12 Ways for College Students to Earn Extra Money

Your college years (unlike high school) may be the best years of your life, but when it comes to how to make money, the struggle is real. The price tag on a college education is overwhelmingly high. For the 2021-2022 school year, students paid an average of $56,190 for tuition, fees, room, and board at four-year private nonprofit colleges.

So it should come as no surprise that 44.3% of college students work while enrolled. But holding a full-time job in college can be a challenge, especially while keeping up with your studies and your social life. One study found that working more than 20 hours per week in college negatively impacted grades, while working less than 20 hours per week had a positive impact on academic performance.

With all that in mind, let’s take a look at some side hustles that are perfect for college life — and for adding some much-needed cash to your college fund.

How can college students earn extra money?

Thinking of the college workload, you might wonder how a college student earns money? They don’t have time.

While it may feel that way, there are plenty of ways to do it including getting a part-time job on campus that works around your college schedule or checking out the best side hustles that let you work on your terms, earning as much or as little money as you need.

Side hustles have many options; some require a car and driving around town and you can do others from the comfort of your dorm room at 3 AM.

Some of the side hustles I’ve listed don’t even feel like work, while others do, but they all have one thing in common, they offer ways to make extra money.

Drive around town

Potential earnings: $16 per hour

If you love exploring your college town and meeting new people, consider becoming a rideshare driver with Lyft. You can make your own schedule and drive as much or as little as you want, depending on your other obligations. The amount you can make varies by location, but you earn a flat fee plus keep 100% of the tips customers pay, which makes it a great weekend gig to make up to $100 per day.

Deliver food

Potential earnings: $20 per hour for DoorDash and $22 an hour for Instacart

If you want to avoid having passengers in your car, you could opt to deliver food for an app-based delivery service like DoorDash or Instacart. While the earning potential isn’t as high, you’ll be able to listen to music or podcasts as loud as you want without disturbing your customers. Like rideshare gigs, you earn a flat fee from DoorDash or Instacart, and keep 100% of any customer tips.

Walk dogs or hang out with kids

Potential earnings: $22 an hour on Rover and around $18 per hour babysitting

Who wouldn’t love a mental health break by taking care of cute puppies or other animals? You can set up a gig on Rover and offer to walk local owners’ dogs or come to their homes and pet sit while they are at work or away on vacation. This is one of those gigs that doesn’t feel like work, but pays you well. While you could advertise your services yourself, Rover has a huge platform and you set your own rates/terms so it’s a great way to leverage a larger audience.

Not a dog person? You could make extra money babysitting, especially if you have experience. You can post ads on bulletin boards in your area or use sites like Care.com to get access to a larger audience.

If you want parents to choose you over others, consider getting CPR certified and have a list of references available.

Get cash back

Potential earnings: Varies by app

You can earn and save money using mobile apps. It sounds crazy, but you can earn cash back for shopping online or in person. You can even earn money for uploading receipts to Fetch Rewards.

You can earn cash on purchases from large retailers like Target, Amazon, and Macy’s, and even grocery stores when using apps like Ibotta. As a broke college student, I would have loved these opportunities to earn money back on our grocery bill, but it’s even more important today with the high prices we’re facing.

I won’t say you will pay the bills, definitely not your tuition or room and board bills, but every dollar counts and is a great way to line your pockets with a little more cash.

Complete online surveys

Potential earnings: Up to $40 monthly with sites like Survey Junkie

With platforms like Survey Junkie, you can earn cash or gift cards just for completing online surveys while sitting in your dorm room, the food hall, or in between classes. It’s a relatively simple task that you can complete on your own schedule, and while it won't earn you a full-time income, it can help you make some extra cash without too much effort.

I recommend signing up for several survey sites if you decide to answer surveys to make money. Here are a few of my favorites besides Survey Junkie:

• Swagbucks
• MyPoints
• Branded Surveys

Tutor

Potential earnings: $20+ an hour

If you excel in a specific subject that other college students may struggle with, you can offer tutoring in the library or local coffee shops. A quick flyer in the common areas will likely provide you with plenty of leads, and many people pay as much as $50 an hour for tutoring sessions.

If you’d rather take a break from college work and prefer to tutor younger students, you can tutor them at the local library or even over Zoom.

Put your skills to work

Potential earnings: $25 per hour for handiwork and $23 per hour for freelance writers

No matter what it is you’re good at, you can likely find odd jobs helping other people by using your skills. If you’re handy, enjoy cleaning or running errands, or can help someone get organized, consider offering your services online or around campus or using TaskRabbit.

If you prefer simple tasks for cash without leaving your dorm room, check out the task-based work available on Upwork, such as freelance writing, editing, and website design. You can also create your own gigs on Fiverr, setting your rates and terms while leveraging Fiverr’s worldwide audience. Of course, you can also advertise your skills on social media or bulletin boards around campus.

Be a brand ambassador

Potential earnings: $22.65 per hour

Enjoy trying new products? You might have a blast working as a brand ambassador. You could work a sample table or be part of an experiential marketing event (as in: you could dress up in a costume and have a lot of fun). Companies love to hire college students because you have nighttime and weekend availability. Check Craigslist, local Facebook groups, and your school’s job board for gigs.

Sell your stuff

Potential earnings: Varies based on what you sell

It might be time to clean out your dorm room anyway, and you can easily turn your old stuff into extra cash. Old textbooks, gently-used clothing, and even broken electronics can be sold online or at local stores. This side hustle does double duty by relieving stress from clutter and increasing your cash flow.

If you don’t have time to visit an in-person shop, check out apps like Poshmark for clothing, eBay for almost anything, and Decluttr for electronics.

Not sure which site is best? Check out this guide on the best resale websites to get you started.

Work as a research assistant

Potential earnings: $19.33 per hour

If you have a professor you developed a good relationship with or had a class you loved, you can ask the professor about opportunities as a research assistant. Your tasks will vary based on the subject and depth of the research, but it’s a great opportunity for college students to earn extra money and gain valuable experience.

You can also find openings on campus job boards if your professors don’t have anything available.

Give college campus tours

Potential earnings: Varies by college

If you’re passionate about your college campus and love to talk about your experiences there, you can get paid to give potential students campus tours. This job involves a lot of walking and talking, but it’s a great way to earn extra money doing something that you have passion and knowledge for.

Be a resident advisor

Potential earnings: Varies by college (some offer free room and board)

Resident Advisors have a tough job keeping everyone on the floor safe and following the rules, but the pay or benefits are often well worth it. Many colleges offer free room and board for your work, which is a significant savings, depending on where you go to school.

As a bonus, you usually get your own dorm so you don’t have to worry about sharing with anyone while you focus on your studies.

Bottom line

Getting a side hustle is a great opportunity to expand your skill set and earn extra money in college, but school should remain your priority. I recommend that you work a side gig that allows you to choose your own hours so you don’t get overwhelmed.

Attending college means you’ll have limited time to work, so it’s important to practice healthy financial habits to avoid getting in over your head. Set a budget and save for emergencies so you’ll never be caught off guard. If you spend less, you’ll also be able to work less, which means you’ll have more time to enjoy your college experience.