10+ ways for students to earn money

Being a college student has often been associated with being broke. With a tight class schedule, a little leisure time and ever increasing financial needs, college life can be rocky. All college students have a share in this misery. 

But is time really the main excuse? I doubt. If you plan your time well, you can manage to have a side hustle that matches your skillset and perfectly fits your schedule.

Is there any hope of breaking through financially yet maintaining academic excellence? Absolutely yes. Stay with me as we explore 10+ ways you can earn money as a full-time student.

Ways students can earn money

1. Start a blog

Without any doubt, as a student, you spend most of your time on the internet. Starting a blog is the best place to begin an online business. Carefully choose a niche of interest that you can write on extensively, publish epic content and attract traffic. Earn money through selling ads, affiliate marketing and later selling personal online products (they must all be relevant to your audience).

To get started with blogging, there are necessary resources you’ll need:

• A hosting company – Bluehost, HostGator, GoDaddy among others.
• A domain name 
• WordPress – start with a free theme 

Once you have your blog up and running, implement SEO to improve Google ranking. Start building your mailing list from the onset.

2. Publish an ebook

As a student, you do a lot of research and writing and this is exactly all that’s required to write an ebook. Are you a fan of  fiction? Creatively craft a story and create an ebook. Else, pick a nonfiction topic of interest, do extensive research on it and put together valuable content. 

After having the content and an eye-catching cover, start earning by publishing your ebook on:

• Amazon Kindle store. – Amazon presents a globally ready market.
• Barnes & Noble 

After publishing your ebook, do heavy marketing. Let your family and friends know you’re selling an ebook. Maximize on social media marketing.

3. Become a delivery person

Why not use those extra hours out of class to do deliveries? Better still, you have weekends and public holidays. All you need is a smartphone and a means of transport: a bicycle, motorbike, car or even on foot. You earn comfortably by delivering food to consumers within your reach.

More restaurants are signing up for home deliveries each day and thus the need for delivery persons is rising. The job is very flexible, allowing you to work when available. Therefore, you can be assured that your academics won’t be affected negatively. 

Get started by signing up on these sites:

• DoorDash
• Deliveroo

4. Affiliate marketing

Instead of wasting your free time on social media, why not start affiliate marketing and earn commission from referrals? All you need is internet connectivity and your social media presence. This is a great way to earn money passively, allowing you to focus on your studies.

You can also set up affiliate links on your blog, if you already have one.

There are many companies offering affiliate programs and anyone can apply to be considered. They depend on people like you to continue thriving. Get started by applying through these affiliate sites:

• Amazon associates
• eBay partners
• Bluehost affiliate program
• ConvertKit affiliate program
• Clickbank

Once approved, massively promote the products using the provided affiliate links and begin earning from your links. You can use your blog, build a mailing list or use your social media handles. 

5. Freelance gigs

An internet connection and a good laptop is all you need to start earning through freelancing. Freelancing includes offering services like writing, planning, design, development, consultancy, editing, proofreading, virtual assistance, videography, and many other skills. 

As a student, you must have a skill in at least one of these areas. You just need to identify your skill and begin earning from it.

There are various freelancing sites that can help you connect with clients. Most of them are free to join. Go ahead and check:

• UpWork – This the leading freelance site where hundreds of jobs are posted each day and you bid best fits.
• Fiverr – Fiverr allows you to sell your gig from as low as $5.
• Guru
• Freelancer

6. Review music and movies

If you love music then reviewing music could be a good fit for you. Are you a movie fanatic? Then consider turning this into a business. Since it is something you enjoy, you can do this during your leisure time without distracting from your academics. It is easy to get started because you are familiar with what makes good music or movies.

It takes time to build a reputation but it is rewarding and sufficient for a student. This can be a long term gig.

There are many websites that will allow you to sign up and help in reviewing their movies and videos. No technical skills are required as long as you can help improve quality.

7. Sell your notes

Instead of disposing of or keeping your notes which are no longer in use, you can sell them and earn money. As a student, you write a lot of notes, research work, projects, thesis and academic papers. This work you have put together for your academic excellence can also earn you money afterwards. 

You can begin by selling previous notes and class work.

There are many sites that allow you to upload your notes and any other academic work with a price tag so that other students in need can pay to download. This way, you earn passive income. 

List your notes on these websites:

• Stuvia
• NexusNotes
• CourseHero
• Chegg

8. Buy and sell domain names

Domain names are website addresses. You just need a little capital to register a domain name and then sell it later at a higher price. You choose the hosting companies like GoDaddy or Bluehost at as low as $2.95 and sell it later at upto $1000. There are less risks involved and you can do it comfortably alongside your class work. 

Think of profitable domain names and register them then sign up on websites that help in selling them. You can also buy registered domains and resell them at a higher price. Note that domains will sell differently depending on their profitability potential. You can sell domain names through these sites:

• Sedo
• Resellerclub
• Flippa
• Afternic

9. Part-time virtual assistant

Are you interested in managing social media accounts, emails or even blogs? Do you love personal planning and organization? A virtual assistant job could be the right gig for you. 

It is easy to get started since it’s not technical or burdensome. During your free time you’ll just run people’s social media accounts, websites, blogs, emails and so on, as you usually do yours.

Many people need help managing their social media accounts, websites and blogs or simply someone to ensure such little tasks are always on point. Connect with such clients and help them manage these tasks and earn. To find virtual assistant jobs, signup on these sites:

• UpWork
• Fiverr
• Peopleperhour
• Freelancer

10. Transcription work

Transcription work is easy to get started and pays well. All you need is a laptop and internet connection. If you can easily decipher different accents and can type fast, then transcribing audio to text can be a good fit for you. You can do this during your free time and earn. Most transcription work is short audio files which are quite manageable for a student.

Even with technology, many companies still need someone to transcribe audio to text. People need their podcasts in text form for publishing. To get started with transcription, you might want to familiarize yourself with the work first and then look for jobs on these sites:

• TranscribeMe
• Rev
• Scribie
• Quicktate
• DailyTranscription

11. Online user testing

In the same way that you browse other websites to find some information, you can browse to test for usability and be paid. User testing involves testing a website for usability, rating and giving feedback. It is easy to get started with user testing since less technical skills or resources are required. You can do this comfortably alongside your studies.

Website owners often require people to help test their websites, rate and give feedback on usability, prototypes, concepts and design. User testing gigs are often posted and you can apply, be given login access, begin the testing and then earn. Check these websites to get started:

• UserTesting
• Enroll
• TestingTime
• UserFeel
• Validately
• UserZoom
• UserLytics

12. Create an online course

What are you good at? Which is that thing you do exceptionally? You can create a course in which you teach others the skill. It does not have to be rocket science, it can be as simple as personal organization or student budgeting. People need the skills you think are common. Put together your skills into a course and price it for sale.

You don’t have a personal website to sell your course? Don’t worry, there are many websites that can help you sell it. Choose a website where courses of your kind are mostly sold. You simply upload your course to these sites and whenever someone buys it, you’re paid. Check out:

• Udemy
• Skill Share

Are you still looking for more ways to make money as a student? Read our comprehensive article listing 100 ways you can earn money from home.

Conclusion

It’s a fact that college life can be rough financially but it does not have to be so. There are numerous things you can begin to do alongside your class work and earn without compromising your academic excellence.

All the side hustles discussed above are online and are flexible and can fit well in your schedule. Most require less capital and technical skills to start making them relevant and applicable. Remember, it will take your hardwork and commitment to earn as a student. Pick an idea that suits you and redefine your finances.

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