Side Hustles for College Students You Can Do From Home
You are a college student and you want to start something on the side, from your room. But your year is not one typical week: there are gaps between classes, exam weeks, and holidays away from campus.
You will find which side hustle fits each of those moments, and why. Then you can judge any other idea against your own timetable.
To join guided affiliation, you need to be 18 or older.
We judged five side hustles on five moments of a college year, in this order:
- Between two classes: a few minutes, none lost, with only your phone.
- During exam weeks.
- Over the holidays, away from campus.
- From a dorm or a shared room, with nothing to buy.
- Something to do every day of classes, without searching for it.
Each side hustle gets a yes, a partly or a no for each moment. The ranking counts the yes first, then the partly. Two side hustles with the same count share a place.
Five side hustles for college students, judged on a college year
1. Guided affiliation: a few minutes between classes, every day
4 yes, 1 partly.
Between two classes, yes: it takes about 15 minutes a day, in a few short moments. You post from your phone, at hours you choose.
Exam weeks, partly: your hours can move with your week. But the posting has to stay regular, exam weeks included.
Holidays, yes: you post from your phone, so going home usually changes little.
Dorm room, yes: there is nothing to buy and nothing to deposit. We make the videos and we write the captions, so you film nothing.
Every day of classes, yes: new videos land in a folder that is yours, every day. There is nothing to look for.
What it does better: the gaps between classes. A few free minutes are what it asks for, and we set up the account and your tracked link with you, step by step.
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 we replace them.
The model is explained step by step in our guide to guided affiliation.
2. Micro-tasks and surveys: the easiest to pause in exam weeks
3 yes, 2 partly.
Between two classes, 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.
Exam weeks, yes: there is usually no regular commitment. You can stop for a week and pick it up after.
Holidays, yes: the app usually comes home with you. The surveys you are offered may change with where you are.
Dorm room, yes: you need an app on your phone, and nothing to buy.
Every day of classes, partly: how many surveys there are depends on demand from the companies behind them, and it can vary.
What it does better: exam weeks. It is the easiest of the five to set aside for a while.
What it does not give: a skill. Little builds up from one term to the next.
3. Building your own audience: easy to take home, hard to fit between classes
2 yes, 3 partly.
Between two classes, partly: posting can take a few minutes. Filming and editing usually take longer than a gap between classes.
Exam weeks, partly: an audience usually grows from posting often. Exam weeks tend to slow that down.
Holidays, yes: it lives on your phone, so it usually comes home with you.
Dorm room, partly: filming in a shared room is not always possible. Some filming may also need a little equipment.
Every day of classes, yes: you can post something on any day.
What it does better: everything stays yours, from the audience to the name.
What it does not give: something that fits into a gap between classes.
4. A small service sold online: good for the holidays, hard between classes
2 yes, 2 partly, 1 no.
Between two classes, no: client work, such as writing, editing or help with social media accounts, usually comes in longer blocks.
Exam weeks, partly: clients usually set the deadlines, and one can fall in an exam week.
Holidays, yes: the work is online, so you can usually keep it going from home.
Dorm room, yes: it usually asks for a skill, not for equipment.
Every day of classes, partly: there is something to do on the days a client needs it.
What it does better: the skill stays yours. Holidays can be the time to take on more.
What it does not give: work that fits into a gap between classes.
5. Online tutoring: uses what you study, at set times
1 yes, 3 partly, 1 no.
Between two classes, no: a session is usually booked at a set time. It usually lasts longer than a gap between classes.
Exam weeks, partly: sessions booked ahead can fall in an exam week.
Holidays, yes: an online session works as well away from campus.
Dorm room, partly: you need a quiet place to speak, and a shared room does not always give one.
Every day of classes, partly: there is something to do on the days with a booking.
What it does better: 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 for a college year
Across the five moments of a college year, guided affiliation fits the most. Micro-tasks do better in exam weeks. The other three ask for longer blocks, which a class timetable rarely leaves.
We also ranked side hustles on what each one asks to get started, in our ranking of the easiest side hustles to start from your phone. For fitting one into a busy day, see what fits into a working day.
Rank any idea against your own college year
Take your timetable for the coming term. Give each idea a yes, a partly or a no for each moment, as you actually live it.
| The idea | Between two classes | Exam weeks | Holidays away from campus | Dorm room, nothing to buy | Every day of classes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The idea with the most yes is the one that fits your whole year, not only a good week.