100 Ways To Make Money In College In 2024

I’ve said countless times that there are hundreds of ways to make money in college. What limits people from doing it is all internal – not external.

They make excuses for themselves: I don’t have enough time or I don’t know where to start.

Well, today I’m eliminating some of those excuses. Here’s my list of over 100 ideas to make money in college. You can also see our ranking of the best side hustles for college students – which is a trimmed down list focusing on the best ideas.

Seriously, I brain-dumped every idea I could think of to make money into this list. Some of them you’ve heard plenty of times before. Others might be new to you.

To help organize the list, here are the categories we’ve assigned to the different tasks. We tried to list it most lucrative to least lucrative, but all of these items have their pros and cons.

Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links and will earn me a commission. These are all things that I have experience with and I am recommending because they are helpful and are companies that I trust, not because of any commission it may earn me.

2. Freelance Write For Blogs And Businesses

Freelancing writing is one of the easiest ways to start making money, especially if you’re a fast writer. There are a lot of ways to get started freelance writing for blogs, and we’ve put together a full list here: 14 Ways To Get Paid For Writing.

Beyond writing for blogs, many business are looking for writers to help with many different types of writing – from general how to content, to technical writing, to putting together brochures. To write for other businesses, look at sites like UpWork, where you can search for listing and apply for freelance jobs.

A popular job right now is proofreading. You can proofread for blogs, websites, and authors, and it can be done almost anytime and anywhere. Learn how to get started as a proofreader here.

20. Rent Your Car

If you have a car that you’re not using because you’re spending all your time on campus studying, maybe it’s time you put it to use by renting it.

Turo is a service that allows you to rent your car to others, and get paid for it. They make it easy, and for college students, it could be an easy win-win.

Read our full Turo Car Sharing review here.

21. Rent Your Stuff

 Do you have stuff in your garage that you don’t use anymore? Maybe a bicycle or camping gear? Maybe it’s something that you do use, but not very often. If you want to put your stuff to work for you, consider using a service like Rentything, which allows you to rent almost anything you own. You just create your own rental shop and list items to rent. People contact you and pay you online through the platform. A simple and easy way to boost your income! A similar site is Zilok.

22. Rent Your Garage Or Driveway

If you own a home and have extra space you’re not using in your garage, or maybe a side driveway, you could rent that space to people that need to store their boat or RV. The website Neighbor allows you to rent out your driveway or garage to others and collect payment online. It’s very easy to use and a great way to make some extra money on a space you don’t use.

23. Rent Your Clothes

If you have a lot of clothes you don’t wear often (maybe a bridesmaid dress or some fancy jeans), you can rent that to others who may be looking for a great look at a good price. Sites like RentNotBuy allow users to rent their clothes and fashion products to others online. It’s quick to create a listing, and easy to get paid.

24. Rent Your Place On AirBnB

Do you travel a lot? Or are you going to be gone for a set period of time – like the summer? You can use that time to rent out your house or apartment and make some extra money while doing it. AirBnB is becoming much more mainstream, for both landlords and vacationers. If you want to rent your place and earn some extra money, check it out.

The following aren’t quite jobs, and they aren’t quite online business opportunities. They fall in the middle, and I’m calling them tasks that you can do to earn money. Most of these are geared towards millennials and college students looking to make some money doing odd-jobs.

An app we love is Steady, which allows you to find gig work and more. Check out Steady here – it’s free to sign up and find work. Read our Steady review.

25. Search With Swagbucks

If you’re already searching the Internet, why not switch your default search engine to Swagbucks. Swagbucks lets you earn points called SB, which you can then redeem for cash or gift cards. There are lots of way to earn SB, and it can be a great source of extra income each month. Plus, get a $5 bonus for signing up with this link!

Check out our full Swagbucks review here.

