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Being in college and working can be challenging sometimes, especially with a heavy workload and little time. This is where How to make money Online for College students comes in.
An average American College student gets a job as a side hustle to supplement monthly stipends and enjoy college. Whether you are looking for money to get textbooks or to afford certain lifestyles in school, we have got you covered.
In this article, we will discuss ways to make money online as a College student and these are not just a list of things that don’t work but a collection of opportunities that could easily become a full-time income stream after graduation.
Benefits of Making Money Online for College Students
There are several benefits to making money online as a college student, these include:
1. Flexibility
One of the greatest benefits of making money online is the flexibility it offers. This means you can work from anywhere provided there is an internet connection and set your schedule. So you can easily plan your business around your college schedule without disrupting your studies.
2. Low Startup Cost
You can easily start up an online business with little to no cost. For example to start a Youtube channel you simply need a phone to record with a good lighting source or even a natural source and then you can get more equipment as you scale up.
3. Build Skills
Starting an online business allows you to build skills that you can market for money after school. For example, starting a blog teaches you content writing, marketing skills, and collaborative skills which can be transferable to other businesses.
4. Diversify income streams
Making money online allows you to diversify your income stream which can supplement your income from part-time jobs and the good part is that this can easily scale up into a full income stream.
5. Opportunity to explore entrepreneurship
If you have a knack for building a business, making money online could be an avenue to try out new things and see which one resonates with you and then hone your skills to build a successful business.
15 Ways to Make Money Online for College Students
Now let’s discuss the various ways to make money online for college students
1. Start A Blog
Starting a blog is a good way to make money online. Note that it is not a get-rich-quick scheme but it can easily scale up to pay you a substantial amount monthly.
Some blogs earn as much as $200,000 per month. There is no cap to how much you can earn, the sky is yours to explore as you deem fit.
Some of the various ways to make money from a blog include affiliate marketing, displaying google ads, and selling a product and as your blog grows you can also earn via sponsored posts and sponsored advertisements.
If you are interested in starting a blog, here are the steps to take
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First, choose a niche you want to write about
This could be based on your passion or niches that advertisers bid more advertising money on. That way your CPC(Cost per click) is high to generate high income via google ad sense.
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Next, you need to select a Host.
A host is like your house on the internet where all your blog posts are archived and served to your visitors when they search for them. There are several hosting platforms out there to choose from. I will recommend Bluehost which has one of the most competitive prices for beginners and comes with a free domain.
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Also, choose a platform for your blog
There are several blogging platforms like WordPress, Blogger, etc. I will recommend WordPress because it gives you autonomy over your website and you never have to worry about being kicked out from your blog.
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Design your website
Once all these are ready you can hire a website designer for as low as $10 to design a basic blog page made up of a blog page, about page, privacy page, and Terms Condition page OR if you are up to the task you can simply download a free theme(eg Blogus, Elementor) on WordPress and design it yourself. You can watch a Youtube video on how to do this.
- Start writing articles
Then simply start writing blog posts and publishing. To learn how to make your blog successful, watch Youtube videos on SEO and traffic generation.
2. Become A Freelancer
As a freelancer, you are self-employed and you are paid per job delivered rather than per month salary as traditional jobs.
There are several ways to earn as a freelancer such as freelance writing, website designing, graphic designing, video editing, etc.
Some of these skills can be self-taught from Youtube or Skillshare. You can then list your services on sites like Fiverr, Upwork, or Freelancer.
You can kick start by telling family and friends about your skills and then extend to local businesses while you build your client base.
3. Become a Vlogger
These days people are much interested in watching how other people live their lives on a day-to-day basis. If you love putting your business out there you can become a vlogger by simply pressing the record button on your phone and sharing on social media.
You can share on Instagram, TikTok, Youtube, etc, and particularly on Youtube as your audience grows you can join the Youtube Partner Program that allows you to earn ad revenue per 1000 views on your content.
Other platforms are also monetizable too such as being paid to promote a product or service on Instagram or TikTok.
4. Print On Demand/Dropshipping
Another good way to earn money online is by channeling your creative skills toward creating graphic designs. These designs can be printed on things like T-shirts, mugs, sweatshirts, journals, etc.
The beautiful thing about this method of making money online is that no initial capital is needed upfront, the products are only produced once a customer clicks on a buy button.
You have no business with the production itself, you can simply set up a Shopify or Etsy store or even a store on a WordPress website and integrate with suppliers like Cjdropshipping, Aliexpress, and Printify so that once an order is made they fulfill the order and receive their cut.
