[2023] How to Make Money Online for College : 18 Ways

College students all over the country are looking for ways to make money while in school. And what better way to make some easy money than by doing so online?

When you know where to look, students can seemingly make money anywhere they look.

Without further ado, these are the twenty best ways for college students to make money online.

More: Make money while doing nothing

Make money online as a college student

Before I begin, I just want to mention that there are seemingly infinite ways for college students to make money online.

1. Complete surveys online

One of the most popular ways to make money online in 2023 is to fill out online surveys. While it is unlikely to pay huge money, it can be a really easy to put a few extra dollars in your pocket each week. This year, my favorite online survey sites include Swagbucks, Amazon Mechanical Turk, and Google Opinion Rewards.

Swagbucks

Swagbucks is another great site and app that can be used to make some extra money. Swagbucks, SB for short, is a website that provides users an opportunity to make money by completing a number of different tasks. For instance, you may be able to earn Swagbucks by:

Completing surveys
Playing games
Watching videos
Other tasks

There is even a Chrome extension that will provide you notifications each time a Swagbuck opportunity pops up. Then, once you have sufficient SBs, you can exchange your rewards for gift cards or PayPal cash.

I've also personally used Swagbucks, and I really appreciate how simple it is for college students to get started. All you'll need to do is to register for an account with your active email address and complete a brief survey.

Then, it's money-making time!

Amazon Mechanical Turk

College students may also opt for Amazon Mechanical Turk in order to make a few extra dollars on the side. MTurk, as it is more colloquially known, is an online platform that partners requesters with workers in order to complete short tasks, surveys, studies, and other tasks.

MTurk workers, as they are known, offers jobs of all types (known as gigs) that require you to complete basic tasks using skills such as:

Data entry
Transcription
Research
Web testing

My favorite part about working on MTurk, and I did throughout my college career, was that each individual task was quick to complete and there were always tasks to complete when I was available to work.

Google Opinion Rewards

Google Opinion Rewards is another option for those willing to complete quick micro surveys right through your phone. Currently, Google sends out one survey per week standardly. But you do have the option to increase the frequency of surveys being sent to you for completion.

You'll typically be paid about $1 for each completed survey (paid out through PayPal). And while this is not a ton of money, you'll be able to complete the average task in less than 30 seconds.

This makes perfect sense for college students walking from class to class.

2. Dropship from your dorm room

Dropshipping is another option for college students. Thanks to Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), students (and anybody else, for that matter) can buy products and goods that are on sale and try to sell them at a higher price.

Essentially, your goal is retail arbitrage. Here's how it works. You see a sale or a good deal, either in-store or online, so you decide to buy something with the intention of flipping it at a higher price. If you decide to join Amazon FBA, you can actually send your packages directly to an Amazon warehouse. From here, you'll list your item(s) on Amazon and wait for them to sell.

When they do, Amazon will handle shipping, returns, and customer service on your behalf. You'll pay a commission for this, of course, but the entire process will be very hands off.

Dropshipping checks all the boxes. It can be done completely online, takes minimal time, and can pay pretty well.

3. Pallet flipping

In a similar strategy to dropshipping, you may also consider pallet flipping during your college years. The main difference is that you may not be sure with what products you're buying. Buying discounted liquidation pallets means that you can find some great deals! But sometimes these pallets are shrink wrapped to the point where you can only see some of the items towards the top.

Pallets oftentimes contain products that were on clearance.

You can buy pallets at places like liquidation warehouses, online marketplaces, and from distributors too.

By buying them in bulk, you'll likely receive a discount that gives you wiggle room to resell them online at a profit.

4. Start a blog

College students looking for an entrepreneurial venture to make money while at school ought to consider starting a blog. The reasons for doing so are plentiful, even if you don't turn a profit for the first year or so.

You'll need to acquire some skills to make some real money blogging, like search engine optimization. But once your blog has been well established, there is no shortage of ways you can monetize your blog.

Make money from your blog

Making money from a blog takes hard work, but the path to monetization is actually quite simple to understand.

If you're serious about making money while you're in college, I recommend that you consider seven strategies:

Affiliate marketing
Google AdSense
Work as a freelance blogger
Selling online courses
Selling coaching services or tutoring
Selling products
Selling link placements

5. Offer resume writing services

If there is one life skill that college students get a lot of practice with, it is writing resumes. But - did you know that can actually write resumes for money?

If you're looking for an easy way to make some good money while pursuing your degree, this it is.

Getting started

One of my favorite things about resume writing for money is that it is really easy to get started. You may opt to offer your services on Fiverr, Upwork, or another freelancing site. Or, you can build a LinkedIn account and try to market your services that way.

6. Flip web domains

Entrepreneurial college students with an interest in computer science or web design may opt to flip web domains in their free time. Here's how it works.

