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This post is all about side hustles for college students.
Hey guys, we all wanna make more money right? Trust me I know you feel. College is super expensive these days! From just trying to afford food to going out with friends on the weekends. Those bills can add up real fast.
And these days it’s really hard to find a job too. It seems like every job wants experience and how are you supposed to get a job in college when you don’t have experience! It’s so annoying. But even if you do have a job, it can be hard to juggle that with your classes and not fail.
Trust me, I get it and I’ve been there. I’ve been through those nights of eating ramen for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I know how hard it is trying to stretch those last few cents in your bank account.
But guys, it does not have to be that way at all. You can start a side hustle and make money without a job. That’s why I made this post to go through 100+ side hustles for college students to make it easy for you to make more money on the side and never be broke again! I hope you find all of these helpful and more!
This post shows you side hustles for college students.
BEST SIDE HUSTLES FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS
1. Sell your clothes online
If you’re like me, you probably have tons of clothes lying around. Maybe things you don’t wear anymore, things that don’t fit you, stuff you forgot to return. Instead of just letting it sit there making your room look dirty, why not sell them to people and make tons of easy money for it?
Selling your clothes online is not hard at all. Sites like Poshmark make it really easy for you to set up your own online store in minutes and start selling your clothes to people.
And you might be wondering, why would anyone want my crusty old clothes anyway? But trust me, there’s tons of people who do. Think about it. Clothes that went out of stock, brands that went out of business, etc. I even go on there myself and buy stuff from time to time.
Here are the best sites to sell your clothes online:
2. Answer survey questions on Prolific
Tbh its a shame that more people don’t know about this. If you’re in college, then I’m sure you already know what a research study is. Basically a study where researchers ask people questions to learn more about a particular topic.
Well, with sites like Prolific, you can make money from participating in these research studies online. And this is not hard at all. You just choose a study you like, answer the questions, submit, and boom you’ll get paid for it!
And there’s all kinds of studies on here. Stuff on losing weight, income background, happiness, etc. Surveys that last 5 minutes and ones that are up to an hour. Big time universities like Harvard and Yale are the ones producing them so you know its legit.
This is something you can do whenever you have free time and make a few bucks super easy. I only did this for one month (few studies a day) and made $115!
3. Start a blog
Okay, I had to put this one in here. Obviously you’re reading this on a blog and believe it or not, I actually started my blog in college. Most people don’t know this but starting your own blog is such a great side hustle idea.
It’s not that hard to start a blog either. You just get your domain name, buy hosting, pick a theme, brainstorm your topics, and boom you can set up your own blog in minutes.
Bloggers make money from all kinds of different ways. Display ads, affiliate links, digital products, and more!
Blogging is great cause you have complete freedom on what you post and whenever you post. You can easily fit it into any college schedule and not have to get a part time job! Successful bloggers can make thousands or even tens of thousands a month!
If you wanna know more about starting a blog that makes money, check out my post on how to start a blog here. I go over all the steps I took to start mine so you can get a nice blog side hustle income in no time!
4. Give people rides on Uber or Lyft
Honestly, who doesn’t just love getting a ride on Uber or Lyft? It’s super convenient, much better than a taxi, and you can get to where you wanna go easy and fast. But if you have your own car, you can even become an Uber driver yourself and make money giving other people rides.
It’s not even hard to become an Uber driver either. Really all you need is the app and then you sign up. Yeah you have to have a car (so don’t think you can do this if you don’t) but from there its pretty self explanatory.
And don’t worry about getting some creepy stranger. Most times Uber does a background check on these people and you can pretty much tell before you even accept the ride. Always double check though before you open your car door.
This is really great side hustle idea for college students to make money and again its super flexible. You can do it whenever you have free time and even just give other students rides to and from campus. How sweet is that! Making money just to drive places you were gonna go anyway.
5. Transcribe audio on Rev
You know those videos with really annoying audio where you can barely understand what they’re saying? It’s so hard to hear and makes the video unwatchable. But if you are one of those people with super hearing and can make out the words being said, you can make tons of money on Rev.
Basically, Rev is this site that will you pay you money to listen through difficult audio files and then transcribe what they’re saying word for word. No it’s not the funnest of jobs but you can do this online whenever you have free time and make some easy money.
And don’t worry, it’s not gonna be super hard either. Most times it’s just people with a strong accent or the mic is a little muffled. As long as you listen carefully, you should be able to do it. And its totally worth it too. There’s people making $300 a month doing this!
6. Do favors for people on TaskRabbit or Craigslist
Did you know you could actually get paid to do favors for people? Yep, I’m serious. And it’s not boring chores like when you were a kid and you made a small allowance. It’s real jobs making some real money.
With sites like TaskRabbit, you can find lots of different favors people want done and then make money for doing them. And these aren’t super hard things either. Think washing a car, running some errands, sorting some documents. Just stuff people don’t have time for or don’t feel like doing.
And I know Craigslist has a sketchy reputation (trust me I get it) but you can also look there for these too. If you’re between classes in college and have a spare minute, doing a few favors for people could def be a great side hustle idea for you.
7. Resell your junk on eBay
Look around your room right now. I bet you have old junk lying around you don’t use. Maybe some old phones, a few books, maybe some old furniture. Instead of just letting it sit there and collect dust, why not sell it online and makes tons of easy money from it?
Yep with sites like eBay, you can easily just take that old junk, list it online for auction, and have a bunch of random people bid the highest price for it. Then whoever bids the most for it gets it and you make EASY profit. Most people don’t even realize how easy it is to make money on eBay like this. But if you have a bunch of old junk, it could be a great side hustle for you.
I know people who just do this casually on the side and easily have made $300+ dollars from stuff they didn’t even pay that much for.
8. Tutor fellow students
If you’re in college then you know how much of a struggle some classes can be. You might even be one of those students who’s always rushing to get into the study sessions last minute (No shame lol.) But if you do have your s*** together, you can cash in on this angst by helping other students out with their studies.
Yes, you can literally become a tutor and turn it into a quick side hustle. And don’t worry this doesn’t even have to be hard. You can pick a subject you’re good at. Maybe it’s math. Maybe it’s art class. Whatever it is, there will be some student that needs help with it.
I would first recommend looking for these gigs on campus (cause they usually have them through the school). But you can also set it up yourself or sign up to tutor students online.
9. Rent out your spare room on AirBnb
This one is quickly becoming more and more popular as people find out about it. Do you happen to have a spare room in your apartment you don’t ever use? (Obviously you can’t do this if you have a dorm.) If yes, then you can totally rent that out on AirBnb and make hundreds per month.
If you don’t know what AirBnb is, it’s basically this site lets you rent your spare room (or even your whole house) online and people can pay to rent it out temporarily for like a weekend when they visit town or something.
Yes, it might be weird to have random strangers staying at your place but you can vet them first. And remember, this is a spare room that you don’t even use anyway so you never have to even see them.
Even if you only get a few people staying at your place a month, that can easily be hundreds or THOUSANDS of dollars!
10. Sell cute crafts on Etsy
Did you like making cute crafts as a kid? Maybe that paper airplane in camp. That cool friendship bracelet with your friends. Or even some elaborate pottery sculpture you made in school. Well, guess what, you don’t have to give that up. You can still make those today and turn them into cash by selling them on sites like Etsy!
Etsy is this site where people can buy and sell handmade items and crafts. Usually you’ll see all types of stuff on there. From pottery to printables. I actually like going on there myself just to buy stuff.
But bottom line, there’s lots of people on there that would be willing to buy simple handmade goods that you make yourself. Imagine setting up a small little Etsy store, selling a few of your items a month, and making a nice extra hundred dollars.
11. Teach foreign kids English
Now this one might sound a little crazy but if you’re a native english speaker, you can def make money online teaching foreign students english. And, yes this is something you can do in college!
Basically, tons of foreign students these days need to learn English to get ahead. Obviously the best way to learn a language is to learn from native speakers. So their parents pay a bunch of money to try and learn from native speakers overseas.
With sites like VIPKid, you can connect with these students and charge an hourly rate to practice English with them.
And don’t worry, this is not as hard as it seems. You’re not full on teaching them complex grammar etc. It’s more like you being their study buddy and giving them the chance to practice speaking with a native speaker. You’re having conversations with them over Zoom.
Think about it. This would be a perfect flexible side hustle for college students. You can do this anytime whenever you have free time. No set hours. A few times a week. And you can easily make an extra 600+ a month doing this!
Here are the best sites to make money online teaching foreign kids english:
12. Self-publish an ebook on Kindle
Ever wanted to write your own book? Become an author? Well now you can and actually get paid for it! And no you don’t have to worry about getting published.
