13 Highest Paying Side Hustles for College Students (Ranked)

Guideposts

With the cost of college tuition on the rise, you may be wondering how you can best fund your educational pursuits. That, or, you may just need some extra cash to enjoy the journey as you work hard to finish your degree. Whether your goal is to graduate without debt or simply just to graduate, you’ll likely need to put some time in outside of the library during your schooling years to make money. As you do, you’ll want to make sure to get the most bang for your buck.

The 13 Highest Paying Side Hustles for College Students

To utilize your time as efficiently as possible, you’ll want to focus on how you can make the most money in the least amount of time. Therefore, you’ll want to find a side hustle that you enjoy and that’s high paying.

One way to balance your work and school efforts is to bundle your regular college activities with a side hustle that allows you to do your schoolwork while getting paid. This is how our analysis was performed. In the options below, we’ll rank which side hustles offer you the ability to do this, so you can make an informed decision on which side hustle will work best for your situation.

RankSide HustleHourly RateWeekly Earnings (6 days/week)Monthly Earnings (4 weeks/month)Yearly EarningsBundle-Ability
1Housesitting$30.00$360.00$1,440.00$17,280.00High
2Freelance: Writing$30.00$360.00$1,440.00$17,280.00Low to High
3Tasks or Chores$30.00$360.00$1,440.00$17,280.00Low
4Website Tester$29.00$348.00$1,392.00$16,704.00Low to Medium
5Dog Walking (2 dogs)$14.00$336.00$1,344.00$16,128.00Medium
6Tutoring$25.00$300.00$1,200.00$14,400.00Medium to High
7Freelance: Graphic Design$25.00$300.00$1,200.00$14,400.00Low to High
8Online Surveys$25.00$300.00$1,200.00$14,400.00Low
9Personal Trainer$21.00$252.00$1,008.00$12,096.00Medium to High
10Makeup Artist$21.00$252.00$1,008.00$12,096.00Low
11Uber or Lyft$16.50$198.00$792.00$9,504.00Low
12Sell Your NotesVariable$25.00$100.00$1,200.00High
13Sell Stuff / BooksVariable$25.00$100.00$1,200.00Medium

How this list was made: our analysis assumed that you would be able to carve out 6-12 hours a week to participate in a side hustle, or 1-2 hours a day. The average pay of each side hustle is used for this analysis, but when beginning a new side hustle you may need to set a lower rate to acquire business. From there, you can expect to grow your income over time. Average pay is used to smooth out the variability for you. Depending on your skill in a certain area, you may be able to scale your side hustle many times above the average pay for that job. This analysis constitutes a starting point for your decision making process.

1. Housesitting ($30/hr)

Time CommitmentHourly RateWeekly Earnings (6 days/week)Monthly Earnings (4 weeks/month)Yearly EarningsBundle-Ability
2 hours / day$30.00$360.00$1,440.00$17,280.00High
1 hour / day$30.00$180.00$720.00$8,640.00High

Housesitting is our number one pick for side hustling as a college student. Not only can you scale this side hustle to $30/hour on average, but it offers you high bundle-ability as well. Meaning, you have full flexibility to bundle other activities with this side hustle! You can work on homework, get caught up on reading, or manage other schoolwork while getting paid.

Best of all, you can lump your efforts together. Instead of working for an hour or two a day, you could work an entire day for 6 straight hours (assuming you had class online or were out for the day). If you had 2 clients a week that needed your services, working for $30/hour during a weekday when you didn’t have class, you could be making between $720-$1,440 a month with this side hustle. By growing your network of clients, you could stand to make much more.

2. Freelance – Writing ($30/hr)

Time CommitmentHourly RateWeekly Earnings (6 days/week)Monthly Earnings (4 weeks/month)Yearly EarningsBundle-Ability
2 hours / day$30.00$360.00$1,440.00$17,280.00Low to High
1 hour / day$30.00$180.00$720.00$8,640.00Low to High

Freelance writing stands as our number two pick for side hustling as a college student. This side hustle is high paying, but varies with it’s level of bundle-ability. It would be more advantageous if you were looking to grow your skills as a writer (if it would help you with your career or degree in some way, for example). If not, however, bundle-ability would be low since you wouldn’t be able to perform other college work while participating in this side hustle.

If you were to write for an hour or two each day at a rate of $30/hour, you’d be able to make $720-$1,440/month. If writing comes easy for you, you may be able to make more with less time, particularly if you’re being paid by the word. The more quickly you write, the more money you could make! If you’re a proficient writer you may be able to scale this rate quickly as well as over time.

3. Performing Tasks or Chores ($30/hr)

Time CommitmentHourly RateWeekly Earnings (6 days/week)Monthly Earnings (4 weeks/month)Yearly EarningsBundle-Ability
2 hours / day$30.00$360.00$1,440.00$17,280.00Low
1 hour / day$30.00$180.00$720.00$8,640.00Low

Our number three pick for highest paying college side hustle is performing tasks or chores. While the opportunity to earn is high, the bundle-ability of this side hustle is low. Performing chores or tasks for others means you can get paid to do work other people don’t want to do – and that you may already be doing for yourself. For example, you could do laundry for others (and get paid to do it!) when doing your own laundry.

