25 Amazing College Side Hustles

The term “college side hustle,” might sound like a bit of an oxymoron.

After all, a side hustle is traditionally thought of as a way to make money outside your 9 to 5. But most college students don’t have a 9 to 5.

But wait…they kind of do.

Even though they don’t get paid for it, many students are required to be at school throughout the day…just like employees are required to show up to work each day.

So when college students “hustle” to create an income stream away from the classroom, that’s pretty awesome.

And it could make a big difference in how much debt students end up with after they graduate. But the biggest problem with creating an income while you’re in college is that you need to find jobs that won’t interfere with your school schedule.

So which side hustles mix well with the college lifestyle? That’s what I wanted to know.

And to find out I asked people to send in their favorite side hustles from their university days.

Some of the answers I expected. Some were crazy innovative. And others were just plain…crazy.

But one thing’s for sure. If you’re looking for college side hustle inspiration, you’ve come to the right place.

1. Take Class Notes.

Are you one of those people who write down everything your professors say? It’s ok, you can admit it. I was that guy too.

But it never crossed my mind when I was in school to monetize my note-taking obsession. But Kathy Kristof from SideHusle says it’s a thing.

Did you know that you can take notes in class to earn money? There are several online platforms that will pay you to do this, but you can also sign up through your school’s “disability services” department.

If you’re interested in learning more about how this whole note-taking business works, check out Kathy’s post where she goes into more detail.

And if you take really good notes, perhaps you could even sell study guides for exams. Diego Corzo from Freeby26 did.

One of my side hustles was selling study guides for the exams of my classes. It worked out great!

Don’t just give away your classroom knowledge for free. Monetize it!

2. Deliver Pizza.

Deacon Hayes, founder of WellKeptWallet, said that pizza delivery was his go-to college side hustle.

I delivered pizzas while I was in college. With tips, I calculated I made about $15 per hour. So I brought in about $1000/month working part-time only a few days per week. I loved it because I could listen to music and drive around town.

I love pizza delivery as a college side hustle. You can do it at night and, if you’re good, you can make some serious bank.

In fact, I’d recommend old-fashioned pizza delivery over driving for Uber Eats or Postmates unless you live in a major metropolitan area.

And BONUS if you can find a pizza company that offers tuition reimbursement too!

3. Host Parties.

Pete McPherson, from DoYouEvenBlog, had quite the unique side hustle while he was in college.

Well, not positive I’d suggest this for everybody, but we hosted other people’s parties for a hefty fee. We found ourselves in a typical college house (me and 3 roomates), but with a decent amount of yard space. We threw a few decent parties here and there, and people kept asking “can we just throw our party here? We’ll be liable and clean up and pay for everything?” We made awesome cash and also attended all the parties. So there’s that.

Genius.

Enough said.

4. Run a Drop Shipping Business.

Check out how much money Kelan Kline from TheSavvyCouple was able to make with a drop shipping college side hustle.

I ran a drop shipping business on Amazon and EBay selling dog toys and sport memorabilia. My senior year I had a revenue of ~$50,000 with a 10% profit. So roughly $400-$500 per month.

To learn more about how Kelan did it, check out this interview he gave when he was still in school.

5. Give Music Lessons.

Are you “that person” who can play any instrument?

If so, why not cash in on your musical ability by giving lessons? Parents are always wanting their kids to learn how to play an instrument or sing (whether the kids want to or not), and many are willing to pay a nice hourly wage to a competent musician.

And since kids have to go to school too, it shouldn’t be difficult to keep your lessons from interfering with your class schedule.

Nick True, the founder of MappedOutMoney, taught piano lessons while he was in school.

I would teach 6-8 students one day per week. Back in 2012, I made roughly $22.50/hr teaching piano. I worked 4-5 hrs/week and made roughly $450/month doing that a few hours a week.

That actually wasn’t Nick’s only side hustle while he was in college. His other side hustle was the one that we’re going to talk about next.

6. Tutor.

Like music lessons, tutoring is a great college side hustle because your sessions will typically happen in the later afternoon or evening. Nick shared how much money he was able to make tutoring math to young students.

I also tutored math for $10/hr and would average $200/month doing that a few hours per week.