Everyone knows Kindle right. It’s basically a huge online bookstore where people purchase ebooks. But they also let you self publish your own books on there as well. Lots of people are doing this now and making good royalties per month.
Now it might sound hard writing a book. But really you just have to pick a topic people are interested in and then write what you yourself would want to read. Think about what’s missing out there in the market. And write that!
It could be any genre too. Romance. Science fiction. Self help. Just write what you yourself would want to read (make it a series even to get people hooked) and publish! With all the people that go on Kindle searching for books, there will def be some who stumble onto yours and pay for it.
Even if just a few people buy your a book a month, that could be an extra $50-500 in your pocket.
13. Get paid to play games on your phone
If you’re one of those people who has tons of games on your phone, this could be the perfect side hustle for you haha. Yep, I’m not joking, you can actually play games on your phone and make money.
Apps like Swagbucks LIVE will pay you real money just to play them.
This could be the perfect side hustle for college students if you’re just sitting around in your dorm between classes or standing in line at the dining hall. Just whip out your phone, play a few games, and boom, you got money for coffee or whatever lol.
No, you won’t get rich from this but a few extra dollars here and there (just from playing games on your phone) goes a long way!
Here are the best apps to get paid for playing games:
14. Film your own Skillshare class
Do you have a special talent or something you’re really good at? Maybe you can play the piano well. Or know how to do some gymnastics. Or maybe you’re good at putting together outfits. If so, you can totally turn that into money by helping other people learn how to do it online.
With sites like Skillshare, you can film your own online course and walk people through step by step how to do your skill. Break it up into a few lectures and make it easy for them to understand. Whenever people come onto your course and stream it, you will make money from it.
Honestly this is such good passive income too. Cause once you post your course, you can make money from it years down the road without even doing anything just as new people watch it. A great side hustle for college students that have some extra time on their hands.
15. Sell your art on Redbubble or DeviantArt
If you like drawing and doing little interesting sketches in your free time, selling your art online might be a nice side hustle for you to consider. Sure you have to be at least half way decent. (No one’s gonna wanna buy a crappy art display.) But if you at least put in a little effort, there will def be someone interested.
With sites like RedBubble and Deviant Art, you can make your own online store for your art, then post it up as your own portfolio, and watch as random people come along and check out your artwork. Usually you can set it up where they can buy it as a t-shirt, a coffee mug, or just the actual print itself.
Yeah this one will depend if people think your designs are good enough but you can def a make a couple hundred a month doing this. (My ex did this and made $15+ from some squiggly line designs!)
16. Play video games on Twitch
Now this one sounds too good to be true. Imagine chilling out on your couch, playing video games, and actually making money. But believe it or not, it’s legit!
With sites like Twitch, you can stream yourself playing random video games, share your thoughts, and if people like your personality, you can make money as people view the ads or subscribe to you!
Of course, you need to be at least somewhat interesting. No one’s gonna sit there and watch someone who doesn’t talk with a blank face playing video games.
But if you engage with the audience, make some jokes, make them feel like you’re their friend playing the games with them, people will def start to watch you. The more people watch you, the more money you could make. The top earners on here are making over a million dollars a YEAR!
17. Get paid to do online surveys
I honestly hate to bring this one up a lot cause it pays so little. But since its technically still a good easy side hustle for college students, I’ll mention it.
Basically if you don’t know, there are online survey sites where you just answer a few easy questions about random products etc and they will pay you to take them. The questions are super simple and don’t take long at all. Stuff like “Have you heard of this product before?” “Do you prefer this product or that product?”
Companies pay for these cause they need to know how to improve and make their products better. The surveys are boring and the most you can make is like a dollar from each one. BUT if you’re bored and have nothing else better to do, doing a few of these can make you a few extra dollars.
Here are the best online survey sites to make money:
18. Sell your textbooks
If you’re in college, you likely have a bunch of textbooks lying around. And if you don’t yet, you certainly will by the end of the semester. Most times we don’t even use these textbooks anyway. We just have to get them cause they’re required for the class.
Sure you could just hold on to them after the semester (after spending $200+ on them). OR you could sell them online and get your money back and then some.
It doesn’t even have to be online either. I was cleaning out my dorm and one semester and this random guy approached me by the trashcan asking if I’d sell my textbook to him. I thought he was sketchy but he paid $200 for it.
There will likely be tons of people around your campus who might wanna buy your books as well. Better than me just throwing it away!
19. Get paid to mystery shop
Imagine getting paid to shop at random stores and buy stuff you were already gonna buy anyway? How great would that be right. Well believe it or not, you can actually do this and its called mystery shopping.
With sites like Bestmark, you can get paid real money to mystery shop at random stores. Companies pay for this cause they wanna know what the consumers shopping experience is like. You’re basically giving them marketing data by shopping there.
It sounds kinda crazy but you can make decent money doing this. I’m talking an extra $300 a month!
Here are the best sites to make money mystery shopping:
20. Sell your class notes
As a college student, you will be taking notes all the time. Maybe notes in a boring lecture. Notes when you’re studying later in your dorm. Or notes in a study session before the exam. Instead of taking all those notes for free, why not sell them to other students and make money from it?
Yep with sites like Study Soup, you can sell those online to other students and make easy money when people buy them. Think of all the students who don’t study and need the notes right before the exam. It can add up real fast.
You can even find these sorts of gigs as part time jobs through your school. My college had a bunch of them listed. There are students with special needs who can’t see the board as easily so they were hiring students to take good notes and then share them for those students (also just for people who don’t study haha).
21. Do freelance writing on Medium
If you’re in college, you will probably be writing tons of essays. Maybe even a bunch of boring research papers too. Sure you can just write them and submit for the grade. But why not post them online for other people to read too and make easy money from it?
With sites like Medium, you can post your freelance writing up for the world to read and if it’s interesting enough, you can make money as people reading view the ads.
Freelance writing is so great cause you can really write about anything. Talk about your thoughts on fashion. Your opinion on the environment. Just write something people find interesting. The top earners on here are making $1000 dollars a month!
22. Offer your graphic design talents on Upwork
If you have any sort of graphic design talent (making cool edits online, working with photos, creating illustrations), you can turn that into cash selling your skills on sites like Upwork.
If you don’t know what Upwork is, it’s basically this site where freelancers can sell their skills to people online who need a certain project done. People need graphic design work for all sorts of things. Marketing campaigns, personal projects, etc.
You can offer your skills to those people in exchange for a commission and then get paid to handle those projects for people. You would be surprised how much you can make doing this. Even with just a few clients, if you set the right price, you could making an extra $2000+ a month!
Here are some other sites to make money from graphic design:
23. Sell custom t-shirts on Teespring
Ever wanted to have your own clothing line? I did and I’m not ashamed lol. I always thought it’d be so cool to design my own clothes and have people purchase them. Well, with sites like Teespring, you can actually do this.
Teespring is this site that lets you design your own custom t-shirts, put them on a custom little boutique site, and get paid real money when people buy them. You can make money just from people buying your t-shirt designs.
It sounds crazy but also super fun. They make it really easy to design your shirt too. You just need to be creative and think about what kind of t-shirt you would want to wear. Then make that and sell it for other people to buy. Top earners on this site are making thousands of dollars a MONTH in sales!
24. Start a youtube channel
We all watch tons of youtube videos these days (at least I do) and we’ve heard about becoming a youtuber before. You probably think it’s too hard. Takes too much work. Or you could never do it. But trust me, you’re wrong.
Pretty much anyone could become a youtuber these days. You really just need a camera, a half decent personality, and the ability to entertain people. Even just entertain yourself, people will get enjoyment out of that.
You can make videos about whatever you feel like. Whatever you’re passionate about. Make up, beauty, technology, money, sports, anything. Spend a little time editing and boom you’re a youtuber.
No, the money won’t come in right away. But the more videos you make, the more subs you’ll get it. And even with just a few thousand subs, you can already make some decent money per month! You might even have a video go semi-viral and make money in the first month.
25. Sell your pics as stock photos
If you like taking selfies and random pics of your food all day, selling your pics as stock photos could be a great side hustle for you. And no it’s not as weird as it sounds.
Basically with sites like Shutterstock, you can take generic pictures that you take (maybe shots with your friends, cute pics of your dog, gorgeous shots of the environment) and sell them online to stock photo websites.
Stock photo websites needs these pics cause they need authentic fresh content for people to use as stock photos. And people use stocks photos for all kinds of things. Illustrations for business campaigns, marketing advertisements, etc.
Yeah it might sound kinda weird selling a picture of your dog to some random website. But you get full control over what pics you choose to sell. If it was just gonna sit unused in your camera roll anyway, why not make some easy money from it?
