13 Realistic Online Side Hustles For Students To Make Money

Last Updated June 27, 2024 by Davina Kelly

Are you a student looking for ways to make money? Look no further, in this post I will share the best online side hustles for students to make money while working from home.

I know how challenging it can be to manage your study timetable and find time for work. I worked a full-time job while I was taking my ACCA exams and that was tough because my job wasn’t flexible.

You are going to learn side hustle ideas that are remote, can be done from home and are flexible so they can fit around your busy schedule.

After reading this post you will have many options for side hustles you can do from the comfort of your home and make money.

This post is all about online side hustles for students.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means we will receive a commission if you purchase through our links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.

Best Online Side Hustles For Students:

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1. Online Tutoring

Online tutoring is a great side hustle for teachers but also a perfect side hustle for students. You don’t have to be a qualified teacher to be an online tutor.

If you are doing well in your subject and acing your exams, you can share your knowledge and help other students improve their knowledge in a subject. Or you can help them to prepare and pass exams.

Studying is a skill and if you have figured out techniques to help you pass your exams you can help others do this too and make money.

To get started you need to decide which subject you want to teach. It doesn’t have to be the same subject you are currently studying, it can be another subject you are good at like Maths for example. Once you have done this you need to market your services.

You can advertise on your social media platforms and let your fellow students know that you are now offering this service.

I recommend showing your results when you are advertising because people like to see proof and get an idea of what they can expect to achieve. This service can be offered online via Zoom, Google Meet or Teams.

The earning potential is $25+ per hour depending on the subject you teach. If you tutored two students for two hours a week you could earn $100.

Pros: You can set your own hours and decide your rates. It is also very flexible and can fit around your studies.

Cons: Can take time to prepare for each session and you will need to ensure you provide support for your students.

2. Video Editor

Becoming a video editor can be a very lucrative side hustle. More businesses are including video content in their marketing strategy because it can help to boost brand awareness. Also, the content creator business has grown rapidly and isn’t going to stop anytime soon!

If you are good at editing videos you can help businesses and creators save time by editing their videos for them. You can edit YouTube videos, edit videos for businesses and events such as weddings, and edit highlight reels.

Video quality is super important so people will pay top dollar to get it right. It is also time-consuming so it is one of the first things businesses like to outsource.

To get clients you can advertise your services on websites like Fiverr and Upwork. Or you can reach out to businesses and creators directly.

If you have examples of your work I recommend including them in your pitch. Or you could look at their current work and point out areas where you could make improvements. This will show that you are serious and not just sending out generic emails to everyone.

The earning potential is $100+, for longer form complex projects you could charge more money. For example, you could charge $150 per hour to edit a long-form YouTube video. If your editing is good quality people will pay the money.

Pro: It is a good side hustle to make a lot of money

Cons: Editing does take a lot of time.

3. Start a Blog

Starting a blog is one of the most popular side hustles for students. One of the reasons this side hustle is so popular is that you can do it from anywhere and fit it around your study schedule.

It is also very lucrative and has the potential to become a full-time business. Sophia Lee is a great example of this. She started her blog as a full-time college student and made five figures a month. The blog is now a seven-figure business!

You can start a blog about anything. For example, if you love drawing you could start a blog teaching people how to draw and share tips and tricks to help them improve their art.

Whatever you choose to blog about make sure it is something you are knowledgeable about because you will be talking about it a lot!

Once you start getting traffic to your blog you can monetise it by joining a marketing agency and placing ads. You can also write sponsored posts and promote affiliate marketing.

The amount of money you can earn will vary depending on traffic. But you can expect to earn anywhere from $500 to $1,000 per month in the first year.

If you want to start a blog but are not sure how to get started I highly recommend this eBook The Treasure Map To Blogging Success In 30 Days. It will teach you how to set up your blog properly and provide a profitable road map to monetise your blog.

Pros: You don’t need any skills to get started and it can grow from a side hustle to a business.

Cons: It will take a while to start earning money as you need consistent traffic which takes time to build. But once you do it will be very lucrative.

4. Graphic Design

If you are good at graphic design you can offer this as a service and make some good money. You don’t necessarily need to have studied graphic design to make money with this side hustle.

Software platforms like Canva and Adobe are easy to use for beginners. I don’t have any graphics experience but have been able to make some decent-looking graphics. If I can do it anyone can lol

To make money you could niche down and become a thumbnail designer. This service is in high demand for YouTube creators or podcasts. The thumbnail is the first thing you see when scrolling online so it needs to be catchy. If you can do this well you could make a lot of money.

If you want to go a different route you could create logos for businesses, create and sell social media templates, sell branding packages or be a consultant. You can charge $50+ for your designs.

You can find clients on platforms such as Fiverr and Upwork. Or you can reach out to people you want to work with directly. A good way to stand out is by recreating one of your potential client’s current designs and pointing out what they could have done better.

