Going to school can be extremely overwhelming, especially when you have to worry about paying for textbooks, food, housing, and tuition while also focusing on making good grades. One of the biggest complaints among college students is the struggle to earn money without compromising the time they have set aside for studying, homework, and classroom lectures. Instead of ‘make money quick’ advice that promises thousands of dollars a day, but never tells you what anything actually pays, while ignoring that you also have classes, this guide covers 27 realistic options with real figures, recommendations, and financial aid rules from reputable sources, setting realistic expectations about how you can make it through school without letting your grades suffer.
How Much Can You Realistically Earn?
Working while studying is actually very common for college students. Georgetown’s Center on Education and Workforce reports that for the last 25 years, more than 70% of college students maintained employment while enrolled in classes. While the federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, most jobs pay more than that, and depending on your state, can have higher minimums. But if we just take the lowest possible scenario, at 10 hours per week, you can make about $73 per week, or $315 per month.
Many students rely on work-study jobs, jobs on campus that are flexible to their class schedules, to make their money. Some common ones and their wages according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics include:
- Receptionist/Information Clerk: $19/hour, $190 for a 10-hour work week
- Cashier: $16/hour, $160 for a 10-hour work week
Taking the average of about $17.50/hour, a typical college student can make $175 per week, or $700 every month while they’re in school. However, be aware that location can change these values, so visiting Indeed’s city-level salary pages will be a big help in understanding your potential compensation.
On-Campus Jobs and Work-Study
During the 2024–2025 academic year, the average student earned about $2,000 in federal work-study pay, according to the Education Data Initiative, and 460,000 students benefit from federal work-study every year. On-campus work is one of the most common ways to make money while in school, and it includes jobs like:
- Resident Assistant: $18.39/hour, or coverage of housing or meal plans.
- Admissions Office Worker: $20.95/hour for tour guides or student ambassadors, a common on-campus student position.
- Undergraduate Research Assistant: $26.16/hour. This is one of the highest-paying on-campus jobs, and it also looks great on applications for graduate school.
- Dining Hall/Campus Cafe Employee: $15.00/hour. This is a very common on-campus job, and usually has a sizable number of openings, depending on the size of your college campus.
- Department Social Media/Marketing Assistant: $17.51/hour. Many offices on campus want young workers to understand what students like to see online. This position may be a little more particular about who they hire, but it can be an option depending on your skills.
- Library Assistant: $17.74/hour. This will provide quiet shifts where you can study during slow times.
On-campus jobs are a great option, since the hours are flexible with your class times, but they are some of the lower-paying options. If you’re looking for something higher paying, think about using your skills to apply for unique positions.
Tutoring and Skills You Already Have
Tutoring is a great way to make money on campus around your busy class schedules while also giving you the opportunity to work in areas where you excel.
- Private Tutoring: $23.10/hour. A popular option is test-prep tutoring, but be prepared to offer up your own scores on the same tests as part of the hiring process.
- Online Tutoring: $20.84/hour. Keep in mind that some online platforms take a cut of what you earn, so keep this in mind as you consider this option.
- Music, Art, and Sports Lessons: $26.32/hour.
- Nannying/Babysitting: $21.87/hour, though it varies greatly by location.
- Freelance Writing: $27.43/hour. Students who consider themselves great essay writers should consider this option.
- Editing and Proofreading: $29.36/hour. Be careful of editing other students’ papers, as this can get you into trouble with academic integrity. Always ask what the editing or proofreading job is for.
If you’d rather explore options where you don’t have to leave your dorm or desk, there are also plenty of online employment options for college students.
Online and Remote Work
If you’ve been wondering how can AI help you make more money, or just how to make money without walking out the front door, remote work is an excellent option.
- AI Training/Data Entry: $15/hour.
- Website/App Testing: $10/hour, though this can rise to $30/hour minimum for live interviews.
- Paid Research Studies: $10/hour, though this can vary widely depending on the type of research project. Some studies also pay in gift cards or stipends. The best place to start with this would be your own college’s psychology department.
- Virtual Assistant: $22.68/hour. Depending on who you’re working for, this figure can range from $13 to $37.
- Social Media Management: $21.13/hour.
- Remote Customer Service: $21.53/hour. These jobs may have less flexibility with schedules.
- Transcription: $27.22/hour. Many of these positions pay per minute rather than per hour and vary greatly depending on the platform you use.
Some students might not want a pre-set schedule at all, which is where gig work or self-employment comes in.
Gig Work, One-Off Jobs and Making Money Without a Job
For these jobs, keep in mind that they often come with their own expenses, like gas, car costs, and taxes that a typical job would normally take out of your checks for you.
