Side Hustles for College Students You Can Do From Home
You are a student and want to start something on the side, from home. Your weeks are not the same. Some leave a few free minutes, some leave none. The holidays are different again.
You will find which side hustle fits those weeks, and why. Then you can judge any other idea the same way.
We judged five side hustles on five points, in this order:
- A few free minutes at a time, with none lost.
- Weeks with no room, such as exam weeks.
- The holidays, away from where you study.
- Nothing to buy to start, in a room you may share.
- Something to do every day, without searching for it.
Each side hustle gets a yes, a partly or a no on each point. The ranking counts the yes first, then the partly. Two side hustles with the same count share a place.
Five side hustles for students, ranked on five points
1. Guided affiliation: a few minutes a day, from your phone
4 yes, 1 partly.
A few free minutes, yes: it takes about 15 minutes a day, in a few short moments. You post from your phone, at hours you choose.
Weeks with no room, partly: your hours can move with your week. But the posting has to stay regular, exam weeks included.
The holidays, yes: you post from your phone, so going home usually changes little.
Nothing to buy, in a shared room, yes: there is nothing to buy and nothing to deposit. Posting from your phone works in a room you share.
Something every day, yes: new videos land in a folder that is yours, every day. We make the videos, captions included. There is nothing to look for, and nothing to film.
What it gives: we create the account with you, step by step. We set up your own tracked link and count the clicks on it.
What it does not give: you do not choose the videos or the account, since we assign both to you. You do not pick up filming or editing. Accounts get restricted sometimes, and we help you recover them or replace them.
The model is explained step by step in our guide to guided affiliation.
2. Micro-tasks and surveys: short tasks you can stop at any time
3 yes, 2 partly.
A few free minutes, partly: each task is short. But some of the minutes can go to finding one. A survey can also stop partway if you do not match the profile it is looking for.
Weeks with no room, yes: there is usually no regular commitment. You can stop for a week and pick it up after.
The holidays, yes: the app usually comes home with you. The surveys you are offered may change with where you are.
Nothing to buy, in a shared room, yes: you need an app on your phone, and nothing to buy. A shared room changes nothing.
Something every day, partly: how many surveys there are depends on demand from the companies behind them, and it can vary.
What it gives: tasks that are short. You can also skip a week without telling anyone.
What it does not give: a skill. Little builds up from one month to the next.
3. A small service sold online: work in longer blocks
2 yes, 2 partly, 1 no.
A few free minutes, no: client work usually comes in longer blocks. That can be writing, editing, or help with social media accounts.
Weeks with no room, partly: clients usually set the deadlines, and one can fall in your busiest week.
The holidays, yes: the work is online, so you can usually keep it going from home.
Nothing to buy, in a shared room, yes: it usually asks for a skill, not for equipment. A shared room is enough for most of it.
Something every day, partly: there is something to do on the days a client needs it.
What it gives: a skill that stays yours, and that you can offer somewhere else.
What it does not give: work that fits into a few free minutes.
4. Building your own audience: everything is yours, including the work
1 yes, 4 partly.
A few free minutes, partly: posting can take a few minutes. Filming and editing usually take longer.
Weeks with no room, partly: an audience usually grows from posting often, and a full week tends to slow that down.
The holidays, yes: it lives on your phone, so it usually comes home with you.
Nothing to buy, in a shared room, partly: some filming needs a little equipment, and a room you share is not always the place for it.
Something every day, partly: there is always something you could post. But you have to make it first.
What it gives: everything stays yours, from the audience to the name.
What it does not give: something that fits into a few free minutes.
5. Online tutoring: set times, booked ahead
1 yes, 3 partly, 1 no.
A few free minutes, no: a session is usually booked at a set time. It usually lasts longer than a free gap.
Weeks with no room, partly: sessions booked ahead can fall in your busiest week.
The holidays, yes: an online session works as well away from where you study, if your students are around.
Nothing to buy, in a shared room, partly: you need a quiet place to speak, which a shared room does not always give.
Something every day, partly: there is something to do on the days with a booking.
What it gives: you use what you study. Explaining a subject helps you know it better.
What it does not give: a few minutes here and there.
What this ranking shows
On these five points, guided affiliation meets the most. It also asks for the least at the start. Micro-tasks come next, and they are the easiest to set aside for a week.
We also ranked side hustles on what each one asks to get started. See our ranking of the easiest side hustles to start from your phone. For a busy day, see what fits into a working day.
Rank any side hustle idea on the same five points
Take the weeks ahead of you this term, as they actually look. Give each idea a yes, a partly or a no on each point.
| The idea | A few free minutes | Weeks with no room | The holidays | Nothing to buy, shared room | Something every day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The idea with the most yes is the one that fits your weeks, not only your best week.
Wherever you study, some mistakes can make earning money online harder over a whole term. We go through four of them in how can I earn money online as a student.
If you study in the Philippines, we look at what changes there, from the languages to the connection, in how can I make money as a student in the Philippines.
If you study in Kenya, we look at what changes there in how can I make money as a student in Kenya.
If you study in Nigeria, we look at what changes there in how can I make money as a student in Nigeria.