Creative Ways to Make Money On Campus
Image: Jeffrey Beall
College is a time of fun, of learning, and of debt. Many students rely upon financial aid and their own hard work to make their way through their college experience. With job opportunities limited, sometimes students need to get creative in order to make money while at school. To help you get started, I have compiled this list of creative ways to make money on campus. Make sure you try them out!
1. Sell Plasma. One thing my husband personally does and that many other college students do is sell their plasma. Plasma is the “clear” stuff in your blood. It takes about two hours each time you donate, but you get paid around $30 each time. You can usually donate twice a week. If you have a couple hours to spare and do well with needles, this may be the perfect opportunity for you!
2. Participate in a Research Study. Many colleges will occasionally pay students to participate in research studies. These studies come in a wide variety of shapes and forms. Some studies will ask you to fill out surveys. Some may ask you to try out a new medical product or treatment. Whatever the study, make sure that you meet the eligibility requirements and that you are comfortable with what you are being asked to do.
3. Get a Job Passing Out Fliers. Many college campuses have people who will pay others to pass out fliers for them. You may be asked to post a flier on apartment doors or put them on car windshields. These jobs will often pay pretty well.
4. Tutor. Become an official tutor for your college or advertise your services privately. There are plenty of college students who are willing to pay for a qualified tutor.
5. Take Pictures. Colleges often have a lot of students getting married or graduating who don’t have a lot of money. If you are a good photographer, offer to take pictures of these students for a reasonable price. This will be a significant amount of savings for the students being photographed and can make you a decent amount of money.
6. Sell Items on Ebay or Craigslist. Go to garage sales or auctions and see what items you can find at discounted prices. Then, sell them on Ebay or Craigslist! In fact, you may be able to find quality items in the “Free” section on Craigslist and then sell them to others for a decent profit! Check out my article How I Made Selling on Ebay Work for more advice!
7. Get a Part-Time Job on Campus. Your best bet for a part-time job may be on campus itself. Many campuses reserve jobs just for students. These jobs are often very flexible with your class schedule and are usually pretty easy.
8. Sell Your Sporting Event Tickets. Many colleges offer highly discounted season passes to students. If your school has a strong sports program, you can often sell these tickets to non-students for a decent profit (they may also have to pay an upgrade fee since they are not students). I did this with my football season tickets and did quite well.
9. Blog. Hey, it may take a while to really start seeing profits, but you need all the practice you can get on your writing skills right now anyway!
10. Recycle. Many college campuses are swarming with discarded bottles and cans. Why not clean up your campus while making a few extra bucks?
11. Become a TA. Many departments/professors will pay students to TA for them. Check with your major’s department to find openings!
12. Participate in Research. Some professors offer paid research assistanceships to undergraduates. Not only will this make you money, but it will look great on your resume!
13. Sell Your Class Notes. Some students are lazy enough that they will pay others to take notes for them in class. Other students may be out of town for a while and need someone else to take notes for them while they are away. If you are a good note-taker, offer your abilities for pay!
14. Sell Candy/Pop to Your Classmates. What types of junk food do the people in your dorms like? Buy them in bulk and then sell them to your friends!
Check out my Make Money Online page for more ways to make money online!
What other ideas do you have to make money on campus? Be sure to share them with us!
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Nice Post Olivia. I remember the good old days of tring to make money in college. I did quite a few things from taking a part time job, that turned into full time plus school, to getting involved in quite a few network marketing businesses. Networking actually paid my way through school and then some.
I don’t think I would be very partial to having a needle jammed in me for my plasma to make 60 bucks a week. Thankfully I didn’t have to go to that extreme.
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Wish I had of known some of these things when I was in university!! Nice list of ideas! I also wish I knew of the team marketing strategies that exist these days, so that I would have been able to easily pay off my student loans upon graduations. I recommend PowerPath GDI to all students.