College life isn’t cheap—between textbooks, late-night pizza runs, and rising tuition, your bank account takes a hit fast. So we went straight to the source: Reddit. We scrolled through real discussions, sifted through hundreds of comments, and pulled together 19 of the most upvoted, creative, and student-tested ways on how to make money as a college student in 2025. These side hustles come from fellow students who’ve figured out how to juggle class, cash, and chaos—and live to tell about it.
Whether you’re looking for flexible gigs, online ideas, or something a little offbeat, this list has you covered. Without further ado, let’s get into the Reddit-approved hustle guide!
19 Reddit-Approved Side Hustles for College Students
1. Babysitting & Childcare
“Babysit & Benefit” 🍼🛏️
Babysitting remains one of the most tried-and-true jobs for college students, and for good reason. Watching kids on occasional evenings or weekends lets you earn while getting homework done after bedtime. It’s flexible, usually paid in cash, and parents often pay a premium for trustworthy sitters. Many students love that they can study once the little ones are asleep, essentially getting paid to have a quiet night in someone else’s home.
“Babysitting is always a good one if that interests you. Easy work if you only do date nights for families and can study while the kids are asleep.”
2. Pet Sitting & Dog Walking
“Petsitting Pays (and Purrs)” 🐕🚶
If you’re an animal lover, why not get paid to play with pets? Pet sitting and dog walking are hugely popular among students. You can crash at a client’s house to watch their dog or make daily walking rounds – either way, it’s fun and flexible work. Apps like Rover and Wag make it easy to find gigs, and clients often pay surprising rates for reliable pet care.
“I dog sit for rich folks. I get paid anywhere from $70-100 per night, usually I stay in their nice home, and I still have tons of time for schoolwork.”
3. Tutoring Other Students
“Grade-A Tutoring” 📖🧠
Tutoring is one of the most popular online jobs for college students looking to make extra cash. Many students tutor high schoolers or peers in subjects they’ve mastered. From calculus to chemistry, there’s always a demand for patient tutors who can help others understand tough material. Tutoring sessions can often be scheduled around your classes, and you can charge a healthy hourly rate (especially for advanced subjects or test prep).
“Tutoring is probably the easiest way to make money with a college degree. High schoolers really need help w calculus, physics, and chem in particular. You can also help them with college apps. Hope this helps!”
4. Teaching Tech to Boomers
“Tech Tutoring for Grown-Ups” 💻👴
You might be surprised, but your skills with PowerPoint or Photoshop could be a gold mine. Many students advertise tech lessons for older adults or small businesses that need help with software. You can offer one-on-one tutoring in basic computer skills, graphic design programs, or even smartphone how-tos. It’s fulfilling (you’re literally empowering someone with knowledge) and can be very lucrative – tech-challenged folks are often happy to pay $50+ per hour for patient instruction from a tech-savvy college student.
“I made a ton of $$ in college through Craigslist teaching people how to use creative programs like Photoshop. $50-$80 an hour. You could even teach people simple programs like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint etc.”
5. Delivery and Rideshare Gigs
“Campus Courier” 🚗📦
When you have limited free hours, side hustle apps can be a lifesaver. Many busy students turn to food delivery (Uber Eats, DoorDash) or rideshare driving (Uber, Lyft) to make quick cash on their own schedule. You can grab orders or riders in between classes or on weekend nights. It’s fast money, and you can work as much or as little as your schedule allows. Bonus: if you’re in a college town or city, there’s always demand for late-night snacks and rides home from the bar.
“I did delivery for a cookie shop that was open until 2am lol. It was all bike delivery and it paid the bills I guess.”
6. On-Campus Work-Study Jobs
“Campus MVP (Money Via Payroll)” 🏫📋
Never underestimate campus jobs. Work-study positions – like library assistant, computer lab monitor, or gym front desk staff – are specifically designed to accommodate student schedules. They may not pay a fortune, but they’re conveniently located and often allow you to study during downtime on the job. Plus, they look good on a résumé. From running the circulation desk to helping in the IT department, these jobs let you earn extra without leaving the school grounds.
“Work study programs are great for students. It’s not a ton of hours usually, but they are usually super accommodating for student schedules.”
7. Participate in Research Studies
“Be a (Well-Paid) Guinea Pig” 🔬💵
Your university’s research labs might have an unexpected side gig for you: participating in studies. Psychology, economics, and neuroscience departments (to name a few) often need student subjects for surveys or experiments. Many pay in cash or gift cards for just an hour or two of your time. It could be anything from filling out questionnaires to testing a new app or even tasting food samples. It’s easy money and can be genuinely interesting – you get to contribute to science (and maybe learn something about yourself) while earning some beer money.
“If you go to a school that does a lot of research, you can usually make some decent money participating in studies.”