To create the graphic designs you can use a site like Canva which is totally beginner friendly.
5. Become a Translator
If you are fluent in a particular language you can make money out of it by becoming a translator. Most companies who work with international clients need a translator for their business meetings and you can build a relationship that will get you more referrals and also return customers.
You can list your service on freelancing sites like Fiverr, Upwork, or Freelancer
6. Fill Out Online Surveys
This is one way to make quick cash even though it may just be a few cents to some dollars but it quickly adds up.
Sites like Swagbucks pay you to take surveys which companies rely on to make decisions about product development and improvements.
7. Review Products
Some companies pay people to review various products and the feedback is used to improve these products.
You can sign up to become a product reviewer to start earning on sites like ProducttestingUSA
8. Graphic designer
Graphic design is a very high-demand skill that cuts across various fields. You can learn the skill by watching Youtube videos, taking a class in Skillshare, or even using Canva to create these designs.
Then list your skill on sites like Fiverr to build your clientele or even build a website advertising your skill.
9. Affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing is a business model where you earn commissions by promoting other people’s products which can be physical or digital.
So you are given an affiliate link and once people click on that link and purchase a product you earn a commission.
This business model is currently bringing in millions of dollars yearly to entrepreneurs.
To get started simply join an affiliate network (e.g. Awins) which allows you access to affiliate offers from several companies and this compounds as the sales trickle in.
10. Do transcription jobs
Transcription jobs are also another way to earn money online. This involves listening to video recordings of meetings and transcribing them to written notes.
There are so many sites that offer these services and pay for word transcribed. These include sites like Scribe and Transcribe. me etc
11. Become a voiceover artist
With a greater percentage of internet users tilting more to visual content, so also does the demand for services geared toward the production of videos. If you have a suitable voice, you can become a voiceover artist narrating faceless videos, movies, etc.
Again you can list your service on sites like Fiverr or build your clientele from local businesses.
12. Become a content creator
This is somewhat similar to blogging. As a content creator, you create content that solves problems for people.
To start choose a niche you are passionate about and commit to creating content that solves the problems of people around that niche eg teaching mums about motherhood etc.
Then start sharing these contents on social media to build a following and soon you can monetize via sponsored ads or other monetization means depending on the platform.
13. Become a virtual assistant
Virtual assistants are needed by companies who want to outsource things they cannot do in-house such as customer service, data entry, graphic design, etc. These companies pay per hour and you can charge depending on the particular service you are rendering.
14. Become a social media manager
If you love spending time on social media then this is a good way to make money online. As a social media manager, you represent a company on the internet by managing its social media pages, creating engaging posts, replying to DMs, etc.
15. Learn High Demand Skills
This is a bonus point. The world is fast changing and so many skills not needed a decade ago are now in high demand. Do well to search for these skills and start learning. The good thing is that all the information you need is right on the internet. So start watching Youtube videos about any skills you want to learn or take courses on Skillshare and in a month you can learn enough to start offering your services to perfect the rest on the job.
For more of such articles check out our archives on Make Money
Conclusion: How to make Money Online for College Students
There is no exhaustive list of How to Make Money Online for College students, I have tried to cover the most high-demand ones. These businesses will equip you with skills that will help you beyond school and who knows, that side hustle you start now can easily scale up fast to become a full-time business.
Don’t make the mistake of underrating anyone, simply choose ones that you can easily start based on your unique situation, passion, and skills and commit to giving it your best daily. I am rooting for you to succeed.
If you found this helpful, share your thoughts with us in the comment section
FAQ: How to make Money Online for College Students
1. How can I make $100 a day online?
There are various ways to make $100 a day online, such as freelance writing, taking online surveys, selling products online, vlogging, and affiliate marketing.
2. How do I make money online as a student?
As a student, you can make money online by taking online surveys, becoming a freelancer, blogging, virtual tutoring, selling products online, and becoming a graphic designer.
3. Which is the best website to earn money for students?
Some of the best websites for students to earn money online include Fiverr, Upwork, Swagbucks, Survey Junkie, ProducttestingUSA, and Amazon affiliates.
4. Side hustles in College
There are several side hustles College students can explore such as online tutoring, freelance writing, pet-sitting, graphic designing, reselling items, and drop shipping.
5. Easy jobs for college students online
Easy jobs for college students online include participating in online surveys, freelancing, writing product reviews, graphic designing, and social media management.