26. Fill Out Online Surveys

Another task that you can do online is to do online surveys, which typically will reward you with small gifts just for filling them out. There are several online survey sites. Check out this list of the most reputable ones to get started:

• Survey Junkie – Earn cash and rewards for sharing your thoughts and opinions.
• Swagbucks Surveys – Swagbucks now has a dedicated survey section, and you can get $5 just for signing up.
• Pinecone 18-24 – If you’re 18-24, you can earn $3 per survey with Pinecone.

When companies create new websites and initiatives online, they need people to test it out before it goes live. Sites like UserTesting.com allow companies to post testing jobs, and anyone can sign up to participate in the test. You’re paid for the testing that you do.

29. Be A TaskRabbit

TaskRabbit is a site where people post jobs online, and you can apply to do the tasks. These are full-time jobs, or even really freelance work. These are tasks. For example, you might be asked to go grocery shopping or to pick up lunch at a restaurant and bring it to someone’s office or house. These small jobs can add up to a nice side income.

30. Pick Up Dog Poop For Others

People hate picking up dog poop. It’s as simple as that. As such, there are services popping up across the country that will do this for you – and you can setup a dog poop service in your own neighborhood.

Don’t believe this is a thing? Check this out:

31. Become A Note Taker

Unlike school notes, people need notes taken for everything. For example, senior citizens and disabled persons consistently need help taking notes, and many local Heath and Human Services departments pair up note takers to people in need. If you have time and are willing to travel around town, you could earn a little side income taking notes for the needy.

32. Become A Medical Test Volunteer

Another way to make some extra money is to become a medical test volunteer. Once again, many different studies are taking place that need healthy volunteers to try out different things. Some may require you to be monitored while you sleep, while others might test different drugs on you. Regardless, it’s a good way to earn a lot of extra money.

33. Become A Dasher

DoorDash is an on-demand delivery service, where you can get paid to deliver items (usually food) to someplace in town. They advertise that you can potentially earn up to $25 per hour doing these on-demand delivery tasks.

34. Become An Agent Anything

Agent Anything is very similar to Task Rabbit, except that it’s geared towards students doing the tasks. One the platform, people will post jobs and how much they’re willing to spend. As an Agent, you can apply to the job and then if you’re award it, you can get paid when it’s complete.

35. Enter Scholarship Competitions

Scholarships are a great way to get extra income while you’re in college. What most people don’t realize is that most scholarship competitions get very few entries, simply because people assume they won’t win. Check out our guide to finding and entering scholarship competitions.

Also, make sure you enter our very own Side Hustlin’ Student scholarship (since you’re probably a side hustler given you’re reading this article).

36. Recycle Cans And Bottles

Another simple way to earn some extra money is simply recycling. Most places around the country allow you to get paid for turning in bottles and cans. It’s not much, but full bags of cans could get you about $5 per bag or more. Plus, it helps clean up the area too!

There are even guides available to help you make the most money you can recycling.

37. Recycle Scrap Metal

Beyond just bottles and can, you can also recycle scrap metal. There’s a lot more money to be made with scrap metal recycling, but it’s also harder to find the stuff to recycle. If you find scrap copper or metal, you can get paid a significant amount for it.

38. Answer Trivia Questions

Wouldn’t it be great if you could get paid for answering trivia questions? Believe it or not, you can be. With a service called Swagbucks, you can play trivia games and win prizes for doing it.

39. Share Your Phone Info

Along the same lines as trivia, you can get paid for just using your mobile phone and allowing companies to know what you’re doing on it. For example, Neilson Mobile is an app that you can earn rewards on just for having it installed. It will take snapshots of what you’re doing and use those for advertisers to know more about your demographic. It takes away some privacy, but you get paid for it.

40. Become A Professional Cuddler

Some people just need some hugs. If you’re a loving person that doesn’t mind hugging and cuddling with strangers, you could get paid for it. Now, don’t get the wrong idea, this is just for cuddling

41. Become A Professional Friend

If cuddling isn’t your thing, what about just being someone’s friend, maybe going to the mall or the movies? If this sounds more your thing, check out Rent-A-Friend. Just like it sounds, you can be paid to be someone’s friend for the day. It might be awkward, but it could also be fun and lucrative!

