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.
