Going to college is often a full-time job. Even if you only spend a few hours in the classroom every week, you’ll spend twice as much time or more in the library and your dorm room as you work on assignments and get ready for tests. You might find yourself lucky enough that you qualify for the school’s work-study program, which lets you work in a campus job. That doesn’t mean that you can earn all the cash that you need for the semester or year though. Private student loans are available to cover the gap between what you earn and the tuition balance, which costs seem to continue to climb each year. While earning a side gig will not make you rich, most of the top business ideas for college students at least let you work all year and through the summer for extra money.
Book Reseller
College textbooks can easily cost $100 or more for a single book. Most classes require that you buy multiple books too. While the campus bookstore will buy back some books, it usually offers much less than you could get from other sources. As long as you have enough cash, you can buy textbooks from your classmates and sell them at the beginning of the semester for less than the bookstore charges and still make a profit. Make sure that you check the dorms and trash areas when students move out too because some throw away their old books.
Delivery Products
Many companies cater to customers who want to order restaurant food or groceries and have them delivered to their homes. Those drivers aren’t always as familiar with college campuses and student neighborhoods as they should be. Not only can they get lost when making a delivery, but they sometimes skip the delivery and move to the next customer. If you have access to a vehicle, you can deliver goods to students all across the campus and those who live close by. They can call you when they want to order from a restaurant across town or when they need school supplies.
Cleaning Service
Let’s face it, college students do not like to clean. Some students don’t know how to clean either because heading to college was the first time they were away from their parents and families. Private student loans can help you get the capital that you need to invest in cleaning supplies that you’ll use in your dorm room and the rooms of others. Once your cleaning company becomes more successful, you can put money back to pay off those loans and handle your taxes. You can make big money cleaning the dorm rooms and apartments on and near your campus.
Turn to the Web
Using the web to make money is a good idea for college students because they don’t have a lot of startup costs. To launch a blog, you just need a computer and some way to take or find photos. Your blog can focus on your life in college, your major or anything else you want. To make that blog more successful, look for other ways that you can reach people such as a podcast or a YouTube channel where you share videos. You also have the option of using affiliate marketing on your blog. Any of these business ideas can help college students make money while in school.