42. Officiate Weddings

Are you an interesting person or do you do a cool job? People are always looking for interesting people to officiate their weddings, and you could get paid for it. For example, if you’re a skydiver who officiates weddings, you could get paid to host a sky diving wedding ceremony. Since most pastors don’t do these extreme sports, it’s a great side income for those that do.

43. Get Rebates For Grocery Shopping

Ibotta is an app that gives you cash rebates for your shopping. You just share with it your shopping, and it will give you a rebate for it. Pretty interesting app that’s an easy way to earn some extra cash.

Read our full Ibotta review.

44. Get Rebates For Online Shopping

Who actually goes to the grocery story or regular store anymore? It seems everyone simply shops online now. Before you make any more purchases online, make sure you sign up for Rakuten. This service will allow you to get rebates on 1,000s of online shopping places, including Amazon, Target, and more. I’ve made $2,400 since signing up for Rakuten! Check it out here.

45. Find Programming Bugs

Are you a programmer? Have some free time during the summer? You could spend that time looking for programming bugs in new and existing software. Look for postings on job boards or your college campus.

46. Find Website Hacks

Similar to finding programming bugs, companies are paying and rewarding people for finding hacks and flaws in websites. For example, United Airlines recently announced that it will give frequent flier miles to people who find hacks, and Google publicly displays the cash rewards they give for people who find exploits and report them.

47. Help Name A Business

One of the hardest things for business owners to do is name their company. I know this first hand. Chances are, most business owners aren’t creative. But there are services to help, and you can get paid for it. NamingForce and SquadHelp are two services that hold business naming contests, where the winner can get paid in cash!

48. Drive For Lyft Or Uber

If you have a car and some spare time, becoming a driver partner for Lyft or Uber can be a great way to earn some extra money.

The Rideshare Guy has some great resources to help you get started and figuring out the best ways to make the most money for driving, including any guarantees these companies may be offering right now.

49. Deliver Food Or Groceries

Don’t want to drive people around? Or maybe you don’t have a car, but live in a bike friendly city and want to put your bike to use? You could deliver food for Instacart or UberEATs and simply deliver food all day.

Sign up for Instacart Here

Sign up for UberEATs Here

Also, check out these other great ideas on how to make money riding a bike.

50. Answer Pressing Questions

Are you an expert on a subject matter? Did you know you could get paid just for answering questions. The service JustAnswer.com allows users to connect with professionals, and pay a small fee to get their question answered. This can be a great way to help others and get paid at the same time.

Sell Your Stuff

Making money by selling stuff is one of the easiest ways to make money in college. A lot of students don’t think they have things to sell – but they’re wrong. Everybody can sell stuff on this list.

51. Sell Your Class Notes

The first thing that you can sell in college are the notes you take in class. There are many ways to do this. Almost every major campus typically has a note-taking/note-selling service on campus. For example, the University of California, San Diego has A.S. Lecture Notes, which pays note takers and charges note buyers. However, there are also online services such as StudySoup, which allow students to sell their notes online. There are students who are making over $5,000 to $10,000 selling their notes.

You can also look at Nexus Notes and Stuvia to sell your notes.

52. Sell Your Old College Papers

Beyond selling notes, most college students write papers…lots and lots of papers. Don’t let these assignments go to waste. There are services that will buy your old college papers. For example, you could look at GradeSaver. This services allow you to sell your old essays and get anywhere from $15 to $100 for them. If you’re writing multiple papers per semester, this could be a great little side income.

53. Sell Stuff On Craigslist

If you have anything you don’t use anymore, and it’s too large to sell online, Craigslist should be your go-to place to sell stuff. In college, you may want to sell all your furniture before moving home from school at the end of the year. Depending on what you own, a few $100 might be better than storing it or transporting it back with you. It’s easy to setup a listing and sell anything on Craigslist.

You can also check out these Craigslist alternatives.