Pros: This is a good way to be creative and make money.

Cons: It can take a while to get clients.

5. Sell Digital Products

Another great online side hustle for students is selling digital products. This is also a good way to make passive income, you can create your digital product once and sell it repeatedly.

There are many options for digital products you can sell. You could sell printables, templates, or even digital wall art. Or you can create a digital product to help other students be more productive or manage their time better. See some examples below.

Printable calendars
Class timetable planner
Budget planner
Revision timetable planner

You don’t need any skills to create printables. As I mentioned earlier software platforms like Canva and Adobe are easy to use if you are a beginner.

The earning potential for digital products is $100+. To make sales you will need to ensure that you market them well and have good listing photos as this is the first thing the buyer will see. If they are not good the buyer will scroll past it.

Etsy is a very popular marketplace to sell your designs. Shopify is another option or you can sell them on your own website. You will make more money selling them on your website because you won’t have to pay seller fees to a platform.

Pros: This is a relatively easy way to make money online.

Cons: There aren’t any cons.

6. Website Testing

Website testing has been around for years but few people seem to know about it. Businesses create websites and need users like you to test them and give feedback. This is a good online side hustle for students who want to make money from the comfort of their own home.

As a website tester, you will be required to complete a specific task on the website provided. This will usually take about 20 minutes. Once you have completed the task you will be asked to give your opinion on what worked and what did not work well.

This is a great way to make money in your spare time. No prior experience is needed all you need is a good internet connection and a laptop.

You can join platforms like UserTesting and TesterUp to sign up for tests.

The earning potential is $10 per test on average. To make more money I recommend signing up to many platforms so that you have access to multiple tests. The more tests you do the more money you can make.

Pros: This is an easy way to make money from the comfort of your home.

Cons: There are no cons.

7. Become a Virtual Assistant

Becoming a virtual assistant is a good remote side hustle for college students. This is a great opportunity to make money and learn the skills needed for future jobs. More and more people are starting online businesses which has created a huge demand for virtual assistants.

As a virtual assistant, you can expect to perform tasks like administration, customer service, scheduling meetings, and content planning. Your tasks will vary depending on the business’s needs.

You can search for jobs on websites like Fiverr, Indeed, and Upwork. Or you can advertise your services on your social media. The earning potential is $15 – $50 per hour depending on the work required and you can upscale by having multiple clients.

Pros: You benefit from location flexibility because it is a remote job.

Cons: There can be a learning curve when you first start.

8. Start a YouTube Channel

If you love watching YouTube why not start your own channel? Your channel can be about something you are passionate about or you can document your journey as a student.

You can share tips to help students who are studying the same subjects as you. For example, you can share tips on how to study effectively, share your exam results and document the process you took to achieve those results.

Ali Abdaal is a popular YouTuber who went viral for sharing study techniques on his YouTube channel. He now has multiple businesses and has written a book.

I know how beneficial teaching on YouTube can be. By using the study techniques Ali taught on his channel I was able to pass one of my ACCA exams with 65% after failing on my previous attempt!

Holy Gabrielle is another example, she shared her journey of being a Biology student and now has a tutoring business.

If you are sharing content to help people and your videos are edited well people will subscribe to your channel. YouTube is the 2nd largest social media platform with at least 2.5 billion users, so your content will resonate with someone. If you upload consistently over time your audience will grow.

To monetise your channel you need to either have 4,000 watch hours or 1,000 subscribers. Once you have achieved this you can make money through ad revenue, affiliate marketing or sponsorships. The earning potential is $500+ a month.

Pros: You can help others by sharing your journey and you can be creative with the editing and thumbnails.

Cons: It will take a while to get monetised, but if you make good content and upload videos consistently it will happen.

9. Freelance Writing

Do you love writing and working from home? If you do, freelance writing is a good option for you to make money as a student. Businesses need writers to help them with various forms of writing.

Here are some examples of freelance writing jobs.

Blogging
Article writing
Ghostwriting
Copywriting
Social media content writing

As a student, you can also write for publications within your subject. For example, if you study History you can write articles for History publications. This will be easy for you because you study the subject and will be knowledgeable.

To find clients you can look on websites like Fiverr, Upwork and Indeed. Or you can reach out to potential clients directly and show them an example of your work. This is a good way to stand out. The earning potential is $15+ per hour.

Pros: You can work from anywhere and make money online. No prior experience is needed.

Cons: It will take time to build up your portfolio, but once you have you can charge more money.

10. Audio Transcriber

As a student, you probably have good listening and grammar skills and can type fast. You can use these skills to make money by transcribing audio. This is an easy way for students to make money on the side.

Audio transcribing is the process of converting speech into written form. You may be required to transcribe interviews, Podcast recordings, a speech, academic research or a YouTube video.

Businesses can use the transcribed audio to make subtitles for their videos for people who can’t listen and they can use it to create a blog post on their website.

