15+ Best Online Jobs for College Students

We all know college can be expensive! From tuition to books, late-night study food and more, it’s not cheap to be a college student anymore. If you’re looking for a way to bring in an extra couple of hundred dollars a month, RSG contributor Chonce Maddox-Rhea has rounded up the best online jobs for college students – and their busy schedules!

College can be some of the best years of our lives. We meet so many people and start becoming more independent. It’s also a great time to start exploring your work options.

There are multiple ways to begin making money as a college student. One of the best options is to consider making money flexibly online so you can work around your class schedule.

Here are 15 of the best online jobs for college students along with how much you can expect to make.

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Best Online Jobs for College Students

1. Freelance Writer

Pays: $500+ per article (beginning writers may start a little less, $50+)

I started freelance writing in college, and I wish I would have known how much money you could make. I found some writing gigs on Craigslist and earned $20 per article.

However, if you narrow down your niche and pitch legitimate clients, you can easily earn hundreds or thousands per month working part-time as a freelance writer.

Take a course like Earn More Writing to learn what online editors are looking for, then hop on to a job board like FlexJobs to find the best paying writing assignments for you and your skills.

2. Deliver With Instacart

Pays: $15-$35 per hour

Grocery delivery is a service that is in high demand right now and likely won’t be slowing down any time soon. Instacart is one of the most popular grocery delivery apps and you can set your own schedule each week once you sign up by selecting shifts.

With Instacart, you’ll shop for and deliver each customer’s grocery orders. You get to keep 100% of your tips and may even qualify for bonus payments if you work during busy times. One of the best days for grocery delivery is Sunday which is perfect for college students who are looking for weekend work.

Learn how to complete your first Instacart shopping trip here!

3. Deliver With DoorDash

Pays: $20-$25 per hour

Another service that is also popular in college towns is food delivery. Students sometimes do very little cooking if any at all. That’s when the food delivery industry comes in.

DoorDash partners with restaurants like Chipotle, Buffalo Wild Wings, Jack in the Box, McDonald’s, and many more.

Just simply pull up and go into the restaurant or use the drive-thru to pick up orders. Most orders will already be paid for, but you may have to occasionally use the payment card DoorDash provided when you signed up.

DoorDash pays weekly via direct deposit and you can also earn bonuses when you deliver during peak times.

Learn how to use the DoorDash driver app here:

4. Virtual Assistant

Pays: $10-$30+ per hour

If you’re organized, have any administrative experience, or catch on to new tasks quickly, being a virtual assistant might be an ideal online job. A virtual assistant typically gets paid hourly and can take on a variety of tasks like answering emails, booking appointments, booking travel arrangements, and managing calendars.

Some platforms even pair assistants with a supervisor who can help keep them on the right track.

If you want to take your virtual assistance career to the next level, take the 10K VA course. Kayla Sloan is a virtual assistant who makes at least $10,000 per month.

5. Transcriptionist

Pays: $15- $25 per hour

Transcriptionists convert audio or video files to text. If you can type efficiently and accurately  There are many companies that hire transcriptionists. SpeakWrite and Rev are two popular companies hiring transcriptionists.

Rev pays its transcriptionists weekly through PayPal. Average earnings per month are around $245 with top earners making $1,500 a month.

6. English Tutor

Pays: $15-$22 per hour

Another popular option that college students can get into is teaching English. QKids and Education First (EF) are two of the many ways out there to earn cash for teaching English.

As a teacher on these platforms, tutors set their own schedule. Tutors can start immediately after a short interview process. Tutors can then do a mock class with a current teacher to get comfortable. Contracts are typically for 6 months.

7. Local Jobs on TaskRabbit

Pays: $20-$35 per hour in my area

Taskrabbit is a platform to showcase online and in-person talents. Some online tasks include researching projects and helping others through computer problems.

If someone needs help with a research problem taskers can step in and help get that done. Have a background in IT? This can be a great place to use that talent.

Read our Task Rabbit review for more info

8. Data Entry

Pays: $10-$20 an hour

SigTrack is one of the many data entry openings out there.  Data entry applicants must be a US resident. Users can’t be residents of California or Massachusetts. You also must have a PayPal account.

9. Proofreading

Pays: $10-$50 an hour

If you’re good at revising or editing documents, proofreading might be the right path to take. Companies will typically be looking for people to edit things like documents and blog posts.

Nearly 5,000 students have used the Proofread Anywhere course as a way to take their talents to the next level.

10. Airbnb Experiences

Pays: Average price of a experience is $21 per hour

In 2016, Airbnb launched Airbnb Experiences as a way for travelers to experience activities. Those activities don’t always have to be in person. They also offer virtual experiences.

