to make anywhere between $12 and $17 a visit. Top earner’s can make up to $1,000 per month.
32. Write for niche blog sites
If you enjoying writing, there are many ways you can turn your hobby into a full-on college side hustle. The first way is by starting your own blog. But if you would prefer to just write for a pre-existing blog, you can find a niche blog that will pay you in just about every industry. You can also write on websites like Medium.com and get paid for how well your posts perform.
What you can expect to earn: Most niche blogs will pay you by the article instead of hourly. Makealivingwriting.com has a great list of websites that pay writers, which exact numbers. You will see numbers ranging from $50 to a few hundred dollars per post.
33. Edit college admissions essays
If you’re already in college, chances are you had to write a college admissions essay. You can easily edit these essays as a side hustle if you are a good writer and have a free grammar tool like Grammarly.
You have a few options on how you approach making money this way:
- You can create a Fiverr account and create a gig on editing college admissions essays
- You can advertise on locally using Facebook groups, Craigslist, and fliers
Or, you can do both and double your side income.
What you can expect to earn: It’s completely up to you to decide how much you earn. You set the price. But to give you an idea of what people are willing to pay for this service, gig prices on Fiverr range from $5 to $150 or more.
34. Become a tutor
Local elementary, middle, and high schools are always looking for helpful tutors. Even your own college may be looking. Additionally, you can increase your college income by taking advantage of the many online tutoring marketplaces.
What you can expect to earn: According to PayScale, the average hourly pay for a tutor is between $10 and $40. The pay will also depend on where you live. For example, more expensive cities such as LA or New York might pay more since the cost of living is higher.
35. Sell digital goods online
If you are good with computers and can use software like Canva, Photoshop, and Illustrator, you can make a lot of money selling digital goods online. The best part about this college side hustle is that it’s 100% passive income.
You only have to create your digital items once, then they are online forever earning you extra money. You can create things like presentation slides, fonts, stock music, etc.
A great place to start is Creative Market. Here’s a video of Nicky Laatz who made over $1 million selling fonts on Creative Market. Keep in mind this was in 2016, so that figure has likely increased substantially.
What you can expect to earn: It depends on what you’re selling. Last year I earned $10,282 selling website templates online. It was 100% passive income. My templates were listed anywhere from $2 to $97. If you search on the sites listed above, you will see a general price range for the digital items you want to sell. This will give you a good idea of how much to list your items.
36. Freelance when you aren’t in class
When you aren’t busy with classes and studying, you can spend your free time freelancing. Freelancing is a broad term that makes up many skills such as web development, writing, data entry, designing, and a plethora of other things. If you have a marketable skill, such as knowing how to build websites, you can make great money.
What you can expect to earn: How much money you make freelancing in college will vary. For example, building websites will probably pay more than designing graphics. Building websites can be more time consuming and require a more “in-demand” skill. Therefore it will pay more than designing graphics. However, since freelancers pick their own rates for their services, how much you earn is 100% up to you.
37. Write songs for people
If you enjoy writing, why not ghostwrite for other musicians? Platforms like Fiverr will allow you to sell lyrics for rap, pop, country, and other genres. If you know how to play an instrument, you can create instrumentals for banks and local businesses.
What you can expect to earn: The sky is the limit. If you use Fiverr, you can set your own prices and accept as many jobs as you can handle. Most songwriting gigs on Fiverr are listed between $20 and $200+.
38. Make money from social media
Social media might be a no-brainer for you, but many small business owners have no idea what they’re doing. They turn to young professionals for help. This is where you come in.
Start by searching Craigslist and local Facebook groups for small business owners looking for social media help. They may call the position things like social media manager, social media assistant, and social media freelancer.
The jobs they will want you to do typically include managing engagement, creating posts, and responding to messages. All things that seem obvious to you.
You can also search on freelancing job boards like Upwork and Freelancer for virtual jobs.
What you can expect to earn: According to Glassdoor, social media managers can make about $50,000 a year. However, since this will only be a college side hustle for you, you can expect to earn between $15 and $20 per hour.
