35 Well-Paid Online Jobs for College Students [2023]

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35 Online Jobs for College Students

Online Survey Taker With InboxDollars

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If you are looking for online jobs for college students, one of the best options available on the market is that of a survey taker. InboxDollars is one of the top market research companies that will pay you for completing surveys and doing various other simple online tasks.

Some of the many tasks you can do to earn money with InboxDollars include:

On average, most surveys pay between $0.01 to $2.50, although some rarer ones can pay up to $5. Signing up for an account with InboxDollars is free, and you can get a $5 bonus just by confirming your email address.

However, there is a $10 minimum withdrawal amount, which will require some commitment from you to achieve. You can opt to redeem your earnings via either PayPal, prepaid Visa cards, or gift cards from popular merchants.

Deliver Food With DoorDash

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If you have an older car and being a rideshare driver is not possible, you can still earn money with your vehicle delivering food. The on-demand food delivery industry is rapidly evolving, making it an ideal side hustle, particularly for students. One of the most popular food delivery platforms you can join as a delivery driver is DoorDash. 

Unlike rideshare driving, the requirements for a food delivery driver are far more relaxed. As long as you have a reliable mode of transportation, you can decide how much or how little you want to work. The flexibility you have to decide your working hours as a food delivery driver also makes it an excellent job option for college students.

Although tipping is not compulsory, DoorDash encourages customers to tip and enables drivers to keep 100% of the tips that they earn. Thus, you can expect to earn up to $25 per hour, plus tips.

Investor With Acorns

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When looking for online jobs for college students, becoming an investor is not likely to be at the top of your list. Investing can be confusing for beginners, especially since most investment platforms require you to commit a large sum of money at the start.

Acorns is one of the best investment apps for college students since the platform does not have any minimum investment amount.

In addition, the platform also offers a feature that enables you to invest your spare change. Simply connect your credit or debit card to the app and it will automatically round up your purchases to the nearest dollar, depositing the extra change into your investment account.

Chat Agent With FlexJobs

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Chat agents are individuals who provide customer support for a variety of companies. While some require you to answer phone calls, most chat agent positions are 100% online. 

The most effective way to find chat agent gigs is through FlexJobs. FlexJobs is one of the leading employment search websites in the US, and the platform specializes in flexible working arrangements.

Some of the jobs types available on the platform include:

• Work from home
• Remote work
• Part-time jobs
• Contract gigs
• Freelance gigs
• And many more

You will need to pay a small subscription fee starting from $6.95 per week to access the full job postings, but this is a small investment to get a decent side hustle. On average, you can earn between $10 to $12 as a chat agent, and the flexible working hours make it one of the best online jobs for college students.

Remote Call Center Worker With Amazon

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As a remote call center worker, your job is to provide information to customers who need help with a query or concern. This is typically an hourly job, but it is possible to receive bonuses for peak performances. 

Some companies also offer commissions for upselling. In general, you can expect to earn an average hourly rate of $14. The most popular company offering remote call center positions is Amazon, but there are opportunities for companies worldwide.

Research Study Participant With Respondent

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Companies often engage market research companies to help them do market research before they launch a product. Market research companies like Respondent will pay you to participate in research studies ranging from focus groups and video-conference interviews to usability testing.

To get started, simply join the Respondent website and provide as much information as possible:

• Sign up with Linkedin to verify your employment background
• Answer 8 questions about your job and company
• Answer 4 demographic questions
• Respondent uses the data to match you with companies

Although the platform primarily caters to business professionals, anyone can sign up for research studies if they meet the criteria for that particular study. Thus, this makes it one of the best online jobs for college students to earn some extra cash. Depending on your profession, the amount you can earn with Respondent will vary.

Profession	Average Earnings Per Hour
Software Developers	$200
Marketers	$150
Executives	$700
Enterprise Software Users	$150
Business Owners	$500
Sales and Support	$100
Others	$50

Sell Used Books on BookScouter

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College students often find themselves with many textbooks at the end of each semester that they no longer need. As such, one of the best ways to earn money as a college student may be to sell these used textbooks on platforms such as BookScouter.