26. Rent your friendship
This might sound crazy (cause it is) but believe it or not, you can actually make money renting your friendship for a day to random strangers.
Yeah it’s a little weird but with sites like RentAFriend, you can set up random sessions with lonely people online and make easy money just spending time with them. It’s basically you just being a pretend friend and making lonely people feel less lonely.
Again, yes it’s sketchy (and I’m sure the conversations you have with your new “friends” will be awkward) but its a creative side hustle, right?
27. Start your own podcast
If you’re the type that loves having long deep conversations with people (or even just by yourself), then starting your own podcast could be a great side hustle for you.
It doesn’t have to be heard either. You really just need a mic, a decent set of topics, a semi-decent personality, and boom you’re ready to go. Just spill out your thoughts or have a guest and spill out your thoughts with them.
And this could be a great side hustle for college students too. Imagine just sitting around with your roommate or your friends in your dorm and recording a nice funny podcast. Telling jokes. Sharing dating advice. Could be anything!
No, you won’t make money overnight. But if you keep being raw and real, you can def build up a little audience. And then make money promoting products to them or when they listen through ads.
28. Housesit for people
Kinda like babysitting but this is something a little more advanced. Did you know you can make money just sitting at other people’s houses? This is honestly the perfect side hustle for lazy people.
If you don’t like doing work and just wanna lay around all day, find someone to house sit for. People need housesitting when they go out for vacations or leave town for a bit. Then you can just “guard” their house, “monitor” their bedroom and kitchen, and make easy money!
I feel like this is such a joke but my ex actually used to get paid for this so it’s real haha. Don’t expect to get rich doing this but you can make an extra few hundred a weekend!
29. Babysit for your neighbors
I don’t know where your campus is but if you happen to live close to your neighbors, you can def make some money babysitting their kids. Especially if you’re in college and have good grades, you will look responsible and a good fit to watch them.
It’s not even that hard to watch kids. Just put a good movie on for them, play some board games with them, make sure they’re well fed, and put them to bed after. If they started getting rowdy, calm them down by offering them a treat or distracting them with something on your phone.
I know it’s the most basic side hustle but it’s def still a good side hustle for college students for a reason. You can do it on the weekend when you don’t have any classes. And it usually only takes a few hours. But you can make a couple hundred a month!
30. Buy and sell domains
I almost didn’t wanna include this cause I kinda don’t agree with the practice. But since I wanted to really bring you all the possible side hustles, I’m gonna mention it anyway.
If you don’t know what it is, buying and selling domains is where you purchase website urls that you think could be popular or desirable for a low price and then resell them to other people who wanna buy in them in the future at a higher price.
I don’t really agree with this cause I feel like if you’re not actually gonna use the website, why hog the name from someone else who would. I just don’t agree with that. But this is a side hustle that some people do to make money so I’m mentioning it anyway.
31. Code websites for people on Fiverr
Most of you may not be able to do this. But if you’re a computer science major (or just self taught and know how to code), you can make some decent money coding websites for people online. And it’s not as hard as you think.
Basically with sites like Fiverr or Upwork, you can find requests from random people who need someone to make a website for them. People need websites for all sorts of things. Personal projects, small businesses, etc.
If you know how to code, you can offer to make their website for them for a commission and make money when they accept. Like I said, there’s lots of people who need websites and less people who know how to code so you can find lots of clients.
Even if you only make 4 cool websites a month for 4 different people, that can easily be a $4000 a month!
32. Walk people’s dogs
If you love dogs and the idea of walking peoples dogs and spending time with them makes you happy, you might wanna try turning that into a side hustle.
With apps like Wag, you can see a bunch of requests from people who need their dogs to be walked. Lots of people are busy with work or school or whatever and don’t have time to walk their dogs themselves. That’s where you come in. You can just accept a job, walk their dog for them, and boom you just made easy money!
Obviously this is not hard. Who doesn’t love the idea of just spending time with cute dogs? And it’s a great way to get exercise too. The average pay for this is around $12 for a 30 minute walk ($18 for an hour!).
33. Translate documents (for bilingual people)
Now, not everyone can do this. But if you happen to speak a different language, you can translate documents for people online and turn that into some easy side cash.
Sites like Translate.com will show you a bunch of random documents that need to be translated. And they’re looking for people like you who are naturally bilingual to go in and provide an accurate translation. These aren’t super complicated either. Stuff like old books or letters.
Sure they could use Google Translate but it won’t be as accurate so they’d rather pay people like you to do it. You may be surprised but you could actually make some decent money doing this!
Here are the best sites to get paid for translating documents:
34. Get paid to be an online mock juror
Ever thought about what it would be like to be on a jury? Listening to a case, talking in a group, and then coming to a decision on guilty or not guilty? Well, believe it or not, you can actually do this online for free and make money from it.
With sites like OnlineVerdict, you just go on, register, and you’ll get assigned to a mock jury trial as a pretend juror. It’s not real so don’t worry about pressure. It’s just a mock trial to help lawyers practice for the real deal.
Mock jurors on these sites usually get paid around per session. So you can def turn this into a decent side hustle for college students.
35. Invest in the stock market
This one seems like it’d be obvious but a lot of people are still super unfamiliar with the stock market and think its a huge risk. Honestly, it’s a way bigger risk to hold onto your money and not invest it (losing value over time with inflation). But whatever reason, most people are still unaware.
With apps like M1 Finance or Robinhood, you can start getting your money invested right away and watch as those returns come in over time. Your money could double, triple, grow 5X without you doing anything.
You can even try auto investor apps like Wealthfront or Betterment, which will invest your money automatically for you so you don’t even have to think about it. They take it straight from your bank!
Even if you’re one of those people who is scared about losing your money, I highly recommend you give this a chance. These days you have a lot more to lose by NOT investing than doing it. Start with index funds!
36. Start a fundraiser with GoFund Me or Kickstarter
This one can be a little bit shady so honestly please don’t do this for just anything. But if you have a genuine cause that you need to raise money for or a business idea that needs funding, starting an online fundraiser is a great way to raise funds fast!
Sites like GoFundMe or Kickstarter are the best ones to start with. They make it so easy to just start a campaign with a cause and have people contribute to it.
Obviously you have to have a cause that people actually feel compelled to give money for. Don’t throw together a campaign asking people to raise money for you to buy some new shoes and think people will actually pitch in.
GoFundMe is more for personal stuff like graduations or funeral expenses or other stuff like that. Kickstarter is more for business ideas and other startups where you need money to get it going. You’d be surprised how much some people are raising from these! (Tens of thousands overnight!)
37. Answer questions as an expert on JustAnswers
If you’re in college and you happen to be decent at a particular subject. Maybe super good at math or history. Or you’re majoring in advanced science or something. Then you could totally turn that expertise into money by answering people’s questions on JustAnswers.
JustAnswers is this site kinda like Yahoo Answers where people ask questions about all sorts of things. Only with this site they want answers from people who know what they’re talking about. So they pay “experts” people like you to answer the questions instead.
You may be surprised but there are actually people making hundreds or even thousands of dollars a MONTH from this. Just answering questions online. This could def be a great side hustle for college students who happen to be pretty good at a subject.
38. Deliver people’s food with UberEats or DoorDash
This is something else you can only do if you have a car. But if you do have one, you can totally use your car to make money by just delivering people’s food to them.
With apps like UberEats and Doordash, you can easily start accepting people’s orders, driving to pick up their food, and make money bringing it to them. These apps are so useful and convenient for people needing the food but also for the drivers.
Think about it. All that free time you have in college just chilling around bored after class. Instead of wasting your time, why not hop in your car, make a quick run to deliver some food, and have extra money to do stuff on the weekends!
39. Get cashback for grocery shopping with Ibotta
We all buy groceries all the time. Especially if you’re in college where you have a small refrigerator and you get tired of eating dry ramen all the time. But did you know you could easily make money just from that grocery shopping?
Yep, with sites like Ibotta, you can get paid just to buy stuff at the store you normally would. It’s basically free money! All you do is just buy something, take a picture of the receipt and then upload into the app. Then you’ll get paid just for buying something!
It’s pretty crazy but Ibotta does this cause they have deals with certain companies to do data research on what people buy. It’s great for you cause its free money for buying stuff you were already going to buy. Most people on here make around $20-30 a month but top earners are making $200-300 a month!
40. Participate in online betting sites like PredictIt or DraftKings
If you’re the type of person that likes gambling and tends to have good luck, you could take your chances making casual bets online and turn that into a profitable side hustle.
With sites like PredictIt, you just go on and you’ll see all these different bets in different types of categories. Stuff like election predictions, sports predictions, etc. Then you just make a bet on one side or the other and cross your fingers.