That’s a great hourly return for a college side hustle! Amy Beardsley, a freelance personal finance writer and founder of MoneyCanBuyMeHappiness had similar success with tutoring in college. Here’s what she had to say.

I did tutoring in college as a side hustle. I didnt earn massive amounts, but was consistently between $300 and $400 a month.

Riley Adams, from YoungAndTheInvested, made even more money in college by tutoring.

I tutored K-12 and college students for approximately 10-15 hours per week. I averaged a monthly income of $800-$1,000 for this work during the school year. During the summer months, I’d make more as many parents wanted multiple hours per week to make sure their children escaped the summer brain drain. Between June – August, I’d easily crest $1,500/month and bank that for the school year when I’d have opportunities to socialize with friends who came back into town for the start of the school year.

I should add that I tutored in college too. The company I worked for paid $20/hour and I typically worked 6-10 hours a week.

Bottom line? Tutoring is an awesome college side hustle. Give it a shot.

7. Refurbish and Resell Things.

Tom Sylvester, from TomAndAriana, said that he made money in college fixing up and reselling…books.

I’ve had many (side hustles) but my favorite was selling used books on Amazon. I would go to all of the local thrift stores and look up books on Amazon, then buy ones that would sell for at least $10, typically for less than $1. Then clean them up, list them, and ship them. By the time I graduated I was bringing in anywhere from $500-$1,000/week.

I asked Tom what exactly went in to “cleaning up” a used book. Here’s what he said.

Goo gone was my best friend. Clean dirt and stickers from the books.

If you want to learn more about Tom’s “book refurbishing” side hustle, check out this post.

Allan Liwanag, from ThePracticalSaver, refinished and resold furniture and it helped him earn his MBA with no student debt.

I bought worn out pieces of furniture mostly solid wood and refinished them and sold them for profit. Made quite a few thousands a year since a lot of college students didn’t want to carry those to where they were going next and a lot of families where I went to school were looking for those type of products. By the time I finished grad achool, I made more than enough to pay for all my tuition, fees, and other school fees. Got my MBA with no student loans just because of that gig.

Brian Meiggs, from MyMillenialGuide fixed up and resold iPhones.

I bought and resold iPhones and made over $1,300 in a month. I would also purchase phones with cracked screens after learning how to fix the digitizer and screen via YouTube. Before selling them I would get the phones factory unlocked which helped me sell them for more. This was a pretty lucrative side hustle for me especially as a college student!

Check out this post that details his entire process!

8. Become a Virtual Assistant.

Business owners, especially in the e-commerce and blogging space LOVE virtual assistants. That’s why if you’re good at it, you can make a lot of money…as in, like six-figure money.

Or, you could just do a few hours of VA work a week as a college side hustle, as Drew DuBoff did.

I was a virtual assistant doing customer service work and when I graduated, I was at $4,000/month. I spent about 10 hours/week on client work.

What’s great about virtual assistant work is that you can do it just about anywhere as long as you have your laptop and an internet connection.

If you don’t where to start building a VA side hustle, check out my guide to becoming a virtual assistant. Or you may want to enroll in 10k VA, where Kayla Sloan shares her secrets for making more than $10,000 a month as a VA.

9. Sign Up for College Research Studies.

Jeff Proctor, co-founder of DollarSprout, is a brave man.

I participated in a 6-week nutrition study that looked at the effects of a high-fat, high-calorie diet on various aspects of health. I was paid $500 to participate, AND I had every meal prepared for me for 6 straight weeks. The drawbacks:

• I wasn’t allowed to exercise
• I ate 5,000 calories a day
• I had to have 3 muscle biopsies done as part of the study (I still have scars on my legs from them)

So basically Jeff was paid $500 to eat incredibly unhealthy for 6 weeks and submit himself to physical torture. I mean who isn’t down for that!?

Ah, the things we’ll do for $500 in college.

But even Jeff’s crazy college research study side hustle seems pretty tame compared to this one from Veneta Lusk, freelance writer and founder of BecomingLifeSmart.

I mated fruit flies at a university lab for research purposes ?

I don’t even know how to comment on that one.

