College students don’t have to live the broke college student lifestyle anymore. Today, many online jobs for college students make it easy for anyone to make money in their free time.
You can start your own gig or get a job from a company, working from home and supplementing your income so you can put the days of consuming only water and ramen behind you.
Before you choose an online job, consider your time, what you enjoy doing, and if you want to work for someone or be your own boss.
38 Easy Online Jobs for College Students
Here are the best online jobs where college students can get paid to work from home:
- Online Tutor
- Social Media Manager
- Note-Taker
- Answer Surveys Online
- Product Testing
- Freelance Writer
- Virtual Assistant
- Personal Trainer
- T-Shirt Designer
- Sell Designer Clothes
- Data Entry
- Web Design
- Etsy Seller
- Online Arbitrage
- Flip Textbooks Online
- Proofreading
- Freelance Copywriting
- Video Editing
- SEO Specialist
- Voiceover Artist
- Audio Transcription
- Stock Photographer
- Freelance Bookkeeping
- Website / App Tester
- Computer Programmer
- Graphic Design
- Resume Writer
- Micro Freelancer
- PowerPoint Presentation Designer
- Virtual Recruiter
- Virtual Stylist
- Book Reviewer
- Amazon Seller
- Translator
- Twitch Streamer
- Music Production
- Search Engine Evaluator
- Podcast Editing
1. Online Tutor
There will always be students that need a tutor. For example, you can tutor students at your college in courses you’ve already aced or tutor younger students who need help with math, English, or other basic subjects.
You can tutor online, giving you access to students worldwide, or in-person at your local library or even at the students’ houses.
You can advertise your services with a flyer for local businesses or join sites like Tutorme.com and Care.com to advertise to a larger audience.
2. Social Media Manager
If you have a knack for social media, get paid to help companies manage their social media pages. It’s one of the most important pieces of any company’s marketing plan, but many don’t have the budget to hire someone full-time to do it or don’t understand it.
You can work as a freelance social media manager, working on your time and getting paid either a flat fee or a charge per hour.
Offer your services on sites like Upwork or Fiverr and market to companies that need a good social media manager.
3. Note-Taker
Believe it or not, you can make money selling your class notes. Unfortunately, some students just don’t have what it takes to take good notes and then do poorly on the tests.
If you’re a master note taker, consider uploading them to sites like Stuvia, StudySoup, or OneClass and getting paid for them.
4. Answer Surveys Online
Survey sites are a great way to make a little money in your free time. You don’t have to worry about meeting deadlines or fitting large projects into your schedule.
With online surveys, you download an app, create a profile and if you have time, accept the survey offers. Depending on the time they take, you’ll make $1 to $20 per survey, and several sites offer sign-up bonuses.
Popular, high-paying sites include:
5. Product Testing and Reviewing
You might not make money as a product tester and reviewer, but you can try (and keep) free products.
Companies pay people to try their products before they hit the public market to get feedback and ensure there aren’t any problems with them.
Toluna, MyPoints, and Swagbucks all offer product testing on occasion.
6. Freelance Writer
Just as businesses need a good website, that website needs good content. So if you have a way with words, consider making money as a freelance writer.
You can write website content, blogs, articles, white papers, and e-books. Most freelance writers work as ghostwriters, so they don’t get the credit or byline on the content, but you can earn good money doing it.
Advertise your services on a marketplace like Fiverr, and be sure to have a portfolio to show your skills.
7. Virtual Assistant
A virtual assistant can do just about anything for a company. For example, you can answer their emails, do their bookkeeping, or do any other necessary tasks.
You can charge per hour or a flat monthly fee for the work you’ll do. Make sure to outline which tasks and how many hours a week or month you can dedicate as a personal assistant working around your school schedule.
8. Online Personal Trainer or Fitness Coach
If you love fitness and health, consider helping others who don’t get it or don’t have the motivation.