- Food Delivery: $22/hour. This also varies greatly by location and which service you choose to deliver for.
- Rideshare Driving: $23.88/hour.
- Grocery Delivery: $23/hour.
- TaskRabbit: $38/hour. Jobs include tasks like moving furniture, helping people move, and providing IT assistance.
- Pet Sitting/Dog Walking: $20.82/hour. This can easily rise for overnight gigs.
- Clothing/Item Resale: $200/month. This is the most varied employment option, and includes selling fees based on the website you use.
How Many Hours Can You Actually Afford?
While we’ve been working off a 10-hour work week, Georgetown CEW found that 65% of working students who work under 15 hours per week earn Bs or higher, while about 60% of students working over 15 hours per week average a C or lower. Because of this, exceeding 15 hours per week is ill-advised. If you add the rule of thumb of about 2 hours of study time per credit that you take, your work time should be in the leftover time outside of that calculation, taking sleep and other campus activities into account.
Taxes, Financial Aid and Visa Rules
When considering how you want to make money during college, the most important things to take into account are how work will affect your taxes, financial aid, and, if applicable, your visa.
Taxes
The 2026 standard deduction for single tax filers is $16,100, which is the amount that the government begins charging you taxes for. A student earning less than that would not owe any federal income taxes. This still applies if your parents claim you as a dependent on their taxes. This is important to know as a student, as the likelihood of you making the standard deduction is low, increasing your chances of receiving a tax return when you file.
If you decide to pursue gig income, the IRS requires you to file a return if you earned at least $400, with a 15.3% tax rate. This is not deducted from your pay like a typical job, so it is extremely important to set this percentage aside from every payout you receive. On top of this, there are additional rules depending on what state and city you live in, so staying up to date on these regulations is an important part of considering what you will do for work.
Financial Aid
Another aspect of making money in college is your financial aid, as your earnings can affect how much financial aid you receive. For the 2026–2027 FAFSA, you receive an income protection allowance of $11,770, meaning that for that year, any income below that amount is considered necessary for your basic living costs and does not affect your aid. However, if you make more than this amount, your financial aid could be reduced as you possess ‘disposable income.’
Above this allowance, financial aid will expect you to contribute 50% of whatever you earn above the income protection, which will then affect your Student Aid Index, or the number that schools use to decide how much financial aid you will receive. Keep in mind that the FAFSA for 2026 uses your 2024 income, so whatever you make this year will affect your aid in two years. An exception to this rule is work study. This is excluded from your income, which makes on-campus work-study opportunities popular among college students, as it protects their financial aid.
International Student Visas
If you are an international student attending college in the U.S., it is important to be aware of the unique regulations regarding earning money during college. For International, or F-1 students, on-campus employment is capped at 20 hours per week while school is in session, and off-campus work usually requires you to have attended one full academic year and demonstrate economic hardship to be approved for employment. However, you can work more than 20 hours during school breaks and holidays, but you must go through the approval process with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, no matter what you choose to do for work, on-campus or off-campus.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How to make $1000 a month as a college student?
- To make this amount during college, you’d have to make somewhere around $230–$250 every week. Based on average wages, working as a tutor for about 10 hours a week can fulfill this goal, or another high-paying option like an undergraduate research assistant.
- How to make $500 a week as a college student?
- Averaging at about $20/hour, depending on the job you choose, you would need to work at least 25 hours every week to earn that amount, which is above the 15-hour recommendation and the cap for F-1 students. It is best to lower your expectations in this area.
- How can I earn $1000 per day as a student?
- At the average earnings we’ve outlined in this article, you’d have to work 48 hours to earn anywhere close to this amount. Anything you’ve seen that frames this number as attainable as a college student is likely ill-advised. Instead, focus on work using a skill that you can build over time, and eventually raise your rates as you become an expert in your line of work.
- What is the 50/30/20 rule for college students?
- Many sources recommend that after taxes, your income should be split into 50% needs, 30% wants, and 20% savings or debt repayment.
- Can you make money in college without affecting financial aid?
- You can, with limits. Any earnings under $11,770 do not affect financial aid.
Time is Your Greatest Asset
Balance is key when you’re deciding how best to support your college life with employment. Every hour you choose to work is one hour of future debt that you can repay now, but it comes at a cost. Work should supplement you while you learn, but should never negatively affect your ability to fully engage in your college courses. If you’d like more information on how to address debt, check out our article on how will avoiding student loans help set the tone for not taking on debt for the rest of your life.