Obviously you’re not guaranteed to make anything if your bet turns out to be wrong. You might even lose money. But if you do have good luck (or you’re just good at predicting), you can def use this to make some extra cash. Some bets like “who’s gonna be the next president” aren’t even that hard to guess!
Here are the best online betting sites to make some side cash:
41. Start a drop shipping business with Shopify
If you’re good at coming up with good marketing and are able to convince people to buy stuff, then starting a drop shipping business with Shopify might be a side hustle for you to make some money.
Basically, if you don’t know what drop shipping is, it’s where you buy a generic product from a wholesaler and then resell it to people with your own custom branding. Think of it like buying random basic paper from the store then reselling it to people as “Super Paper” and charging a higher price.
With sites like Shopify, you can buy all sorts of generic products (beauty stuff, electronics, etc), set up your own little online store, and then resell them to other people as your own unique product! You just have to come with your own branding to convince people it’s worth it.
Yes, this takes some marketing knowledge but there’s tons of tutorials online to get started. And honestly how easy is it just to buy a basic product, slap a nice fresh name on it, and get people to buy that version instead. There are amateur drop shipping businesses online that now make over a MILLION dollars a year!
42. Create your own video game & charge people to play it on Roblox
Ever thought about creating your own video game? Designing your own game and then actually having people play it? Well, believe it or not you can actually do that and turn it into a decent side hustle to make money.
With sites like Roblox, you can actually set up your very own video game, add in “in-game” products for people to buy, and then make money when people buy them. These products are things like weapons or whatever to use in your game.
It kinda sounds crazy but this is actually super easy side hustle for college students who like being creative and also like playing video games. Imagine having your friends purchase stuff in your very own video game and making easy money from it!
43. Have people support you on Patreon
If you’re the type of person who loves being lazy and having people donate to you just because they love, then you’d probably love a side hustle like Patreon where people would pay you money just to support you.
Basically if you don’t know what Patreon is, it’s this app where people can donate monthly to support creators they like. Usually these are youtubers or content creators that people like online. People donate to support them cause they wanna fund more content or cause their favorite creators aren’t making enough money to support themselves in other ways.
Of course, you need to have good friends or supporters who would actually want to donate to you. But if you find those people, setting up a Patreon side hustle could be the easiest way to make money in the world.
44. Write fanfiction stories on Wattpad
If you’re the kind of person that loves coming up with your own interesting stories or daydreaming about what-if, then you may wanna get into writing fanfiction as an easy side hustle.
With sites like Wattpad, you can easily start writing your own fanfiction stories and then publish them to their huge platform to be read by lots of different people all over the world. Whenever someone buys your story or views ads on it, you can make money.
Yes, it sounds kinda weird lol. Imagine random people reading your fanfiction fantasies. But it’s def still fun to write and if your stories are entertaining enough, you can start to make some decent money from this. Top earners on Wattpad are making thousands a month!
45. Review websites with UserTesting
Do you love trying out new apps and websites? Think you’re good at giving good feedback? If so, you could start reviewing apps and websites with UserTesting and make good money from it.
Basically UserTesting is this site that lets you go on, choose new websites to review, record a 15 minute video of you trying out the website and giving your opinion, and then get paid for it! Companies pay for this cause they need to know how to make their sites better from real users. And you get paid just to give feedback. It’s a win win!
If you’re bored and don’t have anything else to do, this could def be a great side hustle for college students. You could do it whenever you have free time and just choose the sites you want. Top earners on here make $300+ a month!
46. Become a search engine evaluator with Appen or Lionbridge
Do you spend a bunch of time searching google for random stuff? Think you’re good at spotting at which search results actually match what you were searching for? If so, you could turn that into an easy side hustle as a search engine evaluator.
With sites like Appen or Lionbridge, you can get a flexible part-time gig as a search engine evaluator and then make money from making search engines better. You would just do easy tasks like looking at example search results and telling if they’re accurate or not.
Of course you do have to apply for this. But it’s really simple. Just take an online test and wait to hear back if they have open positions. This is more like an online job than a side hustle but it’s super flexible and you can do it whenever you have free time! People usually get paid $9-15 an hour doing this.
47. Start an online workout class with your friends
If you’re in college and love hanging out with your friends, starting your own workout class with your friends could be a nice creative side hustle for you to make some money!
Think about it. There’s so many people that wanna work out more but just don’t have the motivation. Working out alone can be boring and stressful. But you can make it fun by setting up a workout class where other people can join and work out together!
Even make it an online thing over zoom so you could get more people. Yes, this isn’t like a traditional side hustle but with all the people out there wanting to get more fit, you could def turn this into some serious side cash.
48. Get paid to delivery people’s groceries with Instacart or Shipt
If you don’t mind getting in your car to pop in the grocery store, then could easily make some side money just delivering other people’s groceries to them with Instacart or Shipt.
Basically if you don’t know what Instacart or Shipt is, they’re sites where you see requests from other people to have their groceries delivered, accept the request, and then make money picking up those groceries and bringing it to them.
Think about how easy it is to just go to the grocery store and pick something up. Especially if you have tons of free time in college and you’re not doing anything else. And no you don’t have to pay for these groceries yourself. The customer prepays the price with the app.
Sure you won’t become rich from this but you can easily make an extra couple hundred dollars a MONTH doing this!
49. Start your own Amazon FBA store & sell custom products
This may sound like complicated and hard but if you’re a creative person that loves coming up with your product ideas, this could def be a side hustle you could turn into some good money.
Everyone knows what Amazon is. You go on and shop for all sorts of different products. But Amazon FBA is where you get to actually sell your OWN products on Amazon and they will handle all the shipping etc.
Yes, you do have to come up with your own product. But honestly just think of something you yourself wanna buy but there’s not a lot of options for. Or maybe there are options but there aren’t any GOOD options. Then create the product, set up your Amazon FBA store, and start selling!
It might take a little time to set up but there are tons of tutorial online for doing this. And it will end up being worth it to cause top earners on here making SIX figures per MONTH!
50. Sell your home movies to media companies with Rumble
If you have a bunch of home movies at home and you don’t mind selling them to media companies, this could be a great easy side hustle for you.
Basically, Rumble is this site that will let you sell your home movies. Of course, these need to be at least somewhat entertaining. Think funny moments. Shocking moments. Stuff that would be worth sharing that other people might laugh at.
Then just upload it to Rumble and sell the rights for a media company to use it. And don’t worry, they won’t use it for just anything. Usually its like funny video compilations or whatever else. Think about those random home videos you see sometimes on Good Morning America.
Now not every video is gonna sell for the same price. But you can def make a few extra dollars from this. Which is better than just leaving your home videos in the dust and getting nothing.
51. Write resumes for other students
If you’re good at writing resumes and getting jobs then you can def turn that skill into a nice side hustle helping other students make their resumes good too.
With sites like WriteZillas, you can just go on and see all these requests for people that need help with their resume. Maybe it’s too broad or isn’t organized well. Or they just don’t know how to make it stand out to get noticed.
You just accept a request and then start tweaking it and giving your feedback to make it better. Offer tips for things they could add or what they need to do better. Basically just help them get a job with a fresh resume.
Then you’ll easily get paid money just for helping update their resume. Don’t expect to get rich from this but you can def make an extra $50 a month! Just to fix up a resume.
Here are the best sites to make money writing resumes for people:
52. Get paid to post memes on PicturePunches
This may sound too good to be true but believe it or not, it’s real. If you’re good at coming up with funny memes that make people laugh, then you could try posting them on PicturePunches and make money from it.
If you don’t know what PicturePunches is, it’s basically this site where you can get paid to just upload your own original memes. Then if they’re funny enough, you will get paid for them. Imagine getting paid to just post memes.
Not every meme you post is gonna do well but if you’re just looking for some extra cash, you can easily make an extra $5 a month from this!
53. Publish your own songs on Spotify or Soundcloud
As long as your voice isn’t complete trash and you know how to put together a few lyrics, you can def publish your own songs on Spotify or Soundcloud and make some decent side cash.
Now we all know what Spotify and Soundcloud are. Basically two websites where you can stream all types of music from different creators. Spotify is more for professional artists. And Soundcloud is more for amateur. But most people don’t realize that you can actually publish your own songs on there as well.
Yep, just hop into a virtual recording studio. Maybe use an app like GarageBand. Put together your track. Maybe use some autotune. Then publish. And boom, whenever someone streams your song, you can start making a small royalty.
No this won’t be a lot of money unless you start doing really well and build up some fans, but if you just want an easy side hustle, you can def make a few bucks over time.
54. Donate your blood
This one’s a little touchy for me because I’m one of those people that hates thinking about blood. It creeps me out. But if you have some free time in college, you can def stop by a blood blank and make some money donating your blood.