39. Become a mystery shopper
Many college students take on this side hustle. It actually has a lot of great benefits. For example, if you are a mystery shopper for restaurants, you can get free food on top of being paid decent money. Goodbye ramen!
The job can also be very flexible, which works out great for your busy college schedule.
What you can expect to earn: On average, you can make between $5 and $20 per shop or restaurant you visit. Some people have made as much as $14,000 in a year as a mystery shopper part-time. Making Sense of Cents has a good article on how to become a mystery shopper if you want to learn more.
40. Work in catering
If you enjoy cooking, serving, and getting to eat free food, then catering can be a nice side gig as a college student. You can find countless catering jobs in local Facebook groups and Craigslist. On top of that, there are websites you can use dedicated to finding catering jobs.
What you can expect to earn: According to Indeed, the average hourly wage for a caterer is around $13. Keep in mind that you will likely get free food, so you won’t have to spend as much money on groceries, which will save you money.
41. Be a translator
If you know a second language or are going to college to become a translator, why wait until you graduate to start getting paid for it? Translators are always in high demand everywhere. You can check local Craigslist ads or job board sites like ZipRecruiter and Indeed.
In addition to that, remote translators are quickly becoming the new norm. This means you can work from the comfort of your dorm room without having to spend the gas money driving somewhere locally.
If you prefer working online, there are great sites like Gengo and OneHourTranslation that are always hiring translators.
What you can expect to earn: How much you make will depend on the avenue you take, be it working locally or remotely using one of the services above. Assuming you prefer to work remotely, services like Gengo estimate that you can earn about $417 monthly or more. This number varies depending on the language you are translating. If you prefer to work with long-term clients instead, try freelance websites like Upwork.
42. Sell your photographs
If you have a photography camera or a newer smartphone, you might be able to sell stock photography online. Although free stock photography websites like Unsplash and Pexels are thriving, there will always be a need for paid stock photography.
That’s why websites like Shutterstock and iStock will pay you competitive commissions. And the best part? This can be a great side hustle while in college, but an even better passive income generator. That means more time to do the things you enjoy… or to study for your exam.
What you can expect to earn: There is no exact number that you can expect to make. How much money you make will ultimately depend on how many quality images you have listed. The more you have listed on various stock photography platforms, the more you can expect to earn. Here’s a complete list of stock photography websites and their payouts. Pro Tip: If you list your photos on multiple platforms, you can earn more income.
43. Deliver food
This is a fantastic side hustle for college students, especially if you go to a larger university. The larger your school, the more hungry college kids to deliver food to. And the best part? You won’t have to drive all over town because the bulk of your orders will be within the college campus.
What you can expect to earn: Generally speaking, you can expect to make between $10 and $20 per hour delivering food with a peer-to-peer app. This is not including expenses such as gas and vehicle wear-and-tear.
44. Babysit locally
If you enjoy kids, then you can turn babysitting into a lucrative side hustle in college. A personal story: my wife babysat in college and made great money. Let’s just say we enjoyed eating fast food more than ramen noodles. In any case, there are plenty of places to find babysitting jobs. You can first try asking friends or family if they know anyone who needs a babysitter. Otherwise, use a babysitter website such as the ones below to find jobs.
What you can expect to earn: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average babysitter makes between $10–$15 per hour. My wife was making $25 per hour plus a tip, so it’s very possible to find higher-paying babysitter jobs.
45. Graphic design
If you have Photoshop and Illustrator skills, you can capitalize on it. There are many websites nowadays that have thousands of opportunities to make some extra side money while in college.
The term graphic design is very broad, but a quick look at Fiverr’s graphics & design tab will give you an idea of what people are looking for.
What you can expect to earn: Depending on your skill level and the type of graphics you are designing, you can make a great side income. Many clients on Upwork are willing to pay $15 to $100+ per hour for an experienced graphic designer.
46. Start an Etsy business
If you are great with your hands and enjoy crafting jewelry, clothing, artwork, toys, and other unique things, you should consider opening an Etsy shop.