You can work online, coaching your clients in your free time. However, it’s best to get certified in personal training, so you have credentials to share with clients, making them more comfortable working with you.
You decide what services you want to offer, how often you’ll see clients, and what you’ll charge. For example, if you only provide fitness training, you’ll likely meet once a week, but if you also provide health or nutrition coaching, you may meet more often.
The nice thing is you can offer your services online, giving you access to a larger audience.
9. T-Shirt and Merchandise Designer
If you have a great t-shirt design, consider marketing it using sites like Tee Spring or any other print-on-demand site. You don’t have to carry any inventory. After you create the design, you upload it to Tee Spring, and when someone orders a shirt, they print and ship it. They even handle customer service.
You earn a percentage of the cost of creating one design. Once you build an audience, you can keep creating designs and making more money.
10. Sell Clothes Online
Don’t let old clothes collect dust and go out of style. Instead, hop on sites like Facebook Marketplace, eBay, and Poshmark and sell them.
If you have name-brand clothes, you might make a good percentage of the original price back.
11. Data Entry
If you can type fast and want a somewhat mindless side gig, offer data entry services.
Companies always need someone to enter data into their systems accurately. It’s how they run reports and make important business decisions, so you’d hold an important role in their business.
12. Web Developer or Designer
Today, all businesses need a website to succeed, but many don’t have the capability of creating one. Some companies have a website, but it’s designed poorly and doesn’t help their business.
If you’re majoring in web development or design, consider putting your knowledge to good use to earn money. You can design new websites, revamp existing websites, or a combination of both.
It’s best to create a portfolio of your previous work so companies can determine if your skills fit their needs.
Some companies may even hire you long-term to maintain their website. If that happens, you can create monthly packages to help companies stay on top of their web design.
13. Etsy Seller
If you’re crafty, consider selling your creations on Etsy. You can create your own ‘store’ on Etsy and sell your items. Even if you aren’t crafty but are good with graphic design, you can also sell digital items on Etsy.
Like most sites, they take a percentage of your earnings, so price your items accordingly.
14. Online Retail Arbitrage
Do you love finding deals? What if you could sell those items online for a markup? You would get paid to shop. For many college students, this is a thrill and a great way to make money, especially if you find hot items on a great deal.
Sell your items on eBay, Amazon, or Facebook Marketplace and pocket the profits for your efforts.
15. Textbook Flipper
If you know where to get textbooks for a deal, you can sell them for a higher price and make a profit online. This is like retail arbitrage, except your target audience is college students who don’t want to pay retail prices for their textbooks.
16. Proofreader & Editor
If you have a great grasp of the English language and don’t mind correcting written content, you can make money as a proofreader.
Businesses pay proofreaders to ensure their content is error-free and sounds good. They don’t want to make a mistake or sound unprofessional as it could hurt their business.
This is another great gig to advertise on Fiverr or Upwork.
17. Freelance Copywriter
Many companies need sales content or copywriting. This is different than freelance writing. It’s sales copy that persuades or encourages someone to buy a product or service.
You might write website content, sales pages, flyers, or product descriptions. If you have experience in copywriting from school or a business, use the content as your portfolio to get more clients.
18. Freelance Video Editor
You’ve likely seen video bloopers from companies that show them on their social media pages for fun. But, unfortunately, those bloopers you see are just a fraction of the work behind the scenes to edit videos.
Many small companies don’t have the time or capital to hire someone full-time to handle video editing, so they hire freelancers to do it.
If you have good video editing skills, offer your services to local companies or advertise yourself on a gig marketplace.
As a video editor, you’ll cut scenes, add music, create stories, and ensure the video gives the right message.
19. SEO Specialist
If you understand how SEO works and love doing the research to find keywords, optimize links, and website content, offer your services as an SEO specialist.
You’ll likely start on sites like Fiverr or Upwork to build a portfolio and get people to trust you, but once you prove you’re good at it, word-of-mouth can help you get more business.