10. Become a Freelance Writer.

Ok, so as a full-time freelance writer myself, I have to admit that I’m rather prejudiced towards this one. Freelance writing is one of my 5 favorite side hustles that could turn into a full-time job.

However, to be completely honest, I didn’t do any freelancing while in college. But Kate Braun did.

I started doing freelance writing in college (while earning a Professional Writing degree). I usually made about $1,000 a month, but what proved even more valuable was gaining clients and professional experience. Four years after college, I’m a full-time freelancer & part-time digital nomad, working for clients and writing personal finance articles at DollarSanity.com.

If you’re wanting to get started as a freelance writer, feel free to check out my guide. In it, I give all the deets on how I turned a freelance writing side hustle into a full-time job in 7 months.

You may also want to enroll in Holly Porter Johnson’s course, Earn More Writing. Her course literally taught me everything I know about what it takes to be a professional writer.

11. Research Stuff (Even for Shady Internet Marketing Guys).

Logan Allec, founder of MoneyDoneRight, explained his unique college side hustle.

I scraped the Internet (manually) for names, email addresses, and phone numbers for contractors in various locations for some slightly shady Internet marketing guy I found on Craigslist. It made an extra $500 or so monthly. I think the takeaway for busy college students is, if possible, look for work that can be done simultaneously with one’s studies to maximize their time!

The Financial Mechanic also worked a research side hustle while she was in school.

I was a research assistant, which meant that I parsed out quantitative data from qualitative. I worked 10 hours a week at $11/hour and I could work wherever and whenever I wanted.

You’re already doing all this research while you’re in school anyway, right? Why not get paid for some?

12. Become a Brand Ambassador.

A brand ambassador is someone who gets paid to endorse or promote a particular company’s products or services.

Kind of like how Drake is paid to act like he loves the Toronto Raptors.

But you don’t have to be a famous rapper to be a brand ambassador. There are tons of brands that are looking for college students to represent them or demonstrate their products publicly.

Surprisingly, being a brand ambassador was right up there with tutoring as the most common answer people gave for what side hustle they had in college.

Choncé Maddox Rhea, from MyDebtEpiphany explained how her job would work.

(I did) brand ambassador work! Some people refer to this as a product demonstrator job, but you are generally representing a company and their product so you’re working as an ambassador (to raise brand awareness) + you’re also demonstrating how the product works or how to make it. Plus, it paid well – up to $20/hr and wasn’t based on sales so I didn’t feel pressured to push products but rather engage with people and share the helpful features/qualities so they could decide for themselves.

You can read more about Choncé brand ambassador side hustle here.  Maddy Osman from TheBlogsmith said that being a brand ambassador was a great college side hustle for her too.

I used to be a Sony Brand Ambassador. I made $15/hour and also got to keep a bunch of the new products they sent me – probably worked an average of 10 hours a week. I’ve been a brand ambassador for Zipcar and iChill too.

And, finally, Daniella Flores, from ILikeToDabble, said she worked as a brand ambassador too…in addition to several other hustles during her college days.

I worked a surgery center as a front desk person, was a server at the restaurant across the street from that job, a brand ambassador for bacardi some nights and weekends, snow plowed with my uncle and live painted at concerts while selling paintings.

13. Work for Your University.

Did you know that a lot of schools will pay you to be a campus tour guide? That’s pretty easy money.

Josh Patoka, freelance writer and founder of MoneyBuffalo, took advantage of this side hustle in college, in addition to working at his university’s museum shop.

I worked as a cashier at my college’s museum gift shop and a campus tour guide. The pay was minimum wage ($5.15 at that time) for about $300 per month back in 2007-2008, but it was right next to the academic building and I was able to get some homework complete during the slow times (which wasn’t that often).

Josh Overmyer landed a job at his school’s computer lab.

I worked in the computer lab of the school of nursing, on campus, for $5.25/hr. But I rarely had to do much actual work, was able to make my own hours, studied, played computer games, etc. Not a bad job for what it was, and I could walk there in 7 minutes from my dorm room.

And Cody Berman, founder of FlyToFi, worked as a teaching assistant in an Excel course.

I was a TA for a Microsoft excel class. Earned $400 per week.  I got (the job) by forming a relationship with a professor!