54. Sell Crafts On Etsy

If you’re crafty, you should consider selling your stuff on Etsy. Etsy is designed for handmade goods – including stationary, greeting cards, household crafts, and more. The great thing about creating these types of products is that you can do it in your spare time, on nights and weekends. And creating many of these products doesn’t take up much space – so it can be dorm room friendly. Don’t think there’s much money in selling on Etsy? Well, this teenager paid for her college by selling crafts online.

55. Sell Stuff on eBay

Another great place to sell your stuff is eBay. I personally was making $2,000 to $3,000 per year selling stuff on eBay in college. If you have stuff you no longer use – old video games, DVDs, computers, etc. – and you can ship it in a box, then sell it on eBay. This is a lucrative way make extra money while in college.

56. Sell Roadside Gifts For Holidays

Have you ever seen those roadside stands around Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day? You know, the ones selling flowers and treats? Well, that could be you. As a college student, just head down to Costco and buy some flowers and holiday candy. Then, get permission to setup a stand near a busy intersection or on the side of a road. You’ll double or triple your initial investment every holiday.

57. Sell Your Blood Plasma

This is one of the more “unique” ideas on this list, but you can make money by selling your blood plasma. It sounds weird, but a lot of medical therapies rely on blood plasma (which is slightly different than simply donating blood). To find out if you’re eligible and for locations where you can donate, check out DonatingPlasma.org.

58. Sell Your Sperm Or Eggs

Along the same lines as donating plasma, young and healthy adults could donate their sperm or eggs for money. Donating sperm doesn’t command much, but it can be a small supplement to your income. On the other hand, donating your eggs could earn you anywhere from $10,000 to $15,000. However, there’s work involved in the process, and it’s not painless.

59. Sell Your Hair

Continuing on the trend of selling stuff from your body, did you know that you can sell your hair? People actually will pay money for your hair – long hair, short hair, even men’s beards. BuyandSellHair.com is the largest online hair marketplace, where you can post a listing of your hair and other people around the world will contact you regarding your listing.

60. Sell Your Old Video Game Accounts

For the gamers out there, this money making gig is for you. Let’s face it, as you go through college, you find yourself spending less and less time playing your favorite video games. Why let your awesome characters and game assets go to waste? Why not sell them online to other players? That’s exactly what PlayerAuctions.com allows you to do. You can buy and sell old video game accounts, characters, and even in-game assets. Depending on what you sell, this could earn you several hundred dollars.

61. Sell Your Junk Mail

Believe it or not, there is a company out there that is willing to buy your junk mail. The company Small Business Knowledge Center is looking for individuals to send in their junk mail on a regular basis – specifically they are looking for offers relating to personal finance, insurance, investing, and more. When you do this, they will reward you with points that can be redeemed for gift cards to over 200 different retailers.

62. Sell Home-Grown Produce

If you have a yard or some space to grow food, you could grow items to sell to your friends and neighbors. If you have enough space to grow a lot of food, you could even join a Community Supported Agriculture – where local farmers and residents pool together to buy and sell fresh produce. This may not make you a millionaire, but if you have enough to sell consistently, it could be a great income stream.

63. Sell Your Idea Or Invention 

Do you have a great idea for a product but don’t know the best way to go about creating it? Well, you could submit your idea to Quirky. They’ll screen your idea, and if they like it, they’ll either develop it themselves or in partnership with a major brand. In the end, you’ll get a cut of all the sales from the final product. For some inventors, this has only earned them $1,000s, but others have earned $100,000s through the platform.

64. Sell Your Artwork

If you’re an artist, and consistently create paintings, drawings, computer animations, or anything else visual, you could sell your artwork online on a site like Deviant Art. Deviant Art allows users to upload images, and they can elect to sell those images as prints or even special projects like mouse pads and more. Whenever an item sells, the artist will receive 20% of the purchase price. Higher membership levels earn higher royalties.