This won’t even take you long either. Usually you can just walk right up to a blood drive and get your blood taken right away. You’ll sit there in the chair while they draw it and then you’ll get paid right after.
The money isn’t even the best part. Sure you can make some good money from this. But to me it’s way better just knowing your donation is gonna help so many people in need. If you have some free time, this could def be a great side hustle to try!
55. Petsit for people
If you’re obsessed with cute dogs like me, this is basically a dream side hustle where you can get paid just to hang out with cute pets all day long.
With sites like Rover, you can connect with people who are going out of town or out for errands and need people to watch their pets for them. They don’t wanna throw their dog in a kennel and would rather just have someone babysit them at home.
You just accept which offer you wanna take. You might even get to see the pet in a picture first. Then boom, you show up and get paid just to baby-sit their cute pet. Maybe take it for a walk. Play fetch with it. Rub its belly. Just have a great time!
This is one of those things that you may even just wanna do for free. But you can actually make pretty decent money doing it. Usually people make around a month doing this!
Here are the best sites to find pet sitting gigs:
56. Sell your unused coupons
Do you have a bunch of unused coupons lying around? Maybe ones from a long time ago that you forgot to use. Maybe for stores that that you no longer even shop at. Instead of letting those go to waste and collect dust in your closet, why not sell them online and make some money from it.
Yep, with sites like eBay, you can upload your random old coupons and make money selling them to people who actually wanna use them. These don’t even have to be amazing coupons either. It can be any old coupon as long as its not expired.
Then you’ll get paid easy money once you sell them. No it’s not gonna make you rich but how good is it to make money from coupons you weren’t gonna use anyway.
Here are the best sites to sell your unused coupons:
57. Wash your neighbor’s car
This one’s def pretty old school but come on if you see your neighbors have a dirty car, why not offer to wash it for them and turn this into an easy side hustle for you.
Really all you need for this is some soap, a bucket with water, a hose maybe, and a wash cloth. You can show up at your neighbors doorstep with all your gear and ask them if they’d like you to wash their car for them. Usually they’ll say yes when they see you already prepared.
Obviously it’s your neighbors so don’t expect to make tons from this. But as long as you do a decent job and they’re not cheap, you can make a few good bucks from this! Ask even more neighbors and you can make more.
58. Mow your neighbor’s lawn
Again, this one’s also pretty old school and basic. Everyone knows about mowing lawns for cash. But if you see your neighbor has a crusty dusty lawn, why not offer to mow it for them and make some easy money from it.
You don’t even really have to have a lawnmower. You can ask to borrow theirs and you’ll just do the mowing. But to make it less hassle for them, you should probably just use the one your parents have and bring it over to them.
It doesn’t take that long to mow the grass either. Just put your headphones, start mowing, and it’ll be over before you know it. Just think about how much easy money you’re making.
Now, most college students aren’t gonna have neighbors right. You should be at your dorm. But if you’re just coming back home from school and visiting, this could def be a nice side hustle for college students.
59. Get paid for sponsored tweets
If you’re the kind of person that likes tweeting a lot about random stuff and have a decent amount of followers, getting paid from sponsored tweets might be an interesting side hustle for you.
Basically with sites like Sponsored Tweets, you can make money just from tweeting out ads for different companies. No you don’t have to be a celebrity for this. They just want people with a decent amount of followers and you’re good to go.
I won’t lie, this doesn’t have as much traction as it used to. There used to be a lot more companies wanting to do ad campaigns on it. But back when I did it, I was able to make $15 just from doing one ad so I wanted to put it on here as a possible side hustle for you.
60. Become a movie extra
Have you ever wanted to be in movie before? Maybe not even the main star but just wanted to appear in one? Well, believe it or not, you can try out to become a movie extra and turn it into a cool side hustle.
Basically with movie auditions, you just show up on set and the casting people will decide if you’re a good fit. There’s not even that much pressure when you’re trying out to be an extra. Usually they’ll just see if you fit the part. Try to blend in with the rest of the cast.
If you get accepted then boom, you’ll get to come on set and be a part of the movie. Get paid a little fee just to be an extra. You may even get to see the main stars if they’re in the same scene as you. I know friend who have done this and its just as cool as it sounds!
61. Help name a business (SquadHelp, NamingForce)
Ever thought about naming a business before? Coming up a with a cool name for company and then watching it turn into a success? Well guess what you can actually do this online, coming up with names for real companies and make easy money for it.
With sites like SquadHelp and NamingForce, you can brainstorm cool ideas for business names and make money when companies choose to use your name idea. Make sure you pick something original memorable. Something that stands out and conveys their message.
Now you won’t become rich from this but you can for sure make some decent side cash just to come up with cool business names.
62. Invest in crowdfunding startups (invest in start up companies)
This one’s kinda similar, in that you’d be helping small companies get going. But if you’ve ever wanted to invest in a small company hoping to make some money when it gets bigger, investing in startups might be a good side hustle for you.
Sites like Start Engine let you find cool small companies that no one knows about and contribute money to help get them started. These are companies that are just starting out and in a few years, might be making a bunch more money.
You can choose whatever amount you want and start investing. But choose carefully cause not every company is gonna do well. Some could look promising but then 5 years later be out of business. You wanna choose something that can actually do well over time.
Obviously there’s no guarantees with this. Just like with any investment. You give money up front in hopes to make more of it back later. But if you choose the right start ups, this could def be a profitable side hustle for you. Just use money you’re okay to lose.
Here are the best sites to invest in startups:
63. Become an online proofreader
If you ever thought it’d be cool to make money just from being a grammar nazi, you’re in luck. You could turn being an online proofreader into a cool side hustle for you.
We all know what being a grammar nazi is. Basically someone obsesses over making sure everything has perfect grammar. Usually its annoying but when you need something proofread, it can actually come in handy.
With sites like Upwork, you can find people who need online proofreading done. Maybe for a class project. Or a work assignment. They just need you to go through, edit it, and make sure there’s no obvious errors. Then once you fix it up, you can get paid for it.
If you’ve got a bunch of free time between classes and have nothing else better to do, proofreading other people’s work could be a nice side hustle for college students.
Here are the best sites to find online proofreading gigs:
64. Create your own paid app
Have you ever wanted to create your own app? Design your very own app to put in the app store and then have people actually download it and use it? If you’re like me and thought that’d be cool, you can easily do this and make some money from it.
It may sound hard to come up with your own app. At least the coding part. But with sites like AppMachine, you can do this pretty easy and free. It’s like a drag and drop interface so you can easily build it and don’t have to really code anything.
You can throw your app together pretty quick. Just choose something you think other people would like to download. Then publish it to the app store, add a decent price, and watch as people download it. You won’t make that much money if people don’t use it but if you get a few sells, that’s a few extra dollars.
65. Sell your hair to wig shops
This might sound kinda terrifying if you’re super attached to your hair and trust me I get it haha. But if you’re already looking to get a hair cut anyway and want to give your hair to a good cause, you can easily make some money selling it to wig shops.
Basically these wig shops need real hair for all sorts of reason. Of course they need to make wigs. But sometimes these wigs are special ones they make for people who have cancer and lost their hair. These can use your hair to make super realistic wigs that make them feel like they have their back.
It may seem a little creepy to sell your hair at first. But if it’s just gonna end up on the floor anyway, what does it matter? It makes way more sense to give it away to a good cause and make some easy money from it.
66. Rent your unused parking spot (with JustPark)
Most of you in college are probably not gonna have a parking space. I mean, maybe if you have your own apartment you may get one. But really this is more for home owners. Of course if you do have your own parking space that you don’t use, you can rent it out to people and make some nice side cash.
With sites like JustPark, you can offer people up your unused parking spaces to rent out and then make money from it. People need parking spaces for all sorts of things. Maybe they’re just visiting town and they need something thats convenient to somewhere else. Or who knows what else.
It’s super simple too. You just go in the app, put in the location and rent it out. You can sometimes even put your custom rates. Then whenever someone rents it out, you can make some quick side cash. Top earners on here make around $50 a month from this!
67. Do little micro tasks on Amazon MTurk
If you’re in college and have bunch of extra free time during the day, you could start doing little mini tasks online and turn it into a nice easy side hustle.
Basically if you don’t know what Amazon MTurk is, it’s this site where you can find a bunch of short little mini online tasks to do. Stuff like small little surveys, quizzes, and little product research tests. It’s super easy and won’t take you long to do at all. Then you’ll get paid just to do them.
Of course cause these are super easy and simple, you’re not gonna make a ton of money doing this. But if you’e in line waiting for food and walking back from class, you can easily make a few bucks just doing a few micro tasks on here. That money adds up quick!
