How can I make money in College – 15 Simple Hacks?

College expenses can be quite expensive and you might not have access to student loans to cover tuition fees. Even when you get access to them, you don’t feel happy on graduation day because you are in a pool of student debt. Most times, you wonder how studying can be this costly. This is the reason why I’ve decided to help you with 15 simple hacks that can help you make money in college.

Don’t worry. I said they are “simple hacks” for a reason. They are easy to execute even while studying on campus.

A lot of students are probably like I was in college. They are so broke and go online to search through various websites on easy ways to make money online. And these sites feed them information that they can’t practice while studying in school.

In the end, they are frustrated and become depressed as a result of poor credit scores and being neck-deep in student debt. You can relate to this because this explains your physical state right now. If this is you? Fear not, you are in the right place.

Let’s get practical, shall we?

So, in this article, I’m gonna share with you ways that I have used to get off student debt and made money while in college. I would share simple hacks to make money online.

Why Are You Broke In College?

Before I share these hacks, it’s important to outline some major issues that might make you broke in college. You might be reading this and have not gotten into college yet but dread the idea of going broke while studying in college. It’s really difficult moving into college knowing that parents are not going to foot some of the bills anymore.

So, it’s still great to read this and get an idea of what expenses to look out for while on campus.

So, here are the major factors that will shorten your lunch money while in college:

I might not have listed all the issues that affect students’ cashflow in college but these are major that caught my attention. And I have to admit, it’s hard to try to build or maintain good spending habits in school.

So, I decided to share these hacks on how you can have so much money in school. And, the best part is that you can build these streams of income while being in college.

How Can I Make Money In College?

Here, as I promised, in the next headings, I’d be sharing simple ways to make money in school. You might still be sold out on student loans and that’s fine.

However, student loans should be the last resort because they are risky. Borrowing your way to a four-year degree is extremely dangerous to your financial health. Especially, graduating from college with a poor credit score and still being unable to discharge the loans through bankruptcy.

That being said, here are some alternatives to consider that can help you make so much money in college.

#1. Rent Your Properties

One great way to make some extra cash in school is to rent your stuff. You will be surprised to find out that you own many things that are just lying around and even accruing expenses for you.

For instance, if you own a car and you spend most of your time in college studying, you can rent it out to others and make some stipends off of it. There are many services that allow you to do this very easily, such as Turo.

In the same vein, you can rent stuff as common as your garage, bicycle, camping gear, clothes, shoes, even your crib. Don’t be too surprised. I’m sure you have heard of AirBnB. This service connects you to people looking to rent a place for a short vacation or otherwise. So, you can definitely make some money off renting your stuff, rather than allowing them to just lie around.

Also, sites like RentNotBuy help you rent your clothes and fancy jeans for some quick bucks.

See? It’s really easy to make some extra money on some stuff don’t use.

#2. Give Campus Tours

Another great way to make some money on campus is to become a campus tour guide. Now, you might not consider this at first because you are so busy in school.

However, this is the sort of flexible job you can carry out on weekends. This simply involves giving tours to rich alumni or prospective students/parents.

It’s also a great chance to make some money while still learning about the college you are in. I mean, this is a NO-BRAINER!

To become a tour guide is really easy. All you need to do is to submit the usual resume and cover letter. Then, you get to pass a couple of in-person interviews.

There will also be some training involved, including learning with an existing tour guide on the go and likely giving a mock tour to your supervisor.

So, consider this as a way you can make an income while in school.

#3. Drive For Campus Transportation

There are several transportation services that recruit drivers to man their vehicles. These jobs do not require a college degree so students can be eligible to work as drivers for those vehicles.

Requirements will vary based on what you’re transporting, the size of the vehicle, and local laws. Large universities also operate bus services to get people from one end of campus to another. Similarly, all colleges need vehicles to transport furniture and equipment, and some colleges even operate special late-night shuttles to help drunk students get home safely.

To apply for this job, you’ll need to take a class on how to safely operate the vehicles, as well as get any other necessary licenses.