SEO specialists charge either a flat fee for the services or per hour worked, with most charging $20 to $30 per hour.
20. Voiceover Artist
If you have one of those voices everyone loves to listen to, consider working as a voiceover artist. You can work whenever you are available and from your apartment as long as you have the recording software.
You can work for companies, schools, and medical facilities, creating commercials, reading books, or creating how-to videos.
21. Audio Transcriber
Transcribing is a great way for college students to make money online. As long as you have good attention to detail, can listen carefully, and type fast, you can make money transcribing.
Companies use transcribers to create subtitles, closed captioning, or to have a written version of a video or podcast.
Rev and TranscribeMe are two popular sites that hire college students for freelance transcribing.
22. Stock Photographer
If you don’t have the time to work as a professional photographer in person, consider selling your photos online on sites like Shutterstock or Foap. You take a picture once, upload it to the site and leverage the large audience.
Each time someone buys your picture, you earn a percentage of the commission, with the other funds going to the site that hosts your picture. In addition, you don’t have to do any work because the buyer prints the picture using their favorite medium.
23. Freelance Bookkeeping
If you’re majoring in accounting, offer basic bookkeeping services to small businesses. Not everyone was cut out to do bookkeeping, so companies gladly pay someone to check their work or do everything for them.
You can offer monthly packages to companies or work for one company, handling all their books.
24. Website and App Tester
If you love finding out what’s wrong with a website or app, get paid for it — sites like UserTesting pay you to test websites and apps and report what you found.
Typically, you earn $10 per test, but if you do a handful a week, your earnings can add up nicely.
25. Freelance Computer Programmer or Developer
Computer programming is a special skill that most business owners don’t have. If you understand coding and programming, offer your services to local businesses. You can advertise your services to local businesses or start a gig online on Fiverr.
Because computer programming is highly specialized and companies need it, you can easily charge good money for your services.
26. Graphic Designer
If you’re in school for graphic design, use the skills you’ve already learned to earn money. For example, you can design t-shirts, flyers, webpages, business cards, and banners, to name a few items.
To make money as a graphic designer, create a website showcasing your previous work to attract more customers. You can use Fiverr and Upwork to market your services, but remember, they take a portion of your earnings to cover the cost of the administrative and advertising work they offer.
27. Resume Writer
If you know the latest resume trends and write well, you can help thousands of people looking for a job.
Not everyone has good writing skills or knows how to put together a resume. However, they’ll gladly pay you $75+ to create their resume or edit an existing resume.
If you have a passion for writing resumes, spread the word. You might be surprised at how many people you know need your services.
28. Micro-Freelancer
There are many micro-tasks you can do. The idea started with Fiverr, when sellers could charge only $5 for their services. Since then, Fiverr has changed, but the micro-tasks are still available.
Think of anything you’d do for $5 and advertise it on Fiverr.
Every dollar adds up, so don’t think it’s not enough when you only make a few dollars.
29. PowerPoint Presentation Designer
If you love PowerPoint, advertise your services on sites like Fiverr. Just like videos, companies need PowerPoint presentations often, but they may not have the skill to make a profound slideshow.
You can edit the slides they already made or start from scratch, adding music and special touches to make their slideshow unique.
30. Virtual Recruiter
If you love matching people with jobs, consider a job as a virtual recruiter. You’d have to work with a specific staffing agency that allows you to work from home, matching candidates with jobs.
You can make $25 an hour or more as a contractor and only work when you have free time from your classes.
31. Virtual Stylist
Do your friends and family come to you for fashion advice? Consider getting paid for your skill by helping people online choose the right clothing.
You can start your own consultant gig or work as a stylist for companies like StitchFix or Rocks Box.
32. Book Reviewer
If you love to read, get paid for it. Publishers pay people to read books and provide their reviews. Booklist Online and Publisher’s Weekly are two great sites to try.
Of course, you won’t make much money reviewing books, but you get the books for free and get paid for your time, so it’s a fun gig if you love reading.
