32 Side Income Ideas For Students To Make Easy Money
It can seem challenging to make some money as a student, but you can find some side income ideas for students in this article.
It seems like it just keeps getting harder to make ends meet.
With all your bills and other expenses, meeting your obligations can be challenging, let alone having enough money left over for savings or leisure.
Fortunately, there are many different ways that you could make some extra money in your spare time.
Nowadays, there are plenty of options for making money online, so here are the best side income ideas for students…
Taking Surveys
It’s not the most exciting way to make money, but you could score some extra cash by taking surveys online.
One point to note is that there are several online survey sites, some less reputable than others.
If you are interested in taking surveys for cash, I recommend checking out platforms such as Swagbucks, Survey Junkie, Respondent, PaidViewpoint, and MyPoints.
While surveys aren’t the most lucrative method, they are one of the best side income ideas for students due to how easy they are to take.
I recommend taking surveys to easily make extra side income from your phone or computer whenever you are free!
Watch Videos
It may seem farfetched, but some websites will pay you to watch videos.
In some cases, you might get paid to watch ads; in others, it could be regular TV programs or online videos.
Sites like Swagbucks and Inbox Dollars pay people for various online activities, including watching videos.
It’s a great and easy way to make some extra cash easily, so I highly recommend checking out Swagbucks or Inbox Dollars!
Microtasking
If you have free time and want to make a little extra money, you could make some money by performing quick tasks.
Depending on the platform, the tasks could be online or elsewhere. Most jobs don’t pay much per task, but they are also things that can be done quickly and with little effort.
For people interested in making money with microtasks, you could try Gigwalk, Fiverr, or TaskRabbit.
Microtasks are short tasks that don’t pay much but are super easy and quick to complete, so the money adds up quickly; plus, no experience is required!
Check out microtasks to complete if you want quick cash without much effort.
Babysitting
A great side income idea for students who enjoy spending time with children is babysitting.
It is a flexible job that can be tailored to fit your schedule as a student.
Babysitting rates vary depending on the location and experience of the babysitter, but it can be a lucrative source of income.
Having some experience with children is best, but it is optional to have formal training.
The best way to get babysitting gigs is to ask family and friends if they need any help with their kids; neighbors are also a great option.
Babysitting is a rewarding job that allows students to positively impact a child’s life while earning some extra cash.
Pet Sitting/Dog Walking
If working with kids is not your thing, then maybe you are better with animals, and if you are a pet lover, this is a perfect side hustle for you.
You can make money by becoming a pet sitter or dog walker in your free time!
I recommend checking out Rover if you are at least 18 years old, which is a platform where you can find pet-sitting and dog-walking gigs.
If you are younger than 18, then ask people with pets around your neighborhood if they need any help.
It’s one of the best side income ideas for students to make some extra cash!
Mow Lawns/Shovel Snow
Mowing lawns and shoveling snow are fantastic side income ideas for students.
With flexible schedules and relatively low startup costs, these two services can help students earn some extra cash.
Plus, they are both in high demand during specific seasons, making planning work around school schedules easy.
Mowing lawns is perfect for summer while shoveling snow is ideal for winter.
Both jobs require physical labor and some equipment, but they are relatively easy to learn and don’t require any special skills.
For students looking to make some extra money, mowing lawns and shoveling snow are excellent options.
Sell Crafts You Create
Creating and selling crafts is a great way to earn extra money if you are creative.
Students can turn their hobbies into a profitable business with some creativity and effort.
The first step is to choose a craft you enjoy making with a market demand.
This could be anything from jewelry to home decor. Next, start creating your products and building an inventory.
You can then sell your crafts at local craft fairs, online marketplaces such as Etsy, or even through social media.
If you are interested in selling crafts to make money, I recommend taking this Etsy course on how to be successful in selling crafts.
With a little marketing and networking, you can soon turn your passion for crafting into a successful side hustle as a student.
Tutor
One of the best side income ideas for students is to become a tutor.
I mean, this one is a given! If you have a passion for a particular subject or subjects, you can tutor other students to make some extra cash.
It’s a straightforward way to make money on the side, so I highly recommend considering it!
You already have the knowledge to do this side hustle, making it one of the best student options.
Music Lessons
If you play an instrument, teaching music lessons is an excellent way to make extra money on the side.
You can teach people how to play an instrument to make some extra cash in your free time!
While doing this in person is best, you can also do lessons over video conferencing applications.
I highly recommend this side income idea if you play an instrument!
Car Washing
One of the most straightforward side income ideas for students to do without any experience is car washing.
It’s not a fun or exciting job, but it’s an easy way to make money, so don’t count it out!
All you need is a bucket, soap, and a sponge for this side hustle.