Campus jobs like these are especially great options if you didn’t bring a car along with you to college.

And quick side note — developing relationships with your school professors is a really smart move. It can result in lots of opportunities coming your way later on, whether those opportunities happen to be campus jobs or not.

14. Start a Blog.

Martin Dasko, founder of Studenomics, started his site while he was in college.

I started a personal finance blog!

Think Martin is an outlier? Think again. It seems like nearly all of the websites that are household names today were started by college students.

Am I saying that you should expect to be the founder of the next Google or Facebook? No.

But if you’re willing to play the long game, your blog could become the next Studenomics. And that would be pretty awesome too.

I mean, hey, that’s what I’m trying to do. ?

15. Be a Makeup Artist.

Ashley Lauren put her makeup skills to good use while she was in college.

I did makeup for weddings. I made about $300 to $400 per wedding.

My wife is gonna be so jealous when she reads this. This is like totally her dream job…no joke.

16. Flip Stuff.

Andre Albritton, founder of the TheMillennialsNextDoor had by far the coolest flipping side hustle while in college. He flipped party tickets.

I use to buy party tickets when they first come out and flip tickets days before the party or at the line. Great hustle.

When I asked him to clarify what kind of party tickets he was talking about, Andre provided further explanation.

 Greek or homecoming parties.

I love it.

Molly Gamette from PlatinumPersonalFinances says that her son, who’s in college, flips clothes for extra money.

My son is currently in college. He buys and resells name brand clothing. He started doing it as a sophomore in high school and still does it. He makes several $100-$1000 per item, depending upon demand.

Mark Parrett, from AbrahamsWallet would flip bikes.

(Made) several hundred bucks a month flipping bicycles in college – via a process I describe as ‘seasonal arbitrage.

If you’d like to learn about this “seasonal arbitrage” approach for bike flipping, check out Mark’s guide.

And Mark,  from FinancialPilgrimage, was flipping stuff on eBay when it looked like this!

(I) bought items from garage sales and dollar stores and resold on eBay. This was back in the VHS days! Can anyone beat an eBay account dated as far back as 1999?

No, Mark, you win this contest going away.

17. Sell Candy (or Knives, or Anything Else).

Jason Butler is my hero. Why? Well because, in addition to having like a zillion side hustles while he was in college, one of them was selling candy.

I had a couple of hustles in college. 1. Sold mixtapes at the time. Itunes was non-existent. Probably made between $200 – $400 per month. 2. Sold candy my freshmen year. Not sure how much I made. 3. Busser at Paula Deen’s restaurant for 2 years. I did that part-time. Probably made $600-$700 per month.

As Jason explains in this post, if there’s demand for anything whatsoever (yes, even candy), there’s an opportunity for you to sell it.

Heck, Tommy Martin has a nephew who’s making bank selling knives at his college!

My nephew is at Nichols college and sold Cutco knives this year. He made $2,903 in his first two weeks.

Tommy also brings up a good point about how college side hustles could affect financial aid.

I will say that most families will have to be careful as earned income can kick kids out of financial aid.

For most students, a college side hustle won’t affect their financial aid. But if you’re concerned, make sure to check with your financial aid office.

18. Take Internships.

Taking a paid internship while you’re in college could not only help pay some of your tuition but could turn into a full-time job.

Tom Blake, from ThisOnlineWorld, took a marketing internship in college that turned out to be a great deal for him.

I had an internship with a digital marketing company and i was luckily able to extend this into part time, remote work during school! I was able to make around $1,000/month as a student by doing this, and while it was sometimes challenging to balance school, working as a barista, and running some online ads it was worth it.

 

I definitely think more students should negotiate with employers if they have internships to try and do the same! I find it quite weird our internship program/school counselors never really pushed for this idea, but it is quite beneficial for both parties.

If you’re interested in learning more about it, check out Tom’s own college side hustle guide.

19. Babysit.

It may seem boring compared to some of the nutty side hustles that we’ve covered in this guide, but babysitting is still a great college side hustle. It worked for Melissa Thomas, founder of MelissaTheCoach.

I did babysitting but I don’t recall how much I earned.

That’s ok, Melissa. Thanks to a study conducted by Care.com, we know that the average hourly rate for a babysitter is over $13/hour.

