How To Make Money in College

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Let’s be honest – college can be very expensive. Some of the major expenses associated with attending college include tuition, room and board or off-campus living expenses, and books. We will be focusing on how to make money in college to help you have the best college experience possible in this article. 

When we take a look at the “major” expenses associated with college, you will see these do not even include simple stuff like food, entertainment, and nights out with friends. While you can still have fun in college without a lot of money, college is a lot more fun if you have some extra money to spend. 

Let’s take a look at some of the easiest and best ways to make money in college. Try to implement some of these strategies into your everyday life to earn some extra cash and enhance your college experience. 

Different Ways on How to Make Money in College

Various Campus Jobs

This may seem obvious – if you need money, get a job. A lot of students do not realize that their college or university provides a TON of job opportunities for their students. Some of these jobs may depend on your college major, but students should be able to find something that works for them.

Check out some popular campus jobs below. 

Campus Tour Guide

Odds are you probably took a campus tour before you decided to attend your school. Campus tours happen all the time, especially if you go to a big college or university. Schools are always looking for students to give guided tours. 

Schools prefer to have current students give these guided tours. Prospective students will feel more comfortable receiving a guided tour from someone that is closer in age to them. 

Giving guided tours is a great way to learn more about your own school, meet new people, and work on some critical skills like public speaking and various people skills. You will also get some exercise in while walking all over campus! 

The best part about this job is that you will most likely have a script and route to follow. Everything will be planned out for you – you will not have to improvise at all. 

Work as a Resident Assistant (RA)

A resident assistant is a common job on a college campus. I will preface this by saying this job is not for everyone. A RA is in charge of a group of students within a college dorm. You will be tasked with dealing with various issues that come up regarding students in your dorm. 

You will most likely be required to live in the dorm – most schools will pay for your living costs and meal plan, however. 

Being a RA is not an easy job as you will have to deal with issues that may be uncomfortable. It is definitely not for everyone, but the incentives are very lucrative. If the school pays for your room and board and meal plan, this could be worth more than $10,000 depending on your school. 

Work as a Teaching Assistant (TA)

A teaching assistant is in charge of helping a professor with a specific course or class. More often than not, the class will be a large class. As a TA, you will be assigned with tasks such as taking attendance, grading papers, and other small housekeeping tasks. 

You will most likely be required to sit in on the class you are a TA for, but you will get paid for being there. A teaching assistant job is perfect for students who took the course already, and enjoy the professor teaching the course. 

If you think you may want to become a TA, make sure you develop a good relationship with your professors. Professors are always looking for students they enjoy working with. If they really like you, there will be no issue on bringing you on as a teaching assistant for the next semester. 

Host Students on College Visits

This is a fun, and incredibly unique on campus job. Not every school offers something like this, but a lot of the big schools will. Definitely reach out to your college or university to see if this is a possibility. 

You will have the opportunity to host a prospective student while they stay with you on their overnight visit. You will be tasked with answer questions they have about choosing a college major, the college application process, and other general questions about the university. 

You will also have the opportunity to show them around campus, and maybe take them to some spots they wouldn’t have been able to go to if they were with their parents (if you catch my drift). 

This is a great way to make some extra cash while not really feeling like you are actually “working.”

Various Off-Campus Jobs

An on-campus job may not be for everyone, we get it. There are some other ways to make good money without the help of the college or university. Some of these options may depend on what kind of college you are attending. 

Bartending

You will most likely need to be of age to become a bartender. Bartending is a great way to make some extra cash and not feel like you are missing out while working. While bartending, your friends will most likely want to come visit you while working, so you get to make money and hang out with friends – best of both world. 

Bartending is a great way to meet new people and branch out and meet different groups of people on campus. The hours are a little weird (sometimes not closing until 3am). Students who pursue bartending as a job should ensure their grades can handle working a job like this. 

Uber/Lyft

Assuming you have a car, Uber and Lyft is a great way to make some extra cash. These apps allow you to pick up individuals and bring them to their destination. On a college campus, you will probably only be bringing students a couple of miles – so not a ton of driving involved. 

The best part about these two services is you can work on your own time. Staying in on a Friday night? Go pick up some people for an hour or two. That will pay for dinner and drinks tomorrow night. 

Signing up for these services is super easy, and there is no pressure to work. You can work whenever you feel like it. 

Uber Eats/DoorDash

Same concept as driving for Uber, except all you have to do is deliver food to other people. You do not even have to interact with the person you are delivering too. You just pick up their food using the app, leave it at their door, and go on your way. 

You can work whenever you want, and there is never any pressure to work. Being on a college campus is perfect for working for a meal delivery service. College students are lazy – there will always be orders and jobs to fulfill. 

Brand Partnerships

This is a unique opportunity, and not everyone can qualify for something like this (sorry guys). If you have a social media following, brands are always looking to partner with individuals who are in college. The compensation will vary, but there are some great opportunities out there. 

The “job” will most likely consist of promoting their brand on your college campus. This can be done via social media, events on campus, etc. 

A great example of this is Bumble’s college ambassador program. Bumble (the dating app) hires 2-3 college ambassadors, and these ambassadors are in charge of promoting the brand on campus. This could include throwing social events, running fundraisers, etc. 

Freelance Work

Are you really good at something? Maybe you are an engineering student, and are really good at coding. You can use your skills to make some serious cash on sites like UpWork. 

UpWork is a marketplace for companies looking for freelance help. You can search for various projects that interest you and apply for the job. The person hiring you will give you some requirements, and you simply fulfill those requirements. 

There is a ton of opportunity to make some really good money on sites like UpWork. Especially if you are really good at something. Definitely something worth looking into. 

These are just a couple of ways on how to make money in college. Students should look into what their specific college or university offers for on-campus jobs as these jobs are typically easy and pay well. 

If an on-campus job isn’t for you, there will be some opportunities for you to make money off-campus. If you attend school in a city or a large campus, apps like Uber and Lyft are great ways to earn easy money. 

Check out some sites like UpWork to make money with skills you are good at. 

Remember, college is more fun with some extra money.

About the Author

Gianni is a contributor for CollegeTotal – a site that focuses on helping college students have the best college experience possible. Gianni has been contributing content for CollegeTotal since 2017. Most of the content he contributes focuses on helping students succeed in college.