However, it is a seasonal side hustle since you can only wash cars in good weather, so I recommend pairing this up with another side hustle on this list.
You can easily wash cars for family, friends, and people around your neighborhood to make extra cash!
Part-Time Job
While students can do many side hustles, sometimes getting a part-time job after school is best.
With a part-time job, you will get a stable source of income, unlike a side hustle where your income can vary.
I know the term “side hustle” is more appealing than a job, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with a job, and as mentioned, it can be a better option sometimes!
So, look around for a part-time job to get to make some money after school; it’s the best method for a stable source of income!
Freelancing
If you are the type who easily gets bored with working on the same thing repeatedly, then freelancing might be perfect for you.
As a freelancer, you can take on different types of gigs in your free time to make some extra cash!
Just make sure that you are skilled in the gigs you take so you do a good job and build a good reputation.
If you are interested in freelancing, check out platforms like TaskRabbit, Fiverr, and Freelancer!
Flip Items For Profit
One of the best side income ideas for students without experience is to flip items for profit.
As a student, you can easily pick up undervalued items and then sell them for a higher price to make a profit!
For example, you can find a comic book for $10 at a garage sale and then sell it for $20 on Facebook Marketplace.
You just made a $10 profit just like that, and you can keep doing this repeatedly to make $1,000’s!
If you are interested in flipping items for a profit, I recommend taking this fantastic Flipper University Course.
Rob and Melissa teach this course, and they make over $100,000 a year by simply flipping items!
I definitely recommend checking out this course if you are interested in flipping items for a profit.
Sell Your Photos
If you like to take photographs, you could make money selling your pics online.
Shutterstock is one of the more obvious choices for people who are looking to make money by selling photos, but you also have apps like Foap that allow you to sell photos from your smartphone.
All you need to do is take some photos and list them on sites like Foap, where people can purchase your photos.
It’s an easy way to make some extra money, so I recommend checking it out if you have an eye for photography!
Delivery Service
If you are okay with driving around, you could make money delivering different types of goods.
With services like DoorDash and Uber Eats, you could get a side hustle delivering food in your free time, plus you get to keep 100% of your tips!
If delivering hot food is not your thing, you could try delivering groceries with services like Instacart and Shipt.
All you need is a car, and you can easily take gigs from delivery apps to make some extra money when you are not in school!
Focus Groups
One of the best side income ideas for students is focus groups!
With focus groups, you can get paid for participating in market research, and you don’t need any experience.
You have several companies that recruit for focus groups, and some of them offer online or in-person opportunities.
A quick Google search will help you find Paid Focus Groups in your area.
Results will vary depending on the details and requirements of the group, but payment typically ranges between $25-$200.
Mystery Shopper
A straightforward side income idea that you can do is mystery shopping.
Being a mystery shopper could be the perfect side gig if you like to shop.
Companies need people to pose as regular shoppers to evaluate products and services, and it can be an excellent way to make money by doing something you already enjoy.
Be a Friend
It sounds a little strange, but people will pay you to be their friend!
Rent a Friend is a site where people pay others to hang out with them.
It’s strictly platonic, and the person will pay you to do things like dinner, attend a function, talk to them on the phone, or any other friend-like activities.
If you are a social person, this can be a great side income idea you can do as a student!
Advertise With Your Car
If you have a car, a super easy way to make some extra cash as a student is to place advertisements on your car.
You would have to be willing to make your car not so appealing by putting advertising decals on your car, but you can make some serious extra cash.
Some of the popular companies that pay people to advertise on their vehicles are Wrapify and Carvertise.
P2P Lending
If you don’t have time to have a side hustle, then a way to make some extra cash easily is P2P lending.
With Peer-to-Peer lending, you will need to invest some of your money, but it is easy to make some extra money without doing a lot of work.
You have several options if you want to start making money with P2P lending.
Depending on the site, you’ll have different options for the types of borrowers that use the site, and there are various features.
You will be lending your money to people, so there is some risk involved, so be aware of this before jumping into it.
Drop Shipping
If you are okay with putting in some hard work to make a lot of money, dropshipping might be right for you.
Dropshipping is an excellent way to start an online business without much capital upfront.
With drop shipping, you set up an online store and process the sales, but you don’t have to handle any merchandise or shipping.
It is a relatively easy, low-cost venture, and several platforms can help you get started.
You can make $1,000’s with dropshipping, but it’s a lot of work, so I recommend taking this course if you are interested.
This course will teach you everything you need to know about dropshipping, so I highly recommend checking it out!
Social Media Management
If you like being on social media and are comfortable using all the different platforms, then you can become a social media manager.
As a social media manager, you can manage social media accounts for entrepreneurs and businesses to make some serious cash!
You will have to post content, engage with followers, and grow the social media accounts.