Oh, and speaking of Care.com, that would be a great place to market your babysitting services…especially if you’re attending school in a town where you don’t really know anyone.

20. Play Cards (Ok Maybe Not, But It Worked for Ben Huber).

Ben Huber, co-founder of DollarSprout, shared what his college side hustle was.

(I) played semi-professional online poker back during its hey day while in college (made six-figures). ♣️♠️♦️♥️

Wow, those DollarSprout guys.

21. Cut Hair.

Do you happen to go to school with people who get haircuts on a consistent basis?

You do!?

Well, then grab a set of clippers, because you’ve got a side hustle on your hands!

Cutting hair was the side hustle of choice for Joyce Chou, founder of FinancialImpulse. She explained how she was able to steal market share from the campus barber.

I cut men’s hair! There was a barber that came on campus about once or twice a month but gave pretty mediocre haircuts. A friend of mine lent me his clipper kit, and many kind and patient male friends let me cut their hair (for free). Once I got a handle of giving haircuts, I invested in my own kit and began charging rates comparable to the on-campus barber—very low. ? I can’t remember exactly how much I made per month, but I did this over 3 semesters and earned at least $1,200. Some people were generous tippers.

Another creative way to shave away some of your college bills.

22. Donate Plasma.

Val Breit, founder of TheCommonCentsClub, was more than willing to give some of her blood plasma up every month to help pay some college bills.

I did the classic selling plasma at BioLife for about $200-250 per month as a side hustle.

Hey, I love a side hustle with good profit margins.

That actually wasn’t Val’s only side hustle while she was in college, as we’ll see below.

23. Work at a Gym.

I’m not sure how Val had time for homework with all the side hustles she had while she was in school.

Part-time jobs were working at a gym (free membership on top of the pay), graduate assistant in grad school paid well and had good insurance benefits, and mentored preschool kids at a Head Start center through an AmeriCorps program. The pay for that one was pretty low but there was a small scholarship that reduced student loan debt a little.

I especially like the gym job. Getting paid to hang out at the gym and get free gym membership is a pro side hustle move!

24. Take Care of Animals.

Rebecca Forst, founder of FinanciallyMindedMillennial, channeled her love for animals into several college side hustles.

I started out working at a horse barn 10 hours a week for minimum wage. Then became a receptionist at a doggie day care for 10-15 hours a week for $10/hr. After that I became a veterinary assistant starting at $12/hr and finished at $16/hr.

You could also consider being a pet sitter…which means you basically get paid to watch TV.

Err…I mean you get paid to “spend quality time” with a family pet…in front of the TV.

If you’re wanting to land some pet sitting gigs, you again may want to look into creating a profile on Care.com. Petsitter.com is a popular platform as well.

25. Drive People.

Ok, I totally saved the best for last. I’m not even gonna preface this one. Just read and enjoy.

You’re going to laugh at this one, but it was hands-down awesome. I drove Amish! I had what’s known as a market-run, and each Saturday I would wake up at 4:00 in the morning to pick up the market workers (about 5-6 stops), and then drive 1.5 hours away to take them to a market where they would sell their goods. I would earn $120, plus once I got to the market, I could study and nap throughout the day. Since I was only making $5.15/hour at my part-time, federal work study program, this was a sizable side hustle for me.

And you thought that the “fruit fly mating” side hustle was gonna be the craziest one on this list, didn’t you?

This amazing final side hustle came courtesy of Amanda Grossman, founder of FrugalConfessions. But to be honest, it might be a little too niche for you to replicate.

Thankfully, that’s not the only way to make money driving people. I love driving for Uber or Lyft as a college side hustle.

Why? Because Uber or Lyft driving is guaranteed to never conflict with your school schedule. Just keep each app turned off during class and turn them on whenever you’re free and want to make some money!

Conclusion:

So what are the common denominators between all these amazing side hustle ideas?

Creativity, innovation, and…hustle.

Really that’s what it comes down to. Being willing to work your tail off and come up with crazy ways to make a buck while you’re in school. That’s what all these awesome people did.

And I hope they’ve inspired you to think of ways that you can too.

Related: Complete Guide to Graduating Without Student Loans