68. Create your own online course on Teachable
Every thought about creating your own online course? Coming up with your own online lessons to teach people how to do something? If so, you can actually do this on Teachable and start making some good money from it.
Teachable is this site where you can create your own online course and teach people how to do something. Think of a skill that you’re good at. Maybe knitting or using Microsoft Excel or painting cool artwork. Then break it down into simple easy lessons to teach other people and publish on Teachable.
The more popular your skill is, the more money you can make on here. So pick something a bunch of people wanna learn how to do. Usually you can expect to make a few hundred or more from this once you get some people buying your course.
69. Become a virtual assistant
This one might sound kinda lame. Imagine being someone’s personal assistant. But if you have a bunch of free time in college, you can def turn this into a profitable side hustle to make easy money.
With sites like Zirtual, you can find a bunch of virtual assistant gigs online. It may sound boring but really these are super easy tasks. Stuff like filing documents or sorting through papers. Or organizing folders. Really stuff anyone can do but maybe they’re too busy.
You can accept their request and become their virtual assistant to do those tasks for them. Then whenever you have free time (maybe between classes) you can do a few tasks and make some nice cash. As boring as it sounds, this could be a super flexible side hustle for college students!
Here are the best sites to find virtual assistant gigs:
70. Put ads on your car (Wrapify)
If you don’t mind turning your car into a walking billboard with lots of ugly ads, then you can easily make some nice side money just putting ads on your car.
Now of course you do need to have a car. But if you do, just sign up with a site like Wrapify and you can choose how many you want to put on your car. If you cover it up fully with ads, you can make the most money.
This is a good side hustle for college students if you don’t care how your car looks and you’re not gonna be driving much anyway. Yes, it can be a little embarrassing. But just to have ads on your car, you can actually make $150-450 a MONTH doing this!
71. Become a part-time voice actor
If you’re pretty good at doing voice impressions and can make a bunch of weird noises, you might wanna try becoming a part-time voice actor and make money doing impressions!
With sites like Voices.com, you can go on and see what voice gigs are available. Sometimes it’ll be auditions for actual roles in a show where they need someone to voice a character. But other times, it’ll just be narration stuff for like an audiobook.
Think about easy it is to just sit there, read a script, and record your voice. It might even be fun too if you get to do a funny character. If you have free time in college and jus do this a few times a month, you can still make an extra few hundred dollars doing this!
Here are the best sites to get paid for voice acting:
72. Have a garage sale
This one’s pretty basic and traditional but most people forget about it. If you haven’t gone to college yet and still have a bunch of your old stuff back home, why not throw a huge garage sale and make money from it. Instead of letting it all go to waste.
Now, this is kind of a one-time thing and not really a side hustle unless you’re a huge hoarder and build up a bunch of junk all the time. But you can def set up a garage sale in your garage on your weekend and make some extra money.
It’s not hard to set up a garage sale either. Just open up your garage, set up a sign in the yard, maybe have some decent music playing to attract people. And watch as people come up to check out your old junk.
Of course, how much you make from this will depend on what you’re selling and whether people even want it. But usually with garage sales, you can make an extra few hundred to a thousand dollars.
73. Use credit card to get cash back & rewards
If you have a credit card with good cash back rewards, you can easily make some nice money cash back just from using your credit card to buy certain things.
Most people don’t even take advantage of cash back rewards. But basically when you have a credit card and you buy certain things with it, then you will get paid money just from purchasing them. Usually its stuff like gas or groceries etc.
Sometimes the cash back will be actual straight cash to your bank account. Other times, you get points which can then turn into cash when you get enough of them. If you make enough of these purchases (gas, groceries, etc), this could be a pretty easy side hustle for you.
Btw, if you wanna learn more about the best credit cards, check out my post on the best credit cards for college students. I cover all the best ones that will give you the best rewards!
74. Get paid to research topics (Wonder)
Are you one of those students that loves doing research all the time? Love finding out about new things and documenting what you learned? Well, believe it or not, you can actually get paid real money just to research topics online.
Yep, with sites like Wonder, you can sign up and get paid just to research random stuff online. Of course this will be legit research. Like studying and making a report etc. But if you’re doing that in class anyway, why not kill two birds with one stone and make money from it too?
Think about it. In college you’re doing research all the time. Turn in one version for a grade and publish the other version with these research sites. If you do this well, this could def be a good side hustle for college students!
75. Get paid to have a tracker app on your phone
Honestly I don’t recommend this cause I’m all about privacy. But if you’re one of those people that just doesn’t care, you can make some easy money just having a tracker app installed on your phone and letting companies collect data.
Basically with apps like MobileXpression, you just install the app and let it track your data. It will monitor what kinda stuff you do on your phone and provide that data to companies that wanna target customers better. It’s like market research.
Again, I don’t really recommend this cause you may have private stuff on your phone. And who wants random companies spying on you? But if you seriously don’t care and just want the free money, you can def turn this into some easy cash.
76. Help people learn an instrument
Are you good at playing an instrument? Did you take band in school or something? If so, you could make some easy money online just giving short lessons and teaching other people how to play it.
With sites like Lessonface or Takelessons, you can sign up as a music teacher and connect with people who wanna learn how to play an instrument. Maybe you know how to play guitar or violin or piano. Just accept a student and schedule a session or two a week.
If you’re decent at playing, it won’t even be that hard. Just start from the beginning and help them learn the basics. You can practice with them and give them tips to get better. As long as you have an extra few hours during the week, you could certainly turn this into a good side hustle.
Here are the best sites to teach people how to play an instrument online:
77. Rent your belongings
If you don’t mind giving up your belongings for a few days to people online, then you could turn this into an easy side hustle to make money.
With sites like Loanables, you can rent your stuff out for other people to borrow. Maybe your camera or some furniture. Basically stuff you don’t use or don’t care if something happens to it. These are random people and you don’t wanna take chances.
Like I said, only rent out stuff that you don’t care much about anyway. But if you have an old camera you don’t use and its just sitting in your room, you can certainly rent it out for a few days and make some easy money from it.
78. Recycle certain products to make money
This one might sound kinda crazy but believe it or not, you can actually make money just from recycling stuff at recycling centers.
Think about all the stuff you throw out all the time. Bottles. Empty cans. Random junk. Instead of just tossing it in the trash, why not take it to a recycling center and trade it in for money. Now, you can’t do this with just anything. Usually they’ll pay you money for metal and aluminum products.
If you add up all the stuff you throw out each month and instead trade it in at the recycling center, you can easily see how this could turn into a good side hustle for you.
79. Sell fresh food from your garden (RipeNearMe)
With this one, you kinda have to have a garden. Just a little one in your backyard or something. But if you do have your own garden, you can easily make some money selling your fresh produce on sites like RipeNearMe.
This won’t necessarily be a good side hustle for college students unless you have your own place. But maybe if you come home to visit, you can set up a mini garden and try to grow some fruit. Then just gather that up and see how much you can make with sites like RipeNearMe.
This is a really easy side hustle as long as you know how to grow a garden. You don’t even have to think about it. Just grow and sell. No you won’t become rich from this but you could still make some good side cash.
80. Get paid to exercise (Achievement, Sweatcoin)
If you love going out for a run every once and a while and breaking a sweat, you could actually get paid for this and turn it into a nice side hustle for motivation.
With apps like Achievement and Sweatcoin, you can literally get paid real money just to exercise. Even if it’s just walking. The app just records your steps and then you get paid based on how much activity you do. Talk about motivation to work out haha. Each step is money.
Imagine just taking a walk around campus and then having enough money to pay for a meal later. Sure this doesn’t pay a lot for a few steps but if you do enough walking to get to classes, this could be a great side hustle for college students.
Here are the best apps to get paid to exercise:
81. Deliver people’s packages with Amazon Flex
This one’s kinda like Instacart or the Doordash one we talked about earlier, but instead of food, you can make money delivery people’s packages with Amazon Flex.
Amazon Flex is basically this program where average people can sign up to deliver people’s Amazon packages to them. Kinda like an amateur UPS driver. You just accept a package and then go deliver it to them.
This doesn’t have to be something you do everyday. Just something you can do whenever you have free time. How easy is it just to hop in your car and quickly deliver a package to someone? It’s super easy and you can make your own hours. Usually people make $18-25 an HOUR doing this!
82. Get paid to watch commercials
This one might sound crazy but believe it or not, you can actually get paid money just to watch random commercials on your phone. If you’re bored and have extra free time, this could be a great side hustle for you to try.
With apps like Inbox Dollars, you just go on and you’ll see all these commercials you can watch to make money. Just simple product ads and clips from random companies. They pay you to watch them cause honestly who wants to watch commercials.