You can start with your used books, but you will need to work consistently to get more books to sell. You can go around campus at the end of each semester offering to buy textbooks from other students at a lower price. You can then sell them to BookScouter to pocket the difference.

Even in used condition, textbooks tend to be quite expensive. Thus, you could earn between 30% to 60% of the retail price of each textbook you sell, depending on its condition.

Rideshare Driver With Uber

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Ridesharing has become incredibly popular over the past decade, with Uber being one of the best rideshare platforms in the US. If you are looking for jobs for college students and do not mind working in-person instead of online, you can consider becoming a rideshare driver with Uber.

On average, an Uber driver can expect to earn between $10 to $20 per hour, plus tips. There are also bonuses and incentives for drivers who meet the requirements.

However, Uber requires its drivers to have at least three years of driving experience if they are under 23. Thus, this job may only be suitable for college students in their later years of education.

Course Creator With Udemy

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You do not need formal teaching qualifications to help others learn a skill. With online educational platforms like Udemy, you can create a course on almost any topic. How To courses tend to be the most popular, and you can decide how much you want to charge for your course.

To create a successful course that provides value and sells well, you will need to have an in-depth understanding of your subject matter. With affiliate partners and some efforts in promoting your product, you could create a reliable source of passive income simply by creating one course on Udemy.

Note that the platform typically charges a 40% commission on all courses sold, and each course must be priced between $9.99 to $199.99.

Video Editor on Upwork

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Online videos account for 60% of web traffic. Whether it is to promote a business or an influencer discussing their latest purchase, videos can also provide decent online jobs for college students. 

If you enjoy video editing, you can turn this into a decent side hustle. As a beginner, you can start by charging between $20 to $45 per hour. As you build up your portfolio and can tackle more complex editing jobs, you can also start to increase your rate.

One of the best platforms to look for freelance video editing jobs is Upwork. The platform offers thousands of new video editing gigs each day, and the remote nature of the work enables you to fit your editing jobs around your college commitments.

Freelancer With Fiverr

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Fiverr is a great platform that allows you to provide all sorts of services from just $5. As a freelancer, you can tailor this online job according to your unique talents.

Signing up to Fiverr is free, and you can set up a profile that you can use to showcase your skills. You can also add photographs and examples to your profile so prospective clients can browse your portfolio.

The platform also does not limit gigs to just $5, and you can charge up to $200 or more per gig. Take note that the platform charges a relatively low 20% commission on all gigs, so you should factor that into your pricing decisions.

Earning Cashback With Rakuten

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Although earning cashback technically isn’t an online job, it is still one of the best ways you can earn money as a college student. Rakuten is one of the top cashback apps available on the market, and you can use it to get cashback on both your online and in-person purchases.

The platform has one of the highest cashback payouts on the market, with a cashback of up to 40% at some retailers. Nonetheless, such opportunities tend to be rare and the average cashback amount tends to be between 3% to 8%.

Rakuten also works with over 2500 merchants that you can get cash back at, including:

• Best Buy
• Target
• Sephora
• Nike
• Macy’s
• And many more

Graphic Designer on 99designs

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One of the best remote jobs for college students is as an online graphic designer with 99designs. The platform offers many graphic design gigs for you to choose from, and designers can choose the styles and design categories they want to work in, and who you want to work with.

As a graphic designer, your earnings may vary depending on the type of amount of work you take on. Some of the top designers on the platform make more than $10,000 per month. On average, freelance graphic designers with the platform can expect to earn between $25 to $50 per hour.

In addition, one way to maximize your earnings is by following design trends in competitions even if you are not taking part. Then, make a note of which designs win and what trends are getting more popular. That will give you an insight into how clients think. You can capitalize on this to win more contracts.

Retail Arbitrage With eBay

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The availability of many platforms for selling stuff online has made retail arbitrage a great option for those looking for online jobs for college students. This job involves buying products at a discount and then reselling them for a profit.

To do this successfully, you will need to be resourceful enough to source items that you can buy at a lower cost and still sell for a reasonable profit. You will also need to consider shipping costs and fees. 

One of the best platforms you can use to do retail arbitrage is eBay. You can earn margins of up to 50% or more, depending on how much of a discount you can purchase your stock for.