8. Join Focus Groups & Mock Juries
“Opinions for Cash” 💬💰
Did you know companies will pay for your opinion? Marketing focus groups, product test panels, and even mock jury simulations are awesome ways students are cashing in. These usually happen in big cities or online: you might spend a couple of hours giving feedback on a new product or discussing your habits in a group. The payout can be impressive (sometimes $100-$300 for a session!). One student even reported making bank pretending to be a juror for a day – a perfect side gig if you have a free afternoon and some opinions to share.
“Do research studies, focus groups, product testing, etc. There’s a lot on Craigslist. When I was a student I once made $800 for a day of being in a mock jury.”
— djtndf
9. Take Online Surveys & Micro Tasks
“Click-for-Cash” 🖱️📊
When you only have a few minutes here and there, turn them into dollars by doing online microtasks. Plenty of students report success with survey apps and websites (like Survey Junkie, Swagbucks, or Surveys On The Go) that pay small amounts for each survey completed. It’s not get-rich-quick money, but those quarters and dollars add up over the semester. The best part: you can do them from your couch or bus ride, making it a super easy, mindless way to earn pizza money between classes.
“I spend anywhere from 2-20 minutes taking a survey and get anywhere from $.25 to $2.50 depending on the amount of time the survey takes. Sometimes they even give you product review surveys where they send you a product in the mail and you review it, which pays way more, $8-20.”
10. Event Staffing & Promotion
“Weekend Event Warrior” 🎟️📣
Ever see those people handing out free samples or flyers for events? That could be you – and it pays quite well! College students can snag gigs with promotional marketing companies to staff events, festivals, or street teams. You might be pouring samples of an energy drink at a campus fair, checking tickets at a concert, or dressing as a mascot for a local promo (hey, it happens). The hours are usually on weekends, the pay can be $20+/hour, and you often get free access to cool events.
“Look up event marketing/promotional companies. They pay you to flyer, give out samples etc. Work is generally higher paying $20+/h and super flexible… Sometimes you also get into festivals and other events for free too! The best side gig ever.”
11. Editing, Proofreading & Note-Taking
“The Academic Assist” ✏️🗒️
You’re already taking notes and writing papers for your classes – why not get paid to help others with theirs? Many entrepreneurial students offer editing or proofreading services for essays and résumés. Others sell study notes and outlines to classmates who missed a lecture or need extra help (some even use platforms like StuDocu or Course Hero to sell notes). Since you’re doing similar work for your own studies, it doesn’t feel like a huge extra load. And helping polish someone’s paper or providing top-notch notes can earn you appreciation and extra cash on the side.
“You can edit other people’s resumes or reports for a little extra cash. Or take notes. Try to do it related to your class so it will also help you study for your own courses.”
12. Flipping Textbooks & Thrifted Goods
“Campus Resale Retail” 📘💸
Before you toss that old textbook, think again—it could still be worth cash. Many college students make extra money by reselling things others leave behind, especially during dorm move-out season. Textbooks, mini-fridges, dorm décor, and even furniture often end up free (or dirt cheap) on campus swap pages or curbsides. Clean them up, list them online, and turn overlooked items into real income.
If you’re flipping textbooks, check out BookScouter.com—it helps you compare buyback prices from over 30 vendors, so you can get the best deal fast. It’s also a great long-term tool if you’re thinking about how to make money after college—BookScouter is perfect for side hustles and book reselling even beyond campus life.
“See if other students are throwing out their old textbooks or stuff from their dorms. You can resell those items if in good condition.”
13. Ghostwriting Essays (…Ethically Gray)
“Scholar for Hire” 🧾✏️
It’s controversial, but it happens: some students earn money by writing papers or doing homework for others. Ethically, your school definitely frowns on this, but the underground market is real – especially in tough subjects or among desperate classmates. If you choose to offer this service, know the risks. That said, those who do it often charge a premium for last-minute assignments and use their writing skills under the radar. With AI tools like ChatGPT around, the game is evolving, but many still prefer a human touch to ensure an original essay that passes plagiarism checks. (We’re not officially encouraging this one – but it’s certainly a creative way some students have made cash.)
“I made extra $ in college writing other people’s papers.”
14. Bartending or Waiting Tables
“Night Shift, Nice Tips” 🍻💁
Trade your backpack for a bar apron on the weekends and rake in the tips. Serving and bartending are classic college side hustles for a reason: you can often work nights (when you’re done with classes), and the tip money can be fantastic in a busy college town. Whether it’s slinging lattes at a campus café or cocktails at the local pub, you’ll develop great communication skills—one of the essential skills for a college student’s résumé. Some students work just a couple of shifts a week and make enough to cover rent. It can be tiring work on your feet – but the social environment and cash tips keep it fun and rewarding.