There is a lot of money to be made as a social media manager, so if you are interested, I recommend this excellent course.
This course will teach you all the tips and tricks about becoming a social media manager!
Drop Servicing
We spoke about dropshipping earlier, and if it doesn’t work for you, then drop servicing might.
While dropshipping deals with physical products, drop servicing deals with services.
For example, you can find a graphic design service on Fiverr for $15 and sell the same service on your site for $20, and when you get an order, you purchase the Fiverr service and provide it to your customer, pocketing the $5.
It’s simpler than dropshipping because you don’t have to worry about shipping issues and returns, but it is still a lot of work.
If you are interested in drop servicing, then I recommend taking this fantastic course.
This course will teach you how to make $1,000’s drop servicing, so I highly recommend checking it out!
Ebook Designer
A really cool and unique side income idea for students is becoming an ebook designer.
As an ebook designer, all you need to do is design an ebook for authors, and you can make $100’s to $1,000’s!
Plus, with a program called Sqribble, you don’t need any graphic design experience!
With Sqribble, all you need to do is take the text given to you and put it in the software, and it will design the ebook for you in about 5 minutes.
I highly recommend checking out this side income idea and using Sqribble if you are interested.
Virtual Assistant
One of the best side income ideas for students is to become a virtual assistant.
A virtual assistant is a broad job; it can consist of many different tasks, but the significant benefit is that it is entirely remote, so you can work from home, your dorm, or wherever!
All you need to do is look online for virtual assistant jobs and apply to land one.
If you are interested in becoming a virtual assistant, then I recommend taking this course.
This course will teach you everything you need to know about becoming a virtual assistant and how to maximize your income!
Data Entry
One of the easiest side hustles for students to do is data entry, especially if you want to become an accountant to make money.
Data entry is a super easy gig that requires no experience, which makes it perfect for students!
With data entry, you are given a bunch of data that you organize and put into a spreadsheet or program.
It can be boring, but the pay is decent, and many jobs are available, so you won’t have much of a hard time landing a gig.
All you need to do is look online for data entry jobs and apply to land one.
Transcription
Similar to data entry, you can also become a transcriptionist to make money as a student.
As a transcriptionist, you will convert audio or video files into written text.
It’s an easy side hustle that requires no experience, so it might be perfect for you!
If you are interested in becoming a transcriptionist, I recommend checking out this free course to learn more.
With this free course, you will get an overview of how to become a transcriptionist, so I highly recommend checking it out!
Translate Online
Translating can be a perfect side hustle for you if you speak more than one language.
You can translate text, audio, or videos online for entrepreneurs and businesses to make some extra cash!
Just check for translation jobs online and then land a job to start getting paid.
Website Testing
A straightforward side income idea you can do as a student without any experience is website testing.
As a website tester, all you need to do is use websites as a regular user and give feedback to the owners on how easy the site is to use.
It’s a super easy way to make money as a student!
I recommend checking out sites like UserTesting and UserLytics for website testing gigs.
Notetaking
One of the best side income ideas for students is notetaking.
It’s pretty straightforward; all you need to do is take notes for other students, and they will pay you!
The best way to get notetaking gigs is to ask students in your current school.
The pay won’t be much since other students will be paying you, but if you are an excellent notetaker, this can be a great side hustle!
Content Creation
With the power of social media platforms, many people are making a lot of money by simply creating content online!
And…
You can get a piece of the pie by creating unique and engaging content online to make money!
If you don’t want to become a content creator, you can help other content creators make content and make money.
All you need to do is start creating content, and you can start making money. However, it is a lot of work and can take a lot of time, so just keep this in mind.
Voice-Over
A really unique way that you can make money online as a student is to take voice-over gigs.
With voice-over gigs, you just need to record a script in your voice over a video or other format.
You may need to change your voice to fit the script best, but if you speak clearly, this can be a great gig for you.
I recommend taking this course to learn more if you are interested in voice-over jobs.
In this course, you will learn precisely what is needed to become a voice actor and how to become successful!
Voice acting gigs are a great way to make money as a student, so I highly recommend checking it out.
Conclusion
These are the best side income ideas for students to make extra money easily!
As a student, school comes first, but you can still make your own money.
These gigs will let you make cash easily in your free time!
If you like this post, then I recommend checking out my posts on High Paying Jobs For 18 Year Olds (25 Jobs) and 47 Awesome Ways For Teens To Make Money Now!
Do you have any other side income ideas for students? What idea is your favorite? Let me know in the comments below!
One of the best is finding some technical skill like SEO or web design etc & if you use a site like fiverr you can choose how long you have to do the job. If your schedule is busy with exams etc you can load up work during breaks.
Thanks for reading and the input Ginny! Absolutely, Fiverr is a great side income idea where students can work when they want and how much they want!