Transcribers With TranscribeMe

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Transcribing is the easiest possible way to get started working online. There are no special skills or professional knowledge required to become a transcriber. All you need is a computer and an internet connection.

In general, TranscribeMe pays from $0.33 per audio minute or $20 per hour. You also get a $2 bonus for every accurately transcribed file that does not need more editing. If you have software that can automatically convert audio to text, you can maximize your earnings by simply editing the text.

To become a transcriber, follow these steps:

1. Fill in the TranscribeMe application
2. Read the guidelines
3. Complete the 10-question test
4. Start completing gigs on the platform to earn money

Website Tester With UserTesting

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One of the easiest online jobs for college students is to be a website tester with UserTesting. As a website tester, your job involves visiting websites and providing experience on the user experience and user interface. Companies can then use this feedback to improve their websites.

In general, the platform pays around $10 for a 20-minute website testing gig. Thus, this translates to an hourly rate of $30 per hour on average. Some higher-paying gigs will pay up to $60, although these tend to be rarer.

To get started, you will need:

• A PC or Mac, an internet connection, and a microphone
• If you want to test mobile sites and apps, you will also need a phone or tablet
• Testing software (free to download from UserTesting)
• The ability to communicate your thoughts verbally in English as you use the site
• To be at least 18 years old

The platform also gives each tester a quality rating based on the quality of work that they produce. By providing consistently good reviews, you can increase your quality rating to get higher-paying gigs in the future.

Voiceover Artist With Voices

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Being a voiceover artist involves lending your voice to commercials, live events, or even narrating audiobooks. Voiceover artists can earn up to $40 an hour, depending on your experience and the project you’re working on. For example, you will earn far more doing voiceover work on a commercial than selling your services on Fiverr. 

To become a successful voiceover artist, you need a pleasant speaking voice and a strong work ethic. Several websites and platforms are offering the opportunity to work online. For example, Voices provides a community for voice artists with jobs posted daily.

There is the option for a free guest account, but you can upgrade to a premium account and increase your chances of being hired. 

PPC Marketer With Freelancer

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PPC marketers use Google ads to promote businesses and sell items. If you are familiar with Google ads, becoming a PPC marketer can be an effective way to earn decent money in your spare time.

You can also create a free Google AdWords account, and there are lots of online tutorials to help you optimize your ads. In addition, Google has analytics tools that help you to track your campaign and make the necessary changes to maximize clicks and sales. 

One of the best platforms you can use to look for PPC marketer jobs is Freelancer. On average, you can expect to earn between $10 to $15 or more per hour. Some gigs will also give you a bonus if you can achieve a specific target with your PPC marketing campaigns.

The platform caters to over 1800 categories of freelance work, including:

• Website scraping
• Website design
• Research
• Content writing
• MySQL
• Link building
• And many more

English Teacher With VIPKid

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If you want to pursue a career in teaching, you can get some practical experience and earn money on the side by teaching English. Many platforms allow you to teach English online via teleconferencing. 

One of these platforms is VIPKid, which will pay you up to $25 per hour to teach English as a second language (ESL) to students and children overseas.

As an ESL tutor, you will also have the flexibility to set your rates and working hours. In addition, the time zone differences can also make this a great early morning job that you can fit into your schedule on top of your school commitments.

Data Entry on Clickworker

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If you’re looking for some straightforward work that you can fit in around your busy schedule, data entry is ideal for you.

Clickworker is a micro-tasking platform that pays users to complete simple online tasks such as entering data into a system. For example, you could be asked to create a list of a company’s products in Excel, categorize data, or correct a short text.

To join Clickworker and start earning money on the side, simply follow these steps:

1. Fill out your user profile
2. Complete a short assessment
3. Achieve good test results to get more jobs
4. Pick up jobs online whenever it’s convenient

On average, Clickworkers can expect to earn around $9 per hour. It won’t make you a fortune, but Clickworker is a great way for college students to earn some extra cash on the side.

T-Shirt Designer With Merch by Amazon

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If you are up to date with the latest trends in popular culture, you can start your own online t-shirt business with Merch by Amazon.

Merch by Amazon is a print-on-demand service that allows you to earn income as a designer. You can upload your designs and set your price with no upfront costs. You will then earn royalties on every item you sell on the Amazon marketplace. 