If you’re particularly handy, you may be able to leverage your skills as well. Get hired to fix or repair things for people when you might otherwise not be doing it for yourself, since college life can be fairly complacent. Check out TaskRabbit or other chore services to get started scaling your way to that $30/hour side hustle rate! With time and extra skill, you may be able to scale this to $60/hour or more.

4. Website or Application Tester ($29/hr)

Time CommitmentHourly RateWeekly Earnings (6 days/week)Monthly Earnings (4 weeks/month)Yearly EarningsBundle-Ability
2 hours / day$29.00$348.00$1,392.00$16,704.00Low to Medium
1 hour / day$29.00$174.00$696.00$8,352.00Low to Medium

The next highest pay for a college side hustle can be found in testing websites or other applications. There are several companies or platforms that will pay you for your time to test their products. This side hustle can pay up to $29/hour and is perfect for bundle-ability if you need time to decompress from your schoolwork. Instead of surfing the web or social media platforms aimlessly, you can let your mind decompress by testing out applications and get paid to do it.

The average pay is $29/hour, but you can get started today with a simple platform like Usertesting where you can start making $12/hour relatively soon. Additionally, startup costs are minimal since the nicest part is that you can do it from your apartment or dorm!

5. Dog Walking ($28/hr)

Time CommitmentHourly RateWeekly Earnings (6 days/week)Monthly Earnings (4 weeks/month)Yearly EarningsBundle-Ability
2 hours / day$14.00 per dog$336.00$1,344.00$16,128.00Medium
1 hour / day$14.00 per dog $84.00$336.00$4,032.00Medium

The above calculations are based off of a $14/hour average pay rate – per dog. This means that while our calculations show a $28/hour rate for your time total (walking 2 dogs each hour of work), if you had a higher rate or walked additional dogs you’d be able to make $42 or $55 an hour for your time! Since most people are probably home during the weekends, you may only be busy during the week. But your variable class schedule and flexible hours make you a perfect candidate to be the neighborhood dog walker.

Additionally, you may be able to bundle your time by listening to class recordings or lectures or books on the go. Or, you may be too busy for exercise, and dog walking can be a perfect way to get out and maintain a healthy lifestyle – while getting paid to do it!

6. Tutoring ($25/hr)

Time CommitmentHourly RateWeekly Earnings (6 days/week)Monthly Earnings (4 weeks/month)Yearly EarningsBundle-Ability
2 hours / day$25.00$300.00$1,200.00$14,400.00Medium to High
1 hour / day$25.00$150.00$600.00$7,200.00Medium to High

Tutoring falls in at number six on highest paying side hustles for college students. It’s high paying and enables you to master the concepts of your field of study by teaching them to others. It’s bundle-ability is medium to high, since it would allow you to leverage your knowledge while getting paid to do it.

Your average rate is $25/hour, and the lift on you is minimal – really just your time and service. Additionally, as you help your students progress you may have less to teach, and are just there to help them when they get stuck, enabling you to work on other things during the time you spend tutoring.

7. Freelance – Graphic Design ($25/hr)

Time CommitmentHourly RateWeekly Earnings (6 days/week)Monthly Earnings (4 weeks/month)Yearly EarningsBundle-Ability
2 hours / day$25.00$300.00$1,200.00$14,400.00Low to High
1 hour / day$25.00$150.00$600.00$7,200.00Low to High

Freelance graphic design falls further down the side hustle list due to its generally lower paying rate when compared to writing. However, its bundle-ability is low to high due to the fact that it may be a valuable way to spend your time if pursuing a career in graphic design. It’s high if it helps hone your skills, but low if not since you can’t perform other school tasks while participating in this side hustle.

If you are studying this field, freelancing your skills is a great way to get real world experience while also building a book of business. You can continue this side hustle well beyond your college years, and could eventually grow it into your own small business! You may make around $25/hour on average, but the more you do it the better you’ll be as well. You can raise your rate over time as you outperform the competition.

8. Online Surveys ($25/hr)

Time CommitmentHourly RateWeekly Earnings (6 days/week)Monthly Earnings (4 weeks/month)Yearly EarningsBundle-Ability
2 hours / day$25.00$300.00$1,200.00$14,400.00Low
1 hour / day$25.00$150.00$600.00$7,200.00Low

Taking online surveys falls in at number eight on highest paying side hustles for college students. It’s rate of pay is still high, an average of about $25/hour, but its bundle-ability is low since you won’t be able to perform other tasks while taking surveys.

However, one of the main advantages to this side hustle is that you would be able to do this from your laptop. If you’re in between classes or hanging out at your favorite sandwich shop, you can use 15-20 minute increments of time to make $25 here or there. Use it to pay for your next meal or save it – the more you take the more you’ll see your side hustle income add up!