“I bartended my way through most of college. I worked 9pm-4am four days a week, two of those were Friday/Saturday — which left me a lot of time to take 15 credits.”
15. Becoming a Tour Guide
“Campus (or City) Tour Guru” 🗺️🎤
Got the gift of gab and love your local history or campus lore? Consider working as a tour guide. Some students find gigs with local tour companies – guiding walking tours of the city, museum tours, or campus tours for prospective students. If you’re charismatic and know your stuff, you can entertain a crowd and get paid for it. Tours are often on weekends or holidays, and you might even earn tips from generous tourists. It’s a fun way to share your passion (be it history, ghost stories, or campus legends) and bank a nice chunk of change for a few hours of storytelling.
“If you have charisma, good public speaking abilities, and niche knowledge or a good memory you could work as a tour guide. My husband did it in undergrad during COVID and made a nice hundred or so plus tips for a 3 hour weekly tour.”
16. Political Campaign Canvassing
“Campaign Cash” 📣🗳️
Elections aren’t just exciting – they’re an opportunity to get paid. Political campaigns frequently hire students for short-term gigs like canvassing (going door to door), phone banking, or event staffing. The hours tend to be flexible (afternoons/evenings and weekends), so you can fit it around classes. It’s usually seasonal work around election times, but the pay can be decent and you might even get bonuses if you’re good at it. Plus, you’ll learn a ton about local politics and maybe make some influential connections (never hurts for the future!).
“Every political campaign in the city is hiring field staff right now. Hours are usually flexible (afternoons and evenings), and the pay is usually decent.”
17. Mail-In Sweepstakes & Casino Offers
“Snail Mail Hustle” ✉️💸
Here’s one of the more unusual hustles students are doing: writing letters to casinos and companies for small cash rewards. It sounds bizarre, but some online casinos or sweepstakes entries allow a “no purchase necessary” mail-in option where they’ll pay a few bucks or give free play credits if you send them a physical letter. Diligent students have turned this into a routine – sending out batches of index cards or letters and getting $5-$10 each in return. It’s not glamorous work (envelope stuffing, anyone?), but as one student shared, it’s the easiest money they ever made.
“For the last year and a half I’ve been on the search for online income. What I found actually works for me is I write letters to casinos for extra cash. Takes a couple weeks for payment but they pay. Easiest thing I’ve done.”
18. Selling Art, Designs or Crafts
“Creator to Cash-ator” 🎨🛍️
Why not turn your creativity into currency? Are you handy with graphic design or drawing? Try print-on-demand sites to sell t-shirts or sticker designs. Good at crafting or jewelry-making? Open a small Etsy shop or hit up campus craft fairs. Musically inclined? Sell beats or stock music online. The internet makes it possible to find a buyer for almost any creation. You don’t need a business degree – just a passion project and the willingness to put yourself out there. Each sale might start small, but as you build an online presence (maybe through TikTok or Instagram), your side hobby could snowball into a serious income stream that also feeds your soul.
“I create and sell art, a lot of people do. There’s websites that you can do print on demand – t-shirts can be decent and you don’t need to be an artist to do it.”
19. Donating Plasma
“The Body Fluid Funding Plan” 🩸💰
It may sound a bit extreme, but many college students swear by plasma donation for quick cash. Plasma centers will pay you for each donation, and healthy adults can donate roughly once a week. The process takes about 1-2 hours, so students often use it as forced study time (sit back, relax, maybe review some notes while the machine does its thing). In a month, you could earn a few hundred dollars – not bad for essentially “bleeding for the green.” Of course, this one’s not for the squeamish, and you need to take care of yourself (eat well, hydrate, etc.). But if you’re in good health and short on options, plasma donation can literally be a lifeline – for you and the patients who need it.
“The best thing I have been able to come up with so far is plasma donation.”
Final Thoughts
Being broke in college doesn’t have to be your reality. As you can see from these 19 ideas, students today are hustling in all sorts of inventive ways – and you can too. Whether you’re freelancing from your dorm, babysitting on weekends, or turning a quirky skill into cash, there’s an option here for just about everyone. Try one (or a few) of these side hustles and watch your bank account grow. Who knows – you might even discover a new passion or career path in the process.
Looking for more student-tested advice? Start with these Reddit-based guides packed with real-life tips and insights from fellow college students: How to Make Friends in College, How to Romanticize Learning, How to Sell Used Textbooks Profitably.
Then check out more helpful reads made just for students like you:
📱 Best Apps for College Students – A curated list of must-have apps to boost your productivity, organization, and student life.
💸 9 Money-Saving College Must-Haves – Gear up with smart essentials that save money and make student living easier.
🎯 College Vision Board Ideas – Set goals, stay motivated, and visualize success with these creative and practical vision board ideas.