Using domain marketplaces like Flippa or GoDaddy, talented designers will buy website domain names in an attempt to build or grow the websites and ultimately sell them for more than they paid for it.

But in some instances, some entrepreneurs will buy cheap domains with the intent of building their site themselves. This can lead to greater returns on your investment.

7. Rent your vehicle out

If you've got a car with you at school, you may be able to make good money by renting it out to others in your area. There are actually a number of different apps out there to help you do this, but Turo is probably the most popular in 2023.

Just make sure that you are comfortable with the insurance policies offered to you in the event that something happens.

Turo

Turo is an online peer-to-peer rental site that makes it easy for those with cars to rent them out to those that need a car for a period of time.

You can create a profile, pick your price, and car availability to start. Then, all you need to do is wait for Turo users in your area to rent out your vehicle.

I really like Turo for three main reasons:

First, your car will be insured through the Turo business (provided by Liberty Mutual Insurance), so you don't have to worry while your car is being rented.
Turo also processes payments very quickly, usually within 24 hours.
Finally, you have the option to buy up to a Premium Protection Plan option, which will provide protection up to $1 million against damage or theft.

Getaround

Getaround can be another great option, depending on where you go to school. After you create your listing, the app does expect you to rent out a clean vehicle, both on the interior and the exterior. If you've got an unpredictable schedule with your classes and other activities, you'll be relieved to learn that you don't even need to meet the renter in person, thanks to the Getaround Connect remote access program.

Similar to Turo, you will be covered by insurance coverage, though you'll want to make sure it is sufficient for your risk tolerance.

You can set your own rates, and you'll get to keep the majority of what you charge too! Depending on your rental specifications, you can expect to earn up to 75% of your rental fees, and you'll be paid monthly!

8. Join a freelancer site

You're in college, presumably to acquire knowledge and skills that will help you be successful in your career. But nobody said that you had to wait until you graduate to apply these skills or make money. In fact, the chances are that you already have plenty of skills that you can offer on freelancing sites like Fiverr and Upwork in order to make money online.

Fiverr

Fiverr is a classic website for college students to make money online. A freelancing site by nature, Fiverr is an online marketplace that connects small business owners with the technical help they'll need in order to continue moving their businesses forward.

Fiverr sellers offer gigs of all sorts, so if you have strengths in any of these areas, you may be able to make some good money:

Logo design
Coding projects
Freelance writing
Many more projects

Some workers set easy gigs as low as $5, and it is decently easy to get started making some money!

Upwork

Though Upwork is generally worked by professionals more often than freelancers, you can still absolutely offer your services here. To make money, you'll want to establish a professional looking profile that outlines your strengths and services you'll complete for clients.

Much like Fiverr, you can offer just about any technical services that you can think of.

To help bolster your profile, I recommend that you include a portfolio of your best work that you've completed in the past.

9. Sell your old unused items

The next time you're home, either for a weekend or a break from school, spend some time looking through your possessions to understand what you may be able to sell to make a few extra dollars.

I used to periodically go through my stuff a couple times a year to see what I could part with.

Good items to sell may include:

Old video game consoles such as a Wii, PlayStation, or Xbox
Clothing
Electronics
Other items

The other good news is that there are plenty of places online to sell these items, like eBay, Poshmark, and Facebook Marketplace.

10. Rent out any excess space you have

Did you know that you can make good money renting out any excess space that you have in your home, basement, driveway, or other space?

Thanks to sites like Neighbor.com, you may be able to make up to $200 per month - or more - depending on what type of space you want to rent out.

Admittedly, this idea won't work well if you're in a dorm room, but those living in off-campus housing may be able to take advantage of this. Just make sure you don't violate any rules in your rental agreement.

Neighbor.com

Neighbor is a platform that connects people in a given area to help with everyday tasks such as:

Lawn maintenance
Furniture assembly
Snow shoveling

College students across the country are using Neighbor.com to complete tasks, make money, and help their communities out. I've ranked them highly on this list because the platform offers lots of flexibility and you are able to control the rates in which you'll charge for certain tasks.

Just remember to factor in the site's 20% commission.

Related: Neighbor.com review

11. Tutor online

If you're in college, chances are you are a good student with something to offer others. If you're interested in or open to tutoring others, there are a bunch of online sites that you can use to connect with others. In 2023, my favorite tutoring side hustle websites to consider are:

Tutor.com
Tutorme.com
Tutorspace.com
Chegg.com

In general, online tutoring can be advantageous for a couple of reasons. First, you can work remotely from your dorm room or apartment. And second, the pay is decent, though it is dependent on what subject(s) you teach.

In my experience, online tutors for these companies can make anywhere between $15-$20 an hour, which can provide you with a good amount of spending money to last the semester.

12. Cashback rewards

College students have expenses. It is weird to think about making money by spending money, but cashback rewards can help you do just this.

