[2023] The 14 Best Sites to Make Money Online for College Students

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? These are the fourteen best websites for college students to make money online.

More: Make money while doing nothing

Sites for college students to make money online

There is no shortage of websites that college students can use to make money online from the comfort of their dorm or off-campus apartment.

1. 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!

2. Neighbor.com

Neighbor.com is another great site for college students to make money online. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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!

5. 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. And it is super easy for college students to get started too. All you'll need to do is list your car on Turo.

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.

6. User Testing/Trymata

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!

7. Online tutoring

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.

8. PeoplePerHour

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.

9. 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.

10. Honeygain

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.

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. Mistplay

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.

14. 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.

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.