You can find transcribing jobs on platforms like Transcribe Me, Upwork, and Rev. The earning potential is $30+ per hour. To get started you will need to take a brief grammar test and complete some training. Read here to learn more about how to make money transcribing audio.

Pros: This is another good option to make money online and fit it around your schedule.

Cons: It can be time-consuming depending on the length of the audio.

11. Resell Items

If you have any unwanted items at home that are still in good condition like clothes, shoes or old electronics. Why not sell it online and make some money? This can be a great side hustle for students to make money using what you already have.

Websites like Vinted, eBay, Poshmark, and Facebook marketplace are good places to sell them. EBay is the best platform if you want to make money fast in my opinion. This is because you can sell your items via an auction which means they can be sold in a few days.

This is the option I always use when selling on eBay. It works well because it creates a sense of urgency for the buyer. The only downside is that eBay charges high fees now. They currently charge 12.8% of the total amount of the sale which is a lot in my opinion.

If you have an eye for a bargain another option is to buy and resell items for a profit. Places like an auction, car boot sale or thrift store are good options to find items.

It is pretty easy to get started. All you need to do is take good listing photos, create a catchy description and list your items. Once you have made sales you just need to put your items in the post.

Pros: You can make money using items you already have.

Cons: You may have to pay seller fees.

12. Proofreader

Being good at spelling and spotting grammatical errors is natural to you as a student. Why not use these skills to make money as a proofreader?

Due to the rise in digital content and online business, proofreading jobs are in high demand. You can proofread blog posts, books, journals, ebooks, etc. All you need to get started is a laptop.

You can offer your services as a freelancer on websites like Fiverr and Upwork. Or you can look for jobs on platforms like Indeed, Reed or Proofreading Services. The earning potential is $15 per hour. To increase your earning potential you can have multiple clients.

Pros: You can make money using skills you already have.

Cons: There aren’t any cons.

13. Social Media Manager

Social media has taken over all of our lives and is an integral part of many business models. It is a way for creators and businesses to connect with their audience, raise brand awareness and market their products and services.

That said, business owners don’t have time to focus on this area so will outsource this service. You can become a social media manager and help businesses execute social strategies. Your job will be to create strategies that align with the business’s goals and help grow your client’s business and brand awareness.

As a student, you probably use social media a lot so know what stands out to you and this can be used as an advantage when getting clients.

The services social media managers generally offer can include:

Content planning
Content creation
Scheduling & publishing posts
Writing captions
Responding to comments
Analytics & reporting

You can find clients on websites like Upwork, Fiverr, LinkedIn, Flexjobs, Facebook groups or via word of mouth.

The earning potential is $25 per hour. To increase your earning potential you can work with multiple clients. If your strategies work you can charge a retainer instead of an hourly rate and make more money.

Pros: You can use your knowledge as a consumer to make money.

Cons: It can be challenging to manage multiple clients with your study schedule. But if you are organised and plan you can manage it well.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is The Best Side Hustle For a Student?

The best side hustle for a student is one that offers flexibility, can fit around your schedule, and is something you enjoy or have some interest in doing. You don’t have to love your side hustle to make money, but if you somewhat enjoy it, it will make work seem less daunting.

Here are some examples of the best side hustles for a student.

Be a virtual assistant
Social media manager
Audio transcribing
Be a secret shopper

How Can a Student Make Extra Money Online?

As a student, you can make extra money online by doing remote jobs. Due to the rise of the internet, more people are creating online businesses which has created more online jobs.

The old way of working by having to go into an office isn’t as prevalent anymore. You can now have a remote job and make money online.

Before you commit to any job I recommend thinking about your study schedule and the time you have available. Your studies are the priority so you need to ensure that any work you take on can fit around your schedule.

If your study timetable is 4 days a week, for example, you may want to opt for something that you can do on the weekends.

Here are some examples of ways a student can make extra money online.

Sell printables
Complete online surveys
Proofreading

How To Make an Extra $1,000 a Month Side Hustle?

To make an extra $1,000 a month from a side hustle you will need to choose something that has a high earning potential.

This will usually require more work, at least in the beginning so you need to keep that in mind because it will have to fit around your study schedule.

Here are some examples of how to earn an extra $1,000 a month from a side hustle.

Blogging
Start a YouTube channel
Create a course

Final Thoughts

Having a side hustle as a student can be challenging because you will need to balance your study schedule. But it is not impossible. If you are organised and plan well you can make it work.

Think about the time you have available to commit to your side hustles and the things you enjoy doing. Once you have done that you can read the ideas I have listed in this post and choose the option that works best for you.

Finding ways to make money is great, but knowing how to manage your money is also important. I recommend having a budget and sticking to it, this will help you to pay your bills on time and put some money into your savings. Trust me, this is a good habit to implement from now!

Have you found these online side hustles for students helpful? What are some of the ways you make extra money?