The platform now has over 50 virtual experiences. You can host as a chief, baker, magician, music artist, fitness instructor, etc.

11. Caregiver

Pays: $12-$17 per hour

Care.com is one of the best options for anyone interested in lending a hand to help the elderly or young. They also have clients who need assistance caring for pets as well. Care.com applicants have to be at least 18-years-old. After caregivers create a profile they can start browsing for jobs in their area.

Applicants should highlight their profile with any skills they have. So any CPR or first aid classes, or any other talents should be listed to increase your chances of being selected for a job.

12. Rent out With Neighbor

Pays: $2,000-$20,000 per year

If you have an extra closet or parking space they can consider renting it out on Neighbor.

Neighbor is like the Airbnb of the storage rental industry and this can be a great way to earn some passive income. The demand does depend on where you live but can be well worth giving it a try.

Learn how to rent out your storage space with Neighbor here:

13. Stream Gaming Online with Twitch

Pays: Depends on subscribers, but you can get sponsorships from gaming companies, free games, and more

If you love playing video games, you may be able to earn money by streaming your gameplay online. You don’t even have to be the most talented. Being entertaining or funny is relatable and may bring in more viewers as well.

Once gamers build a following on a platform like Twitch they can start having followers subscribe to their channel. Twitch splits that income 50/50 with streamers, but top earners might be able to negotiate a better percentage.

Twitch has over 4 million broadcasters and 17.5 million people who either play or watch the platform daily.

14. Promote and Shop on Rakuten

Pays: Up to 40% back per store

Don’t have any time to work a job during college? Shopping online is another way to earn an income. Obviously you won’t make a ton of money by using cashback rewards programs since you’ll be spending money at the same time, but this can be an easy way to earn some extra cash.

Rakuten offers up to 40% back at over 2,500 stores. Your total can always be tracked through the website or app. Users can also earn by promoting their Rakuten link and having people sign up.

Wondering how Rakuten really works? We break down whether or not Rakuten is the best cash back app out here here:

15. Resume Writer

Pays: $15-30 per hour

If you know someone who’s about to graduate, you can offer to edit their resume. There is always someone looking for current work even if they aren’t on the verge of graduating that may need help as well.

Sites like Resume Edge is another place to look for opportunities. Editors will have to edit resumes and also do a 30-45 minute phone consultation as well. Resumes won’t be longer than 2 pages.

16. Deliver Alcohol With Saucey

Pays: $15 – $20 per hour

If you’re at least 21-years-old and own a vehicle, you can deliver alcohol with Saucey. It’s currently available in cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, Miami, New York City, San Diego, and Chicago.

Drivers must have a valid driver’s license with no DUI’s on their record in the past five years. Drivers must also have a smartphone.

17. Blogging

Pays: Varies, but big bloggers can earn millions (yes, millions! Average may earn a few hundred to a few thousand dollars a month depending on your niche and how seriously you take it)

Starting a blog in college can set you up for a bright future. The type of blog can be anything you’re comfortable with writing about over time. Some blogs post daily while others only post a few times a month.

The key to earning while blogging is building an audience and getting traffic to your blog. Once you start growing your traffic, you can monetize your blog with display ad revenue, affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, and your own paid products.

Learn how to build a profitable blog from scratch with the Earn More Blogging course here.

FAQs for Online Jobs for College Students

Can you actually work from anywhere?

Most of the jobs on this list allow you to start working right from home. Most are limited to just the United States though.

Questions to ask yourself before choosing an online job?

  • Will you be able to work with your current school schedule?
  • Can I balance everything?
  • Is your apartment quite enough to work from?
  • What type of work are you looking for?
  • Do you have quality internet?
  • Are there any skills you are looking to improve?

How can college students make money online?

Multiple ways including blogging, proofreading, data entry etc.

What’s the best online job for students?

Blogging is one of the best online job options for college students. You pick the schedule and decide what you write about. It won’t be right away but you can make great money doing it.

How do online students find jobs?

If you’re taking classes online, you may find that there are even more options for you to find flexible work. You may not have to adhere to strictly class schedules, which can help you set work hours during the day or at any time you wish.

How can college students work from home?

You will need to minimize distractions. You may also need a computer, reliable internet connection, and headphones as well as a vehicle or mode of transportation if you’re going to consider using a delivery app.

Summary

Busy college students can still make money by working flexibly online. These remote jobs and income opportunities provide you with plenty of options to get started with. Another perk is that you don’t need a ton of experience to start making money.

Is anything stopping you from making money online? What’s your favorite online income opportunity from this list?

-Chonce @ RSG

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