Etsy shop owners have the advantage of getting their products in front of millions of monthly visitors. You can even sell unique digital products as well, such as knitting patterns.
What you can expect to earn: There is no exact answer to this. How much you make will depend on the type of products you sell, your price points, and the quality of your products. Most Etsy shop owners are probably making a few hundred dollars per month. However, there are Etsy sellers who are making well over $100,000 per year.
47. Become a freelance writer
If you enjoy writing, why not get paid for it? You can find hundreds of companies looking for freelance writers on websites like Upwork. Additionally, you can create a gig on Fiverr and have clients come to you for writing services. You can also find freelance writing jobs on niche job board sites like Freelancewriting.com.
What you can expect to earn: According to ZipRecruiter, the average freelance writer gets paid $30 per hour in the United States. That’s a fantastic side income for a college student.
48. Clean houses or offices
There’s no shame in cleaning messes. Many millionaires have been created this way. And frankly, it can be a very lucrative side hustle for a student in college.
You can start by going to Craigslist or websites like Handy. You will find a lot of opportunities that pay well.
Most cleaning jobs will be at night, which is great for your college schedule since most of your classes will be during the day.
What you can expect to earn: On average you can make between $25 and $45 per hour cleaning houses and offices. However, to be competitive, you will need to know what others are charging in your area. You can find this information out simply search the websites listed above and see what the average cleaning job is paying.
49. Give music lessons
If you know how to play an instrument, you can use it to your advantage and create a steady side income in college.
Giving music lessons is a great side hustle while you’re in college because it allows you to set your own schedule. If you have classes from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM, you can schedule all your lessons after 1:00 PM and be set. You can also teach music online if you prefer to work remotely in your dorm room.
What you can expect to earn: If you are teaching music at a music studio, then the studio will often dictate how much you make. That will typically be between $15 and $20 per lesson. However, if you can set up some private lessons, you can charge between $40 and $70 per lesson.
50. Mobile detailing
After spending about $20 on some initial startup cleaning supplies, you can turn mobile detailing into a great side hustle while in college. Many students have cars, but most of them don’t have the time (or care) to clean it themselves.
This is where you come in. Spend some time marketing your services by posting in school Facebook groups, bulletin boards, and putting out fliers. Once business gets rolling, you can make enough money to be off the ramen for good.
If you wanted to step outside of your college campus and make even more money, you can post on Craigslist or find jobs on TaskRabbit and Thumbtack.
What you can expect to earn: According to Detail King, detailing cars part-time can earn you between $600 and $1,000! And that’s only working on the weekends.
51. Do voiceover work
Voice over’s are used for everything. TV commercials, movies, YouTube videos, business promos, podcasts… the list goes on. There are so many voiceover jobs online on sites like Fiverr and Upwork. As a college student, that’s the best place to look because doing voiceover work will allow you to work in the comfort of your college dorm or apartment.
What you can expect to earn: Voiceover artists are typically paid by the job. You can make between $20 and a few hundred dollars for just an hour of work. However, using a site like Fiverr will allow you to set your own rates to control how much you make. Just remember to set your prices competitively.
52. TV/movie extra
This is an excellent side job for college students depending on where you go to school. For example, if your college is in or near a large metropolitan area such as Los Angeles or New York, you’ll be able to find more TV and movie extra jobs.
What you can expect to earn: Depending on your role in the TV show or movie, you can expect to make anywhere between $100 and $200 per day. If the allotted set time runs over, you are typically paid extra.
53. Flip stuff
I don’t mean going around flipping tables in your college cafeteria. That may get you kicked out of your school.
What you can do is find cheap but valuable items to resell online. Try searching these places for starters:
- Local garage sales
- Facebook garage sale groups
- Craigslist
- Thrift stores
When you go to these places in search of items to buy and flip, have your phone with you with the eBay app installed. If you find something you think might be of value, try to find it on eBay to see how much it’s selling for.
Then, when you’re ready to sell your items for a profit, use the apps like OfferUp and LetGo.
You can also list your items for sale on eBay and Facebook marketplace.
