Best Ways for College Students to Make Money

Balancing all of your responsibilities while in college can be difficult. With classes to attend, extracurricular activities to keep up with and friends to make time for, it can be difficult to add much else. So, what if you need a job? How do you fit making money into your busy schedule?

You don’t have to completely overwhelm yourself in order to make a little money while also staying on top of your homework and social life. Let’s talk about a few ways you can earn some extra cash as a student without losing your sanity – or all of your free time.

How To Make Money In College: On-Campus

When you’re trying to make some money as a student, getting an off-campus job isn’t your only option. If you live on campus and don’t have a car (or just want to work somewhere near where you live) there are likely plenty of opportunities available at your college or university to make and save some money.

Not every college will have the same opportunities on campus, but here are a few common jobs that require little or no prior experience that you could likely score to help save some cash.

1.     Campus Tutor 

While this may not be an option for college freshmen, those with a few classes under their belt can often become peer tutors. A campus peer tutor usually helps students on campus with material for classes they have already completed. Tutors might work a few hours a week or a set number of days. You can tutor for nearly any subject, but peer tutors for STEM subjects are often most in demand.

To become a tutor, you will likely need to apply through your school’s tutoring services organization. Beyond requiring that you’ve completed the courses you’re tutoring for, your university may also require that you maintain a certain GPA to keep the job. According to Talent, the average peer tutor makes $10.50 per hour.

2.     Campus Tour Guide

Do you remember when you toured your college’s campus for the first time? While orientations and other presentations about the school will typically be done by college faculty, tours of campus are often led by current students. Not every university pays their student tour guides, but some schools do – so be sure to ask your admissions office about pay, should you wish to become a tour guide.

Being a tour guide is a somewhat demanding job – while you won’t work as often as other part-time careers, there’s a lot to know. You’ll likely have to memorize a script that you’ll work from when showing prospective students around the grounds – and you’ll need to know the answers to a handful of common questions asked by incoming students and their families. Though not all tour guides are paid, if you decide to be one you might expect to make $10 – $11 per hour.

3.     Campus Dining Worker

Another common on-campus job option is working in a dining hall. These jobs are often very flexible in schedule and allow you to make time for your classes each semester. They may sometimes provide additional benefits on top of pay as well, such as a certain number of free dining hall meals or redeemable points that can be used toward food or other items sold on campus. Responsibilities may differ – you could be doing anything from making food to washing dishes or even being a barista.

You can often inquire about getting a job at the dining hall itself or online. Wages for campus dining workers will vary by school, but you can expect to make a similar amount per hour as other on campus jobs like tutors or tour guides. At University of Michigan, for example, dining hall workers make $11 per hour, plus a few added benefits such as a free meal for every 3-hour+ shift worked.

4.     Resident Assistant

One of the most commonly known ways to make money while in college is to work as a resident assistant, or RA. RAs essentially enforce the rules of campus housing in the dorms and work to make their floor a fun and safe place for students. An RA is expected to make sure residents are abiding by campus housing rules as well as to mediate arguments between roommates, host events and much more.

Most RAs are paid a certain amount either per week or biweekly, though others are not paid. Almost all RAs, however, are compensated for their work with free or discounted room and board, which can make this job a fantastic way to save money while living on campus.

How To Make Money While In College: Off-Campus Ideas

If you aren’t able to find an on-campus job or would be more interested in a job that can give you more hours, there are plenty of opportunities for students to find off-campus work as well. Let’s take a look at a few common side hustles you might consider as a student.

1.     Delivery Driver

In many college towns, takeout delivery apps are very popular – think DoorDash, Uber Eats, etc. Working as a delivery driver near your school can be a great way to make money on your time. Delivery drivers for DoorDash, as an example, make $2 – $10 per order, plus any tips or promotional pay. To apply, typically all you need to do is be over the age of 18, own a car and have a smartphone.

2.     Babysitter Or Dog Walker

Babysitting or dog walking can be great ways to earn money as a student – and for the most part, these jobs offer pretty flexible scheduling options. If you don’t personally know anyone in dire need of a babysitter, there are websites such as Care.com that can help you find babysitting gigs. If you’re better with animals, sites like Rover do essentially the same thing but for people in need of a pet sitter.

Babysitters and pet-sitters are paid pretty substantially too, on average. According to ZipRecruiter, the average babysitter in 2021 makes almost $17 an hour.

3.     Server Or Bartender

If you’re at least 21, you can also work as a bartender at a local bar or restaurant. According to Indeed, the average bartender makes about $13.76 an hour and around $150 in tips each night. If you’re not yet 21 but are over 18, you could also work as a server at a restaurant, which is another job with the potential to earn you lucrative tips. Working evenings could be a downside if you decide to be a bartender or server, as could the unpredictability of a tip-driven wage. In a busy restaurant or bar, however, you have the potential to make a good deal of money.

How To Make Money In College Online

If you’re not willing to or maybe don’t have the time to commit to working on or off campus, there are still other ways to make a bit of money on the side – though these methods are typically less lucrative than a part-time job. Being a college student means you’re very busy, though – and sometimes, any little thing helps when you’re trying to make some cash to pay for textbooks and other expenses.

Let’s go over a few ways you can make some cash quickly online.

1.     Sell Clothes

Is your closet overflowing with clothes, some that you don’t even wear? If this sounds like you, an easy way to make some extra cash is to sell some of your old or lesser used clothes online. There are brick-and-mortar stores you can sell old clothes to, but the easiest way to get rid of your old threads is likely on a website like Poshmark, eBay or ThredUP. Some sites like ThredUP will even donate items that they don’t accept from you – and they take care of the selling process themselves, paying you when your items sell.

2.     Take Surveys

Have you ever seen advertisements or social media posts about websites that pay you just to take surveys? While many are skeptical – and rightfully so, as some sites like this can be scams – it is possible to make money this way, albeit a very small amount per survey. Sites like Swagbucks pay users points to take surveys and complete other tasks online for points that can be redeemed for money or gift cards.

The payout for taking surveys online tends to be very small – sometimes less than a dollar per survey. It might be a good idea to make some extra money while idle or watching TV, but it would be difficult to make a substantial amount of money using this method.

3.     Freelance  

If you have a talent for art, writing, or anything else you can market on the internet, you might also be able to try your hand at freelancing. Freelancers are individuals who do work for a variety of employers, typically short term or on a project-by-project basis.

Sites like Upwork and Fiverr can be good places to start your freelance business. As a college student, you likely don’t have an expansive network of businesses or individuals interested in paying you for your work – which is what these sites can help with. Sites like Fiverr help people in need of services like art, writing or voice acting connect with freelancers like yourself that can provide them. To get started, you’ll likely need to create an account on one of these sites and provide examples of your work.

The Bottom Line: There Are Lots Of Ways To Earn Money In College

Even as a busy college student, there are plenty of ways for you to earn and save money if you set your mind to it. Whether you want to work part time on campus, off campus or even online, there are lots of ways you can start earning money on the side. Remember that college in itself is a full-time job, however, and you shouldn’t put too much stress on yourself to do everything. Trying to do too much at once will make both your job and grades suffer – so try to find a balance that’s right for you.

For more tips on making money, saving money, paying off debt and much more, check out the Rocket HQ^SM Personal Finance guide in our Financial Learning Center.