65. Sell Stock Photos

Maybe you prefer to take pictures versus creating a painting? That’s fine, and there are ways to sell your stock photos as well. The Penny Hoarder has a great guide to selling stock photography, and it breaks down step by step how to sell on iStockPhoto or Shutterstock. When you start out, you will earn roughly 15% of the selling price, but it can go up to 50% over time.

66. Sell Your Old Textbooks

Finally, you can always sell your old textbooks when you’re done with your class. While this won’t typically earn you money (although some clever college entrepreneurs have figured out a way to profit selling used textbooks), it is a great way to get some money back for the books you bought each semester.

Work

Of course, you can always earn money by working. These are jobs that college students and young adults are well suited for given school schedules, summer vacations, and more.

67. Babysitting

If you’re responsible, babysitting is a great way to earn some extra money. The typical babysitter gets about $20 per hour. If you have friends and neighbors with kids, start asking them if they want to have a night out!

If you want to be “more reputable”, sign up on a site like Care.com.

68. Become A Petsitter

Along the same lines as babysitting, when people go out of town, they need someone to watch their pets. If you love animals, pet sitting can be a great way to earn some extra money and hang out with some furry friends.

Try signing up for Rover to get connected with people who need a pet sitter.

69. House Sitting

If you know someone is taking a vacation, offer to house sit for them. Nobody wants bad things to happen to their homes – from pipe leaks to burglaries. House sitting avoids this and also can be combined with pet sitting. It can be a lucrative gig if you have time on your hands.

You can also sign up on Care.com and see if you can get leads that way as well. People will value responsible students to house sit.

70. Clean Houses

Another great gig for college students is house cleaning. It takes several hours, but it can be done easily in college and requires no real experience. You can team up with an experienced cleaning company or look to run your own business.

You can also look at something new like Amazon Services, and list your service there.

71. Do Catering On Weekends

Catering companies are always looking for extra help because their schedules are so odd. Most catering companies have little work during the week, but need a large staff on the weekends. This works well for college students who are just looking to earn an extra few dollars.

If you don’t know where to find these gigs, check out Craigslist for Jobs or Gigs in your area.

72. Computer Repair

If you’re handy with a computer, helping people get their computers repaired is a great way to make extra money. Typically this will involve setting up software, checking for virus, and more.

See if a computer repair firm is hiring on ZipRecruiter.

73. Handyman Work

If you’re great with tools and know how to fix things, you can make some extra money doing handyman work for others. You can offer to help your landlord in college, or connect with friends or neighbors that might need help.

74. Paint Houses

One of the most well-known college gigs is to become a house painter. Companies like College Pro House Painters have been connecting college students to the house painting business, while also giving them an exposure to entrepreneurship. This can be a great way to earn some extra money during the summer.

75. Hauling

If you have a truck, you can offer to haul things for people – usually to the dump or landfill. There are services that do this for people, but if you post on Craigslist and charge a reasonable price, you’re likely to find success.

76. Work In Retail

Retail is a great place for college students to work because the hours are usually very flexible and opposite when college students go to school. Many retailers need staff on nights and weekends, and that works well for most college students. Plus, retail earns a steady paycheck.

This may not sound great, but employers want college students who worked during school.

Find a job here on ZipRecruiter.

77. Work As A Bartender Or Server

If you prefer more fast-paced and interesting work, consider becoming a bartender or server at a restaurant. You’ll usually work nights, but you have the potential to earn great tips if you do a good job.

Find a job here on ZipRecruiter.

78. Work For Your Professor

Many professors hire 1-2 students each semester to help them grade papers, prepare the lessons, and even do research for them. If you’re interested in a particular field of study, partner with your professor and see if he has a job for you.

79. Work At A Temp Agency

Temp agencies are great places for college students to get started, especially because the variety of work they get can be helpful for students. Apply for the temp agency, and they’ll likely connect you with a business that just needs short-term work.

Find a job here on ZipRecruiter.