Driving for Uber or Lyft is also an option. This job is immensely flexible, allowing you to drive whenever is convenient for you. You earn a percentage of the fare that passengers pay, as well as any tips they decide to give you.

This is really an opportunity to meet and interact with different personalities as you explore your campus, besides just making money.

#4. Working in The Writing Center

Are you a great writer? Do you make top grades on your essays? Then you should really consider working at the writing center.

You might be wondering how that works. It’s very simple. The job of tutors there is to assist students with all things related to writing, “literally”.

It just could be correcting someone’s grammar, helping them structure their essay, or even helping them write a cover letter properly. You also have the flexibility to set hours that work for you, and you get to read papers on subjects you would probably never read otherwise.

This job doesn’t require you to be an English major to even apply. You’ll generally have to take a special class in addition to going through the regular job application process. You will be surprised how much money you can make just by doing something you are very good at, right there in college.

#5. Apply For Research Assistantship

If you are already done with your undergraduate degree, this is one great way to make money if you are considering to further your education. This typically involves collecting data in a lab for a professor and basically “helping” relieve the bulk of the research work off their shoulders. This is a great way to make more money and potentially receive additional college credits.

You can go about this by talking to your professor and advisor to learn about opportunities.

Also, another great way to go about this to visit graduate college websites and scroll through to see researches being done by professors.

Then, according to your skill set, you can reach out to them via call or mail to pitch your skills and how you can help them. This is great because you are making money in college doing what you love.

#6. Be a Freelance Tutor

You might be good at a particular course or major, you can make more money taking your tutoring services seriously. You could be a true freelance tutor, offering services privately and setting your own rate.

A lot of students in college often need extra tutorials to fully understand the lectures they are given. This is a huge opportunity to make good money in school.

You can grow in this business through referrals. So, you can start out without any capital, with just your roommate and watch how you will begin to pull high-paying clients while studying in school.

You even get to a point whether you don’t prospect for clients anymore, rather the clients come to you.

A very good example of where to start out is in Test preps. If you’ve scored well on standardized tests like the SAT, ACT, or GRE, you have a chance to make good money helping others succeed on these exams.

You can also make money off teaching the official language to some immigrants that don’t fully understand the language. Thee opportunities here are enormous.

#7. Buy and Resell Furniture

Buying and selling properties is one of the best ways to earn some good money while in college. Yet, it is one of the highly underrated opportunities to make money by students on campus.

Understand that college campuses are full of turnover. Every year, there’s a huge influx and outflux of new students, and with them, exchanges of furniture and appliances.

You can make so much money by knowing when and how to buy and sell off this market. Most transactions are run through either Facebook or craigslist.

As a student, you need to consider this hack. It has helped me save up so much money that helped me start up my side business even as a college student.

#8. Run Social Media Marketing

As a college student, you probably spend a lot of time on social media. Well, you can actually make so much money off social media. The internet has made it so much easier to make money off social media even as a student.

The truth is that the best social media experts are actually those with the most experience on the platforms. They better understand what users want to see and how to get it to them.

So, you can to run social media accounts for companies and make some good income for it. The best part of this is that the work is remote and does not interrupt your college studies.

You have companies get in touch with their customers and create content around their services, maybe through content curation or paid social media ad campaigns.

#9. Freelance Writing

One of the best ways to make so much money as a student is to become a freelance writer. This is one of the best ways students make money on campus, especially if you are a fast writer.

There are a lot of ways to get started freelance writing for blogs. Beyond writing for blogs, many companies are looking for writers to help with many different types of writing – from general how-to content to technical writing, to putting together brochures. You can also proofread, ghostwrite and edit ebooks, articles and so many others.

So, to write for other businesses, visit sites like Fiverr, UpWork or ProBlogger, where you can search for listing and apply for freelance jobs.

#10. Become A Virtual Assistant

Another great way to earn money online even while in school is to become a virtual assistant. A lot of people and businesses are looking to outsource “assistant-type” work, such as responding to emails, handling basic writing and organization, research tasks, and more. This method of automation frees up time for them to do more productive things around their business. So, they will be so willing to pay a handsome amount to get a virtual assistant to handle these tasks.