It’s super easy though if you have extra time and can whip out your phone to make some money. Maybe you’re standing in line for food or waiting at a bus stop. Just watch a quick commercial and make some easy money!
83. Become an online test proctor
If you’re in college, you probably take exams all the time. Finals and midterms. A lot of them are probably online too. If you know how to watch for cheating and can monitor students taking a test, you could become an online test proctor and get paid for it.
With sites like Kryterion and ProctorU, you can get paid just to be an online test proctor. It’s not even hard either. Especially online. You just watch the students and make sure no one’s cheating. How easy is that. The hardest part is really just not falling asleep while they’re taking the test.
You can literally just be on your phone the whole time while watching them take it. Then after its over, you’ll get paid real money just from sitting there. Definitely an easy side hustle for college students if you can get approved.
84. Ask for a raise at work
If you have already have a job and you’re just looking for a way to make extra money on the side, you might wanna first try asking for a raise at work. Sure it’s really basic and it may not work. But if it does, you can easily increase your income by a lot just from nothing.
When you go to ask for a raise, make sure you have a game plan. Think about why you want the raise and why you deserve it. Have you been working there a while? Are you bringing good value? Come up with a case and use that when you present your argument.
Obviously this isn’t guaranteed to work but most people don’t realize what can work unless they just try. There have been plenty of people who have gotten raises at work just from asking. No, this isn’t a side hustle but it can instantly make you more money each month if you succeed.
85. Offer your video editing skills on Fiverr
Are you pretty good at editing videos? Can you make cool edits to clips online and use basic video editing software? If so, you might be able to turn this into a lucrative side hustle offering up your video editing skills online.
With sites like Fiverr, you can go on and see requests from people who need their videos to be edited. Maybe wedding footage from a happy couple that wants it to look nice. Small businesses putting together a new ad. Or youtubers who don’t feel like editing their own videos.
You just accept a request and then get paid once you edit their video. Of course, you should post some proof first in your profile so they know if you’re good or not. Make some sample videos you can show potential clients so they see your skills.
Even if you just get a few clients a month, that can still add up to a few hundred dollars depending on how much you charge. The longer the footage (and the better reviews you get), the more money you can charge.
Here are other sites where you can get paid to video edit:
86. Loan your extra cash & charge interest (peer to peer lending)
This one’s a little risky so I almost didn’t wanna put it. But if you’re okay with loaning people your extra cash and then charging interest for when they pay it back, you could turn this into a pretty decent side hustle.
Basically, this is called peer-to-peer lending. Where you (a person) loan your money to another person. Usually when you think of lending, it’s done between a bank and a person so this is different. When they eventually pay you back, instead of just amount you gave them, they also have to pay you interest.
Like I said, this is kinda risky cause the people you’re loaning to are random people you don’t know. They could be trustworthy or not. You just don’t know. Thats why you should only use your extra cash for this.
Here are the best sites for peer-to-peer lending:
87. Sell your used furniture (at the end of semester etc)
If you’re in college, you’ll probably be moving in and out all the time. A lot of times you might get furniture you only use for the semester. Instead of throwing that away at the end and wasting your money, why not sell that used furniture and get your money back.
Yep, with sites like Chairish, you can sell your used furniture to people and make some pretty decent money. Maybe that desk chair you got that you don’t want anymore. A desk that won’t match your new room design. Really whatever.
There are tons of people on there that are buying used furniture. Of course this won’t be something you do all the time. But if you’re someone that likes getting new furniture, you can def sell it online after the semester instead of throwing it out to waste.
88. Get a part-time job
This one’s not exactly a side hustle but since it’s so obvious, I thought it’d still be good to mention. If you’re looking to make extra money in college, getting a part time job can still be a great way to bring in some extra income.
There’s all sorts of different part time jobs you can get and they’re not all hard. You can find part time jobs on campus, part time jobs online, honestly wherever. Yes, with a part time job, you’ll probably need a resume like a normal job but it’s also more stable than some side hustles out there.
Sure a part-time job won’t be as flexible as some of these other side hustles. But for some students, it can still be worth it to first look and see if there’s a good part time job that can work with your schedule.
89. Donate your sperm or eggs
This one’s a little creepy and I don’t blame you if you don’t wanna do it. But if you’re the kind of person that doesn’t have many boundaries, then donating your sperm or eggs could be a unique way for you to make some money on the side.
Basically, if you’ve gotten past middle school science class, then you know how eggs and sperm work. Some people don’t have a partner though and still want children. So they turn to sperm donors or egg donors so they can still have biological children.
Usually you just show up at a sperm bank or egg bank. You might have to get take a few tests first to make sure you’re healthy etc. Then once you donate your stuff, you would get paid for it. Kinda like donating your blood.
Of course, you should really think about this before just doing it for the money. Yes you can help some people out. But for some, knowing that you could end up having random biological children out there you don’t know about could really freak you out and be too much.
90. Get paid for reaching your weight loss goals
Have you been trying to lose weight for a while? Need some motivation to keep the progress going? Well, if you don’t mind keeping track in an app, you can actually make money just from reaching your weight loss goals.
With apps like HealthyWage and DietBet, you can set a weight loss goal. Work towards it. And then get paid real money once you hit that goal. It kinda sounds crazy but this is a real side hustle if you’re willing to put in the work.
No, you won’t make tons of money doing this but you can make a few extra bucks. Which can just be a nice treat when you reach your weight loss goals. Imagine getting paid just to lose a few pounds.
91. Sell high quality videos to use as B-roll (Blackbox)
Do you ever just film random videos outside? Maybe stuff you see or even just basic normal tasks. Well, if its good enough quality, you can actually sell these videos for content creators to use as B-roll online.
Basically, with sites like Blackbox, you can upload this raw footage of generic tasks. Stuff like a sunrise, a thunderstorm, or people walking etc. Then you’ll get paid when content creators want to use it for their videos.
Don’t expect to make a lot of money from this. Most content creators can film their own B-roll footage. But if your videos are high quality enough, you can def turn this into a casual side hustle and make some money from it.
92. Ask questions on Quora
Do you love asking random questions? Getting advice from people? If so, you may wanna try asking them online with sites like Quora and turn it into an easy side hustle.
Quora is basically this site where you can ask random questions about all sorts of things and get answers on it from people. You’ve probably been on there yourself. But what most people don’t know is if you’re in their partner program you can ask those same questions and make money from it.
Yes, you have to be in their partner program but it’s not that hard to get in. I got in after a few months just from being active on there. They sent me an email inviting me to join and boom, after that, I could start asking questions and get paid for it.
Now, to make any kind of real money, you need to do this pretty often. Like 10-30 questions a day. But think about all the random questions you have about random stuff throughout the day. Instead of just keeping that to you yourself, why not ask it on Quora?
The top earners are here are making $5,000 a month!! Just from asking questions. So def worth a try.
93. Get paid to manage social media accounts
If you’re the type of person that’s always on Instagram or updating your facebook status, then you may wanna try turning that passion into a cool side hustle for you and make money managing other people’s social media accounts.
With sites like Fiverr, you can find requests from tons of people needing someone to run their accounts. Maybe they’re too busy with work. Or its a small business and they don’t have time do that along with their other tasks. Whatever it is, people need others to run their social media.
You can charge a nice commission for this and easily make thousands a month. Even throw in a guarantee to get them more followers and suddenly you go from Social Media Manager to Social Media Marketer. This could def be a great side hustle for college students with extra time!
94. Become a part-time instagram model
This one might sound unrealistic but believe it or not, more and more “average” people are turning this into an easy side hustle to make tons of money!
Everyone knows instagram and these days everyone also knows what an instagram model is. Basically someone who gets paid to post pics on Insta and promote sponsored products. Usually these are people that are either heavily photoshopped or outrageously gorgeous.
But these days, brands are actually looking for more normal people to promote products too. The people they’re looking for are “micro influencers”. Just normal average people who have a good circle of friends or are popular in a certain community where their friends will listen to what they have to say.
Maybe you’re the head of cheerleading squad. Or you have a lot of friends in your sorority. Or you just happen to know a bunch of people other ways and have decent engagement on your posts.
As long as you’re not completely ugly (joking haha), you could totally post pics with sponsored products on the side and turn that into an easy casual side hustle.
95. Invest in crypto currency
I’m sure you know what crypto currency is. It’s such a meme these days when people talk about investing in Bitcoin. But believe it or not, this could be great way for you to invest extra cash and turn it into some serious profit.
Basically, crypto currency is like the digital version of money. It’s a new way for people and you can invest in it like the stock market. As more people use it and its value goes up, so does the money you invested in it.