80. Become A Tutor

Another great way to earn money while in school. If you’re a pro at any class in college, simply offer to help others that aren’t. You can post a sign outside the lecture hall, or even use a Facebook group for the class (as many classes are going digital). You can easily find clients and charge a decent rate to boost your income.

If you’re good at English, and would feel comfortable teaching English online, check out VIP Kid and teach English online for a good hourly rate.

Another similar program is QKid – where you can teach English online in small groups. You just have to be currently enrolled in college. 

See this guide on how to get paid for teaching English online.

Care.com also maintains a list of tutoring services, so you might consider finding clients there as well.

81. Modeling

Modeling is another potential way to earn extra money in college. There are many ways to get into modeling, but typically you sign up with an agency and they will pay you several hundred dollars per day for a shoot. A new way to break into the business is to use sites like Instagram to showcase your work and allow others to see you portfolio.

82. TV Or Movie Extra

Everyday around the country, TV shows and movie shoots are looking for extras to fill in the background on their sets. It pays maybe $200 or more per day, but it can be a fun way to earn some extra money on the side.

83. Mystery Shopping

Have you ever wanted to rate a company that you use and provide feedback? Well, you can sign up to be a mystery shopper and get paid for doing just that. Trendsource is one of the largest market research companies in the United States, and they are always looking for people to become field agents (a.k.a. mystery shoppers)

84. Moving Service

If you have muscle, you can join a moving service and help people move their houses. For example, you could join Starving Students and help people move in your area.

85. Gardening

If you have a green thumb, you could also help your friends and neighbors with their gardening. Even if you don’t want to do this every week, there are lots of odd-job gigs to simply help people clear fields, cut down trees, or do one-off projects.

86. Pool Service

If you know a thing or two about pools, you could also offer to help people with their pools. You can clean them and take care of the chemicals as needed. This can be a commitment, but during the busy summer months, you can help a real pro out.

87. Shovel Snow

During the winter, if you live in an area that snows, you could offer to shovel snow for your friends and neighbors. This is hard work, but you could charge a nice fee for each house.

88. Ask For A Raise or Signing Bonus

Already have a job? Maybe you need to just ask for a raise. This is a simple way to boost your income, and too many people don’t negotiate their salaries. And realize that failing to negotiate your salary can cost you a lot of money!

Many jobs will pay students a signing bonus just for signing their job offer. Using Pathrise, a service that provides you one-to-one coaching and tools to get the best job and negotiate the most competitive compensation package will help you find a position with a signing bonus and get you paid without lifting a finger.

89. Start Your Own Tanning Business

Spray tanning is huge business, and if you own a spray tanning kit, you could do this on your own terms. Maybe you could prep your sorority house before a party, or sell the service to others in your dorm.

90. Do Nails And Makeup

Similar to running a tanning business, if you’re good at doing nails, you could take care of nails and makeup for your friends for special occasions. You could even advertise and do small jobs here and then.

91. Start A Laundry Service

Busy professionals outsource their laundry more often than you would think. If you live in a dorm or apartment building, you could offer to start a laundry service for all your friends and neighbors. Instead of them having to make their own trip to the laundromat, you could combine their trip with yours, and charge them a small fee for it. Considering you do laundry each week, this could be a great recurring revenue stream.

92. Become A Street Performer

Street performers hustle. It takes a special talent to break out a show on a street corner, bus, or subway. But the performers who do it well can earn several $100 per day. If you do this several days per week, it could be lucrative.

93. Do Telemarketing

Cold calling still exists, and businesses are always looking for people willing to man the phones and make calls. Many companies hire this in-house, but there are also firms that hire telemarking professionals to man phones as well (especially around election time). If you don’t mind being on the phone for several hours and getting hung up on often, this is a good job for college students.

Find a job here on ZipRecruiter.

94. Become A Product Demonstrator

Have you ever seen those product demonstrators inside stores? These people are hired by marketing companies and do these jobs on the weekend. Typically the supplies are mailed to your house and you’re told where and when to show up. You can find these jobs on almost every job board.

Search for a job right here – Find a job here on ZipRecruiter.