If you are looking to do this type of work online, consider becoming a virtual assistant and you could earn several hundred dollars or more per month.

#11. Sell Gigs On Fiverr

If you haven’t heard about Fiverr. Fiverr is a site that allows you to see your gigs for $5. It might not seem like a way to earn a lot of money, but you can.

In fact, you can set up up to 20 gigs you can sell and attract customers that are actively searching for those gigs. The more gigs you display, the more chances your chances of getting jobs and also making so much money to cover college expenses or settle student loan debt.

Gigs you can sell on Fiverr range from writing, video editing, proofreading, even as common as dog walking, cuddling, and taking random pictures. There are so many gigs you can sell on Fiverr and make a truckload of money.

The amazing thing about freelancing is that you can be so successful and open a full-time business doing freelance and selling gigs on Fiverr.

#12. Build a Website

Having knowledge of how to build a website is one of the ways students make so much money on campus. Being a student often means you have a deep understanding of technology.

Even if you are not the most tech-savvy person at your school, chances are you know how to operate a computer or even code far better than your average local business owner.

A great way to monetize this knowledge gap is to provide businesses with web development solutions. You can connect with local companies, like restaurants, law firms, or doctor’s offices, and build out their website so they can better connect with customers.

There are so many digital tools, like WordPress and Squarespace, that have made designing websites so easy.

#13. Start a Company

A great part about being on a college campus is that you are close to so many potential customers. Being a part of student life is a great way to find a problem that a lot of students need a solution.

Using your entrepreneurial spirit, you can not only gain valuable experience from starting your own company but also take full advantage of the unique resources around you to build something that will profit you in so many great ways.

College campuses are ideal grounds for creating companies: they have high network density, lots of spending power, and access to customers. That’s why being in college is the best time to venture into entrepreneurship.

#14. Consult For Businesses

We are in an age where there’s a high demand for the youth perspective from consumer-facing brands. Companies not only want to know what young people think but also how to reach them. Companies are actively seeking to know what students are talking about and thinking about.

As a college student, you innately possess the strategic perspective that businesses need. With a simple website and a business card, you can turn your inside knowledge into a business and start helping companies connect with college students.

This is an untapped goldmine, especially if you are a student influencer and very active on social media.

#15. Win Scholarships

This is one of the underrated opportunities that students don’t make use of. Every year in the U.S, there are over 750,000 scholarships earmarked for qualified students, totaling $1.2 billion, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

There are several scholarships you can win, whether at the undergraduate or graduate level.

So, this might arguably not seem like a way to “make” money, since the money is going towards paying for your education, not into your bank account.

But winning scholarships is key to graduating debt-free, and it’s not as hard as you might think. You can actually qualify for some scholarships just by being from a certain place or belonging to a particular organization.

How Can I Make Money Online?

Among the listed hacks I’ve shared with you, there are some of them that can be done online and remotely. So, I’d outline the hacks that can help you make so much money online.

The best thing about these hacks is that they can be done remotely and you make some cool cash online.

FAQs

You can do any of the following easy to make money online while in college:
Run Social Media Marketing
Build a Website
Sell Gigs On Fiverr
Become A Virtual Assistant
Consult For Businesses
Freelance Writing

1. Logo Designing.
2. Fortune Telling
3. Social Marketing.
4. Photoshop Editing.
5. Creating Video Greetings
6. Producing Video Tutorials.
7. Advertising
8. Writing Reviews and so many others

of course, you can. College is the best place to start entrepreneurship.

College can be quite expensive but try out these hacks before trying out student loans. Student loans should be your last resort.

Conclusion

College is not as easy as it may appear. So many expenses creep up on you and you feel pressure to find a job or take a student loan.

I understand all that, that is why I’ve shared over 15 hacks on how you can make money while in school and even make more money online as a college student.

7 Practical Tips On How to Pay Off Your Student Loans very fast

References

Forbes

Stop Being Broke

College Investor

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