33. Amazon Seller
If you have an inventory of items to sell, consider Amazon’s FBA program. First, you ship your items to them, and they hold them. Then, you market your products on Amazon, and when they sell, Amazon handles the order and customer service.
Amazon charges fees for its FBA program, so if you have a small inventory and room to store it, you can also handle order fulfillment and customer service to make more money.
34. Translator
If you’re bilingual, you can make money helping companies translate documents or individuals who need documents to send to their home country. You may translate audio or written content, so you’d need good grammar skills and the ability to type fast.
You can advertise your services on Upwork or Fiverr to find clients who need your services.
35. Twitch Streamer
Believe it or not, you can get paid to play games.
Some sites like Mistplay pay you the longer you play or the higher you get in a specific game, and you can also earn money creating a Twitch channel and streaming your game playing. Streaming gaming makes you money when you have a large enough audience that you can monetize your channel with merchandise and ads.
36. Music Production
The sky’s the limit with music production. You can create (and sign) your own songs, write songs, or edit the final product. This gig works best with word of mouth.
Publish your music on YouTube or your social media pages; if it’s good, word will spread fast.
37. Search Engine Evaluator
You might not realize it, but thousands of people behind Google are making the results perfect. Sometimes, though, their results are off, so they pay people to evaluate the search engine results.
It’s a research-heavy job, but you can do it in your free time, and it helps you put your research skills to the test. The most popular site to apply to be a search engine evaluator is Lionbridge.
38. Freelance Podcast Editor
Podcasts are becoming increasingly popular for businesses of all sizes. But like videos, they need editing too because they have mistakes or excessive content that needs editing.
You might add music, create breaks to break the content up, and make sure the podcast sounds good. Companies can hire you on a per podcast basis, or you can set up a monthly package to help companies with their podcasts regularly.
Can You Get an Online Job as a College Student?
You can get jobs online as a college student as long as you have a computer and a good internet connection.
Most jobs are freelance jobs, which work great for college students with busy schedules. You work when you’re available and can even set your own prices.
Some online jobs pay extremely well, and other college side hustles make enough for a night out or a few Starbucks coffees.
What’s the Earning Potential?
The amount of money you make in online jobs depends on what you do and how much time you have to dedicate to the online job. Jobs with a company or even some gigs on Fiverr can earn you a full-time income.
And while some online jobs only earn you a few dollars at a time, if you diversify your efforts, those little earnings add up.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do online student freelancers get paid?
Online student freelancers can get paid via PayPal, Venmo, or even a check sent to their homes. If you use a site like Fiverr, they handle payment, and you can transfer your earnings to your PayPal account anytime.
The key is to get paid upfront or have a contract to ensure you don’t get scammed out of any earnings if you don’t use a site like Fiverr.
Do online student freelancers pay taxes?
All freelancers must pay taxes on their earnings. If you receive a 1099, you report the earnings from the document. But, even if you don’t, you must keep track of your earnings and report them on your taxes.
How much do I need to work online to make decent money as a student?
Each freelance job takes a different amount of time to make money. Some are paid hourly, while others are a flat fee. Typically, college students spend 10 to 15 hours a week on odd jobs to make good money.
Do I need special skills to work online as a student?
You don’t need special skills to make money from online jobs. For college students, it’s best to use their current passions and skills to make money. Think about what you love and are good at, and chances are there is a job you can do.
How can I land my first online job as a student with no experience?
Start your own freelance gig on sites like Fiverr or Upwork to build experience and get your name out there. Then, as you build a portfolio and word-of-mouth happens, you’ll build a larger clientele.
How can I manage my time for a side hustle while in college?
Time management is a life skill, so choose an online job that allows you to manage your time properly. Don’t overburden yourself, but also don’t cut yourself short. Find pockets of time that you just sit around, and turn that into work time, so you don’t cut into homework or studying time.
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