On average, you can expect to earn around $1 for every t-shirt that is sold with your design on it. Thus, if you create popular designs, you can earn a sizeable passive income each month.

YouTuber

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Starting a YouTube channel is not the key to instant cash, but it could provide a decent passive income stream in the long term. Top content creators can even earn millions of dollars. 

Once you monetize your videos successfully, you can stand to earn up to $1000 or more per month. Your earnings will vary according to your niche, posting consistency, and content. Thus, it is important to choose a niche that you enjoy creating YouTube videos for.

Noe that you need to have minimum views and meet the subscriber requirements before you start to enjoy ad revenue. 

Search Engine Evaluator

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Search engines are continually evolving, but an algorithm cannot do everything a human can. This is why positions for search engine evaluators exist. Your job as a search engine evaluator is to rate search results so that the user sees the best possible results. This means that you can earn cash by helping to improve search engine results.

As a search engine evaluator, you will look at search engine results pages and ensure they follow the specified guidelines. The flexibility of the work and the ability to work from anywhere in the world make this one of the best jobs for college students.

One of the best platforms to find search engine evaluator jobs is ZipRecruiter. The platform is one of the most popular employment portals and boasts over 7.5 million jobs posted each day.

On average, you can expect to earn between $12 to $15 per hour as a search engine evaluator.

Online Shopper With Reality Based Group

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If you enjoy shopping and want to make some cash by doing so, then being an online shopper would be the perfect job for you. As an online shopper, your job is to test products and services, and then provide feedback. Reality Based Group (RBG) is one of the top platforms offering written, video, phone, and online secret shopper jobs.

Some of the stores you may be asked to shop online at include:

• Department stores
• Banks
• Restaurants
• Gyms
• Bookstores
• And many more

On average, most of the tests will pay you around $12 per hour.

Social Media Manager With LinkedIn

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If you enjoy using social media, you can earn a decent income by helping businesses and organizations manage their social media accounts. Many companies search for social media managers on Linkedin. You will generally see people charging between $10 and $26 per hour for social media management services.

To get a social media manager job, you can update your LinkedIn profile to include details of your social media knowledge. Remember to list any relevant skills you have as well, like photography or graphic design.

Thousands of new jobs are posted every day on the Linkedin Job Board. Just enter search terms like “social media manager”, “social media specialist” or “social media assistant” and start applying.

Freelance Writer With People Per Hour

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If you enjoy writing and want to earn money by doing it, People Per Hour is the ideal place to get started. People Per Hour connects businesses and freelance workers. With the wide range of jobs available, becoming a freelance writer with People per Hour can be one of the best-paying online jobs for college students.

Here are a few tips on how to maximize your earnings as a freelance writer:

• Put some time into building a great profile to make yourself stand out
• Limit your search to the Writing category and focus on what you’re good at
• List all your relevant skills and how they help clients
• Collaborate with the client once the job is in progress and check-in with them regularly to get feedback

The rates for each project may vary, although experienced writers can earn up to $50 per hour or more. Companies will generally also pay more for writers with in-depth knowledge of their field.

Pro tip: leverage any interests you have in niche topics like finance, health, or food to appeal to clients.

Amazon FBA Seller

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Amazon FBA or Fulfilled by Amazon, is a program that you can take advantage of to earn a decent side income. The selling process is simple, but can sometimes be a little tedious.

As an FBA seller, you purchase items in bulk at a discount and list them for sale on the Amazon website. You will then send the items to an Amazon warehouse. Each time someone purchases your item, Amazon will send it to them on your behalf and will charge you a commission before giving you the rest of the sale price.

Thus, if you enjoy bargain hunting or can purchase products cheaply in bulk, you can create a substantial business. On average, you can usually earn between 10% to 20% of the cost price of your item as profit. The actual amount will depend on the amount of discount you can get.

App Tester With ImpactQA

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Becoming an app tester with ImpactQA is one of the best online jobs that college students can get. As an app tester, you will be helping companies improve the functionality, design, and usability of their apps by providing feedback.

App tester gigs will typically require you to record your screen or take voice notes to provide feedback. Although it may be a little hard to get started, the earning potential for app testers is high. You can expect to earn between $25 to $49 per hour as an app tester with ImpactQA.