What you can expect to earn: There are no exact figures I can give you. But, to give you an idea of the potential, I’ll give you a true story. I once found a Ralph Lauren sport jacket, brand new with tags, at Goodwill for $10. That same jacket was worth $200 online. That’s $190 in profit!
54. Sell your clothes
You probably have clothes that are taking up space in your closet. When is the last time you wore any of it? Why not sell them and make some extra money?
There are a handful of great websites that allow you to easily sell your used clothes.
While this isn’t necessarily a long-term college side hustle, it can definitely help pump some money into your bank account.
What you can expect to earn: There’s really no telling! If you have a closet full of high-end name brand jeans, shoes, and shirts… you could earn thousands of dollars! But if that’s not the case, then you will probably make a few hundred bucks. Still not bad!
55. Teach an online class
You can use websites like Skillshare and Udemy to teach an online class and earn passive income. If you have a skill or unique information that most people don’t know about, you can create an online course and post it on either of these sites. The great thing about doing this is that after your course is posted, it’s there forever. And so you can continue making passive income, even in your sleep.
What you can expect to earn: According to Skillshare, you can make between $200 and $3,000 per month, depending on the popularity of your course.
56. Build websites
Don’t think of building websites as “coding.” You don’t need to know code to build websites. There are plenty of website builder platforms that you can learn quickly and begin making money from.
For example, Squarespace, Wix, and WordPress are all great.
There are endless jobs available for website developers on platforms like Upwork and Fiverr. And they pay very well.
What you can expect to earn: Depending on the type of jobs you choose on Upwork, you can make anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a couple of thousand dollars. I earned $81,892 last year alone last year building websites and using Upwork to find jobs.
57. Become a sports referee
There will always be a need for sports refs, and since games are typically on the weekends or in the evenings, this side hustle can be great for college students. You can use websites like Indeed to find local referee jobs at schools and community centers. Most of the time, you don’t need any experience since they will train you.
What you can expect to earn: Although the amount you earn depends on where you live, you can expect to make between $50 and $100 per game. If you have to travel, the pay could increase to as much as $200 per game.
58. Take a job on campus
Just about every college will have jobs specifically designated for students. And generally speaking, these jobs will pay better than working somewhere off-campus. These jobs can typically be found on your college or university’s website. Otherwise, give your resource center a call.
What you can expect to earn: The pay from a college campus job is usually higher than the federal minimum wage. From my personal experience, you can expect to make between $9 and $15 an hour.
59. Work security
This might be the perfect side hustle for college athletes since most security jobs will want to see that you have a little strength. If you are over 21, you can also consider bouncing at local bars and clubs. The job typically requires you to work late at night. This is great because it won’t interfere with your college schedule during the day. You can check Craigslist or Indeed for local security jobs.
What you can expect to earn: According to ZipRecruiter, a security guard or bouncer can make between $9 and $20 an hour. Keep in mind that bouncers can receive tips, especially on busy weekend nights. On any given night, you can walk away with a few hundred dollars in extra tips.
60. Data entry freelancer
I mentioned freelancing earlier as a good side hustle for college students. But, I want to specifically target data entry freelancing.
Data entry freelancing is the perfect freelancing side hustle for college students because it only requires you to know how to type. Most college kids know how to type. On top of that, the work is pretty flexible, so you can easily mold it around your busy class schedule.
What you can expect to earn: According to PayScale, the average data entry job pays between $10 and $18. These numbers may be lower or higher on Upwork, depending on your typing speed.
61. Transcribe audio
You’re trying to juggle your classes, homework, and social life while also trying to start a side hustle. Transcribing audio can be a great side hustle for you because it requires little time and effort but can pay well.
What you can expect to earn: According to PayScale, the average income for a transcriptionist is about $15 an hour. If you are an advanced transcriptionist, you can earn up to $30 an hour.
Final Takeaways
I hope you were able to find at least one idea to start pumping some cashflow into your pockets.
If you are wanting even more ideas for how to make money, here are some more posts to check out:
About the author
