25 Profitable Ways for Students to Make Money Online

25 Profitable Ways for Students to Make Money Online

Being a college or high school student can be tough, especially when it comes to finances. Tuition, books, supplies, and general living expenses add up quickly. While taking on a traditional part-time job is one option for earning extra money, it's not always feasible due to busy class schedules and homework loads. Fortunately, the internet opens many student-friendly opportunities to earn income completely online that fit well around educational commitments. Here are 25 of the best low-effort ways for students to profit using nothing more than a computer and internet connection.

Online Surveys

Filling out online surveys can net you $1-5 per 5-10 minute task. Sites like Survey Junkie, Swagbucks, and InboxDollars offer surveys suitable for any schedule. Earn while catching up on the latest series between classes.

Freelance Writing

Turn your writing talents into cash. Sites like Textbroker, Constant Content, and iWriter connect users to employers seeking blogs, articles, product descriptions, and more. Rates vary but decent pay is achievable.

Virtual Assistance

Offer basic admin, social media, and online support through websites like Fiverr and Upwork. Help small businesses with tasks like data entry, scheduling, and research for $5-15 per job.

Sell Photo/Video Content

Shutterstock and other outlets let photographers and videographers sell their original works for profit sharing. Bonus if you capture college campus footage with model releases.

Tutoring Peers Online

Tutor.com, Wyzant, TutorMe, and similar platforms hire and train college tutors. Capitalize on your strengths in biology, algebra, languages, and more for $10-30 hourly via Zoom.

Online Proofreading/Editing

Sign up with services like Quality Checker, ProofreadingPal, and Prompt to provide written work proofreading and editing for paying clients. Rates start around $10 per 1,000 words.

Freelance Social Media Management

Offer companies help via Fiverr and Upwork to curate social posts, reply to comments, and run contests through platforms like Facebook and Instagram remotely.

Affiliate Marketing

Promote products you genuinely enjoy using websites, blogs, YouTube, and more. Earn referral commissions of 5-15% when readers purchase using your unique tracking links.

Teach Online Courses

Sharing your skills through apps like Udemy, Teachable or CreativeLive lets students globally enroll for affordable, self-paced classes. Keep revenue from course sales.

App Testing & Reviews

Get paid $10-50 by participating in new app beta testing and writing reviews. Try TestFlight, UserTesting, InstaGC, and more to assist developers.

User Interface Design

With programs like Figma or Adobe XD, design mockups can be slapped together daily. Fiverr, Upwork, and 99Designs provide a marketplace to sell your creations.

Transcription Work

Services such as Rev and TranscribeMe hire people to listen to audio files and convert them to typed documents accurately. Pays around $0.25-1 per audio minute.

User Experience Research

Sign up as a private usability researcher on websites testing websites, software demos, and more to offer honest feedback through sites like Userlytics.

Market Research Studies

Market research firms like Respondent regularly pay participants $60-100+ for 2+ hour online focus groups and in-depth interviews about new concepts.

Sell Stock Photos/Graphics

Upload your high-quality photography and illustrations to Shutterstock or Adobe Stock. Earn a percentage of sales for others to utilize commercially.

Online Gaming

Get paid to play-test new games, complete in-game tutorials, or refer friends through platforms like Swagbucks Living. Passive income watching gameplay videos too.

Teaching English Online

Websites like VIPKid, GoGoKid, DadaABC, and Magic Ears match English speakers worldwide with students virtually. Flexible work earns $15-25 hourly.

Microjob Platforms

Microwork platforms such as Amazon Mechanical Turk and Clickworker offer easy small online tasks like data entry, surveys, tagging images, and researching for cents at a time.

Sell 3D Models/ Designs

If you're skilled in 3D animation programs like Blender, export and price models, environments, and more for others on platforms like Turbosquid.

Start a Career Blog

Pick a niche you're knowledgeable in - like education, personal finance, or cooking - and share tips. Monetize over time through affiliate links, sponsored posts, and display ads.

Mystery Shopping

Sign up with companies including BestMark and MarketForce to pose as customers, test store/restaurant service, and submit detailed reports to earn between $10-50 per outing.

Online Tutoring

Build your credentials and set your own schedule leveraging a site like Wyzant or Skooli for one-on-one virtual academic subject help to students of any grade.

Freelance Programming

If coding is your forte, offer websites, apps, plugins, and scripts for hire through platforms like Upwork and Codementor charging $15-100+ per hour.

Paid Product Testing

Brand-sponsored testing panels can provide freebies in exchange for reviews through sites like Influenster, Swagbucks Local, and SurveySavvy.

Online Product Research

Businesses need someone to dig deep into competitive landscape analyses, SEO audit proposals, industry trend reports, and market white papers. Create polished deliverables customized to clients and their demands for fair, per-project rates negotiated online through freelance marketplaces.

Conclusion

With perseverance and quality execution, any of these online money-making opportunities hold potential for students seeking independence through the power of the internet. Consistency along with learning new skills will help maximize profitability over time around whatever class agenda or obligations. The future of flexible, online-only self-employment for students has never looked brighter.