9. Personal Trainer ($21/hr)

Time CommitmentHourly RateWeekly Earnings (6 days/week)Monthly Earnings (4 weeks/month)Yearly EarningsBundle-Ability
2 hours / day$21.00$252.00$1,008.00$12,096.00Medium to High
1 hour / day$21.00$126.00$504.00$6,048.00Medium to High

Starting to side hustle as a personal trainer is our number nine pick. It’s rate comes in around $21/hour, but can be easily scaled with time. Bundle-ability is medium to high since, at a minimum, it would get you to the gym any particular day you have a session with a client – saving time you’d otherwise need to take to go to the gym on your own (without getting paid). The motivation of a paid session might be enough to help you begin building healthy habits for your own life.

It would require your attention (you can’t just lift while others watch you), but would be a valuable way to hone in on technique and skills if this is a career you plan to pursue long term. If you love being a coach or fitness in general, this could be a great side hustle for your college years. You can hire out for 30 or 60 minute sessions, and spend the rest of your time exercising for yourself or in-between sessions.

10. Makeup Artist ($21/hr)

Time CommitmentHourly RateWeekly Earnings (6 days/week)Monthly Earnings (4 weeks/month)Yearly EarningsBundle-Ability
2 hours / day$21.00$252.00$1,008.00$12,096.00Low
1 hour / day$21.00$126.00$504.00$6,048.00Low

Becoming a makeup artist as a side hustle provides a fun, high paying opportunity ($21/hour) to make some cash on the side. It’s bundle-ability is low, since you won’t be able to perform other school-related tasks while working. However, if you love everything beauty, this could be a great time to make money while participating in a hobby you enjoy.

The potential to scale this side hustle is also high. Sessions could grow to $200-$400 depending on your skill and ability. However, it’s important to keep in mind that many of the times you’d be working could be times you’d rather be out enjoying your free time in other ways (like evenings or weekends, when people may hire you to get ready for events).

11. Taxi Services – Uber or Lyft ($16.50/hr)

Time CommitmentHourly RateWeekly Earnings (6 days/week)Monthly Earnings (4 weeks/month)Yearly EarningsBundle-Ability
2 hours / day$16.50$198.00$792.00$9,504.00Low
1 hour / day$16.50$99.00$396.00$4,752.00Low

Got a car, but walk everywhere since you live on campus? Side hustling as an Uber or Lyft driver could put your car to good use during schooling years. At a pay rate of $16.50/hour, you’d be able to make several hundreds of dollars a month by driving a few hours several times a week. Bundle-ability remains low, however, since you shouldn’t be performing any school-related tasks while driving.

You may have the time to get some homework done while waiting to pick up a rider, but those moments won’t allow you maximum focus do to their variability. If you are able to work off hours when fewer drivers are on the roads, you might enjoy making money when you otherwise wouldn’t be able to do anything else.

12. Sell Your Notes ($100/month)

Hourly RateWeekly Earnings (6 days/week)Monthly Earnings (4 weeks/month)Yearly EarningsBundle-Ability
Variable$25.00$100.00$1,200.00High

As a college student, you take a lot of notes. Get paid for your hard work by selling your notes as a side hustle. The bundle-ability is high, since the only effort you need is to sell them after writing them in class. Not only might this motivate you to increase the quality of your notes (or motivate you to take them in general), but it’s the college equivalent of getting paid to breathe. You live and breathe school, and you can make your notes count for a total of about $100/month on average. This is with very low effort, and you could scale this side hustle over time if you found it interesting or enjoyed helping others in this way.

13. Sell Stuff/Books ($100/month)

Hourly RateWeekly Earnings (6 days/week)Monthly Earnings (4 weeks/month)Yearly EarningsBundle-Ability
Variable$25.00$100.00$1,200.00Medium

Rounding out the end of our list will be selling your things, or more practically for college, text books. The cost of books are high, but you don’t need them for very long. Bundle-ability is medium, since you just need to put your books up for sale and you already own them. To increase sales you’d have to obtain books from others, which wouldn’t be too difficult considering you’re already in class with students and roommates who also have books.

As a simple strategy to scale: buy books from graduating students and sell them to incoming students. You can continue this pattern for several years – throughout the duration of your schooling and at the end of each semester. You can do the same and receive an average pay of around $100/month, or you could scale by selling other goods as well. See what roommates or graduating students may be getting rid of or no longer need, and sell them to incoming students.

Summary

As a college student, you need to make the most of your time. Find a side hustle that’s both high paying and has a high bundle-ability for your school situation so you can make the best of both worlds. Scale them over time to grow your side hustle income.

But don’t forget that it’s important to learn how to manage your finances early in your life as well. At Financial Basecamp, we’re dedicated to helping you reach the top of your financial mountain. Start by managing your money with the budget that’s easiest for you. Pay down debt with free money, and remember these tips. As the time to graduate draws near, consider your future plans by comparing the financial cost of a Master’s Degree.

As you progress through your schooling, remember us for help with your financial independence questions! We’ll be with you all along the way.

Climb on, FinBase.

John

John

John is a personal finance writer, editor, and a fellow FinBase climber. Tech worker by day, design owl by night, he is the co-founder and creator behind The Financial Basecamp.
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