Most people don’t realize just how crazy this is. But if you had invested 5,000 into Bitcoin in 2017 when it was only worth , that 5,000 you put in would now be worth over ! And all you did was a buy a little crypto.
Obviously now it’s worth a whole lot more than that. But it’s only gonna grow higher in the future so it’s better to get in while you can. Of course, there’s other newer cryptos too that are still only worth cheap so if you choose the right one, you could once again turn that 5,000 into a million dollars.
Here are the best apps to get started with investing in crypto:
96. Get a paid remote internship
Come on guys, I had to mention this. If you’re in college, getting a paid remote internship is still one of the best side hustles for college students to make money!
Most people don’t think about this cause usually when you think about it an internship, its an in-person thing. But these days there’s actually lots of remote internships you can find online where you just work form home.
You could be just getting back from class, open your computer, and boom complete a few assignments for your remote internship. It would still be just as good to put on your resume and you would get paid for it. (A lot of in-person internships don’t even pay you.)
Here are the best sites to find paid remote internships:
97. Win online gaming tournaments (like Fortnite)
If you’re a gamer and like playing intense games all the time (maybe online matches with your friends), you could actually turn this into a cool side hustle and make tons of money from it.
And no, we’re not talking about streaming like the last example. This is legit where you would get paid for being good at the game itself. Many popular games like Fortnite host annual competitions and tournaments where the best players can compete and whoever wins gets a cash prize.
This may sound really trivial but believe it or not, the winners for these gaming competitions can earn ! You could literally just be sitting on a couch playing a video game and make that kinda money.
Here’s where to join some of those online gaming tournaments:
98. Become a part-time TA
It may sound kinda boring to be a TA (especially if you hate the class) but believe it or not, this could actually be an easy part-time side hustle for college students to make some good money!
Now, yes you should pick a class you’re actually good at. Maybe a subject you have good grades in or one where you really like the professor. Then apply to be a TA. Usually their hours are really flexible too which is great if you have a busy college schedule and need something to work with that.
And don’t worry this doesn’t have to be hard. Think about it. Usually TAs just sit there and observe. Maybe take some notes. Do the occasional guest lecture. And grade papers. You can definitely do that! Oh and TAs usually make a $500+ month!
99. Become an RA for your dorm
Kinda similar to the TA suggestion but if you’re looking for an easy side hustle for college students you can do on campus, you might wanna try signing up to become an RA for your dorm.
RAs are basically the supervisors who make sure everyone’s following the rules in a dorm. Usually these are older students (not freshman) who have stayed their before so they’re familiar with everything and can answer questions.
Being an RA is great cause you get paid just to live at the dorm and occasionally tell people what to do. Also usually you get special perks like not having to pay room & board while you’re there! If you’ve ever been a babysitter before, you can totally do this.
100. Start an Only Fans
Almost didn’t wanna include this lol but since I’m trying to give you all the possible side hustles for college students, I had to mention it. If you’re not shy about showing off and sharing pics with strangers, then you def could turn that into a side hustle and make some easy money from it.
Basically everyone knows what OnlyFans is these days. But if you don’t, it’s basically a social media site where people can share intimate pics of themselves and make money from other people who subscribe to see them. Like instagram but explicit (and people would pay to follow you)!
I can’t recommend this to just anybody but if this is something you’re interested in, the top earners on here have made 1 million dollars in just 24 hours!
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I find good side hustles for college students?
Honestly, it’s not that hard to find good side hustles for college students. It just depends on what kinda of side hustle you’re looking for.
If you’re looking for an online side hustle where you can basically work from home between classes, then you should look at freelance sites that let you choose when you work. You have no set hours for these and you get paid based on what you ask for. Freelance gigs are def great place to start if you want to work from home in college.
Now, if you’re looking to find side hustles for college students that you can do on campus, def check out all my posts on the topic. You can usually find these through your school or even come up with some to pitch to other students. Stuff like selling your class notes, selling your textbooks etc.
Bottom line, it’s really not that hard to find good side hustles for college students. The best place to start looking are posts like this cause I literally list everything out for you and make it so easy to get started. Hopefully, you find stuff in here that helps!
What are the most popular side hustles for college students?
This can really depend on what kind of side hustle you’re trying to do.
Again, if you’re looking to start an online side hustle, then you may wanna try something easy like selling your clothes online. Lots of people love selling clothes online cause it’s so easy to get started. Everyone has old clothes lying around they can give up.
But it also depends on how much you want to make with your side hustle. Some side hustles pay more than others. There are side hustles that don’t pay that much that are super popular. But then of course, there’s ones that do pay a lot that are really popular as well. It just depends.
The ones that pay the most are probably gonna be the ones that take the most effort. Or are the longest to set up. So of course, you’ll have less people doing those and they might be less “popular”.
How much money can side hustles for college students make?
Side hustles for college students can make tons of money. Like I was just saying, it depends on what type of side hustle you choose. There are side hustles online where you can easily earn thousands of dollars a MONTH.
But then there are also cheap ones that don’t pay that much where you’ll only earn few dollars. Think cheap online survey sites.
Of course the best side hustles for college students might even make you so much money that you could turn it into a full time job! That’s what happened with me.
What side hustles pay the most?
Okay, now if you wanna know the side hustles that pay the most, this is gonna depend on what you choose. But the top side hustles that make the most money include stuff like starting a blog, freelancing a skill, or creating a course.
Basically these are scalable side hustles where your income is determined by how much effort you put in NOT by how many hours you work. With a blog, there are so many ways to make money. And one person might put in more effort and make more money than the next person.
Why should college students start a side hustle?
College students should start a side hustle cause its a great way to make money that also works with your classes. In college, you’ll likely be so busy doing school work all the time and its hard to fit that in with a normal job. Even a part time job!
With a side hustle, you can really be flexible and work whenever you have free time. It’s perfect for those students who also have to pay for their own school. You could start a good side hustle and make enough money to pay for your tuition.
Starting a side hustle could also teach college students how to start their own business. (Which is great for business majors.) Your side hustle might even become so successful that it become your full time job after you graduate!
Even if your side hustle doesn’t make THAT much income and only gives you a little bit of money, thats still extra cash you could use to go out with friends and have a great time!
What kind of side hustle should you start in college?
You should start side hustle in college that works for your schedule. Of course, you should also pick something that interests you so it won’t be hard to motivate yourself to do it.
I can’t really say there’s a specific type of side hustle you should start in college because honestly any kinda of side hustle will work for you as long as you put in the effort.
Now, yes some side hustles will require more time to start than others. But really most of this depends on what you’re passionate about. Remember the saying: If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life! And it’s so true.
Can anyone start a side hustle?
Yes, anyone can start a side hustle! And if you’re in college especially, it could be a great way for you to use you free time to make some money.
Starting a side hustle is not as hard as most people think it is. You just need to pick the right one that works for you and go with it. You can start a side hustle online, from home, on campus, or really anywhere!
These days people can start a side hustle in 5 minutes online and already be making money today!
How do I start a side hustle in college?
Great question! You can start a side hustle in college by first picking which kind of side hustle you wanna start.
Think about questions like: What kind of side hustle will work for my schedule? What side hustle make a lot of money? What are flexible side hustles I can do? To make this easier, you can just look through my posts where I show you all the best side hustles that will work for you.
Once you figure that out and choose which one you wanna do, then you just need to put in the work start. Whether that’s going to a website link or coming up with a product idea for your business, just have a simple plan.
Also plot out time for when you’re gonna work on your side hustle throughout the day. One of the most important things here is just being consistent. You really can’t be successful at anything if you’re not consistent.
Then keep working on it, put in the effort, refer to helpful resources like this and other posts like it for specific tips, and give it time! No amazing side hustle will happen overnight but it certainly can with the right effort and consistency.
Of course, there are more easier side hustles you can do (which I also listed) that you can literally set up and do in 5 minutes. But these side hustles will not pay you as much as the best ones. If you just need a few extra dollars, then sure those will totally work as well!
I should also say there are side hustles in college you can find on campus too where its more like you would find a part time job. Stuff like selling your close notes or working in the campus book store. These are easy side hustles you can do on campus!
What is a side hustle?
Of course, the most basic question of all. But if you’re reading this, you probably want to know. A side hustle is basically a way to make money on the side that you can do alongside another job. It can even turn into your full time job!
You can think of it like the ultimate part-time job that’s flexible and works perfect with your schedule. You can choose your own hours, what works best for you, and how much you wanna work. A side hustle gives you complete freedom to make more money on your terms.
There’s all different types of side hustles depending on what you want to do. The best side hustles for college students are obviously going to be ones you can do whenever you have free time.
I tried to list all the best side hustles for college students here to make it easier for you so hopefully you find some you like!