There is no shortage of online cashback sites that can help college students nationwide, either, though my favorites at this time include TopCashback and DollarSprout Rewards.

TopCashback

TopCashback is one of the country's most popular cashback platforms. With big national participating retailers including Amazon and Walmart, users can earn cashback rewards on everyday and large purchases alike. Plus, platform users will find savings on all categories of purchases, such as:

Home and garden
Electronics
Travel
Grocery

DollarSprout Rewards

Another one of my favorite money-making websites, DollarSprout Rewards offers substantial cashback rewards to users for shopping online. Here's how it works.

You'll install the DollarSprout Rewards browser extension, which is compatible with both Safari and Google Chrome. This extension will automatically alert you of potential savings from over 15,000 different merchants and businesses.

That way, you may be able to earn substantial cash back on purchases you may have been planning to make anyway.

You'll be paid out via PayPal once per month as long as your balance is $5 or more.

13. User Testing

Students pursuing technology or business roles may find it worthwhile to complete user testing online. I recommend two sites here to help you get started:

These two sites allow you to test new applications, websites, and products in order to identify coding errors, bugs, or other issues that need to be fixed by developers.

Plus, the pay is decent!

14. Web design

College students interested in making some extra money may opt to harness their web design skills for the good of businesses nationwide. Sites like PeoplePerHour allow you to showcase your portfolio of work for business owners to browse, and you'll also have the option to bid on any gigs that may arise.

As is the case with most other sites on this list, getting started with PeoplePerHour is really simple to do.

You'll just need to create an account, and then you'll be sent tests to complete on a certain product or website.

PeoplePerHour also has other freelancing opportunities available.

15. Sharing your internet

If you live off campus, I bet that you have wireless internet in your home or apartment. But did you know that you can actually make passive income based on sharing your Internet? That's right!! Honeygain is a passive income-generating platform that actually pays users for sharing their Internet connection with people such as advertisers or researchers.

From there, you'll automatically earn cash as long as you download the Honeygain app and keep your device connected with the app running in the background.

From here, you will automatically earn rewards. The ultimate amount of money that you make depends on a few variables, including the speed of your Internet connection, the number of devices connected, and your location.

16. Instacart

Okay, I'll admit that this one is a little bit of a stretch since it requires you to leave your dorm room, but shopping for Instacart can be a worthwhile money-making gig for you. This grocery delivery service allows you to accept shipping gigs and work one of two different roles, either as a full-service shopper (including deliveries) or an in-store shopper.

The best part is that you may be able to earn up to $20 - or more - per hour, including customer tips.

17. Etsy

Chances are, you have a skill and creativity that people will pay for. And what better way to sell your creativity than on Etsy? For those of you that aren't physically creative, you can actually make good money selling digital downloads and printables on Etsy.

The amount of money you're able to make will depend heavily on the time that you have to dedicate to your venture.

18. Gaming

If your college friends are anything like mine, they are likely gamers, at least part of the time. Mistplay is a great site that rewards gamers for playing games on their app. The mobile platform has games of many different genres, including puzzles, sports, and others too!

After you download the app and create an account, you'll be ready to start making money. You can also look to maximize your earnings by joining weekly challenges.

How to make money online as a college student

As you can see, there is no shortage of websites that you leverage in order to make money online. At the same time, this doesn't mean that you have to stick to any of the sites I've listed here. In order to learn how to make money online as a college student, just follow these simple steps and list of tips:

Decide on a type of work
Gather any materials you may need
Start making money

1. Pick a type of work

Your first step in making money online is to select a type of work that interests you. For example, are you looking to:

Use skills that you have
Pursue an entrepreneurial venture
Pursue easy money

This will help you determine which website(s) to use. If you're looking to build out skills, you may consider freelancing on Fiverr or PeoplePerHour. Those looking to potentially grow an entrepreneurial venture may opt to work a tutoring gig or even start their own online tutoring business.

Having an answer to what type of work you'd like to perform can help you narrow your focus into something that works for you.

2. Gather any materials you may need

Your next goal is to gather any materials you may need in order to successfully make money. Given that you're in college and the majority of the strategies are online only, it is unlikely that you will need any other materials to get started.

There may be exceptions to this. For instance, if you decide to tutor through an online website, you may consider buying a textbook or two in case you need to consult a source of truth to help you with a more complicated subject.

3. Start making money

With all the nuances and intricacies sorted out, it is time to focus on your goal - making money. As you start to have some revenue come in, you'll want to be prepared on how to handle it. Are you going to use your money:

As spending money to get through the semester?
To start investing for retirement?
To fund a future entrepreneurial venture?

No matter what you're planning to use your proceeds on, I recommend that you open a new bank account to collect all your payments and pay any side hustle fees. This way, tax reporting each year will be simple and you'll be easily able to keep track of things.