Mystery Shopper With Secret Shopper

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Companies often need genuine feedback about how their physical stores operate, and the service customers receive. A mystery shopper gets paid to secretly shop at a specific store and provide feedback on their experience.

After visiting a store, some of the things you may be asked to report on may include promotion signage, checkout experience, or merchandise stocking.

A great place to find mystery shopper gigs is Secret Shopper. This company has been around since 1990 and offers the chance to make up to $25 per hour. 

Phone Shopper With CallCenterQA

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A phone shopper evaluates calls for companies to help them identify areas that they can improve upon. As an independent contractor, you will enjoy flexible hours that can work around your class schedule. 

CallCenterQA is one of the best platforms that have part-time online jobs for college students as phone shoppers. You will earn $5 for each successful call. In addition, the platform also processes payments very quickly and you can receive your earnings via PayPal within 24 hours. 

You will need to pass an evaluation test by the platform to qualify for future gigs. However, once you have been approved, you only need to submit an email evaluation for each call. 

Virtual Assistant (VA)

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The job scope of a virtual assistant can include a wide range of simple online tasks. Essentially, your job involves remotely assisting your clients in any way they need. Once you build up a client base, you should be able to make a decent hourly wage, and you can stand to earn up to $25 per hour.

Depending on your client, some of the tasks you may have can include:

• Email marketing
• Admin assistance
• Customer support
• Scheduling
• And many more

As with most freelancing jobs, once you start working, you will be able to hone your skills and improve your portfolio. That way, you can find more clients in the future.

If you are new to being a virtual assistant, one of the best resources you can use is the FullyBookedVA course that will teach you everything you need to know about being a virtual assistant. The course is affordably priced, and you can expect to earn up to $4000 per month or more upon completing the course successfully.

Related: 55 Sites to Find Virtual Assistant Jobs

Blogger

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Blogging is a job that allows anyone to make money online part-time. You may not start earning immediately, but if you are willing to commit time and effort to it, blogging can be one of the best online jobs for college students.

It typically takes six months or more of blogging before you start to see revenue. As a blogger, your earnings potential may vary depending on your viewership and sponsors. Some successful bloggers can even earn up to $1000 or more each month.

In addition, there are also multiple ways you can monetize your blog, such as:

• Advertising
• Sponsored blog posts
• Affiliate marketing
• Lead generation
• And many more

Dropshipper

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Becoming a dropshipper can also be a simple and convenient method to make some extra money on the side as a college student.

The dropshipping process is relatively straightforward:

1. Start by finding a reliable product supplier, typically from countries such as China
2. Create a storefront to sell the products from your supplier at a higher price
3. When someone purchases an item from you, purchase it from your supplier
4. Instruct your supplier to ship the item directly to your customer
5. This eliminates the need to store stock, making it an easy business to start from a college dorm room

It is possible to sell almost anything via dropshipping. However, you will need to look at profit margins, so you can choose the best products. On average, most drop shippers enjoy profit margins of between 20% to 40% per product.

Related: How to Start a Dropshipping Business?

SEO Consultant

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If you are familiar with Search Engine Optimization (SEO), you can use your skills to earn money as an SEO consultant. As an SEO consultant, your job involves helping clients improve the search engine ranking for their websites.

Like most freelancing niches, it can be beneficial to develop a portfolio of your past work. In addition, if you have strong marketing skills, you’ll find being an SEO consultant is one of the best-paying online jobs for college students. 

As you accumulate happy clients and show you can reliably deliver results, you will start getting more and more clients from word of mouth. Beginners can get started on freelancing platforms or by approaching businesses directly. On average, you can expect to earn up to $20 per hour or more.

Video Captioner

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If you enjoy watching videos and can multi-task, then video captioning could be the ideal online job for you. Platforms such as Rev offer a fixed rate for each minute of video clips you write the captions for.

You will need to have a sharp ear and good listening ability, as clients will often expect you to caption videos word for word. This means that you need to take note of fillers and word repetitions.

On average, you can expect to earn around $1 per minute of video.

Translator

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If you are effectively bilingual, you can also use your language skills to work as a part-time translator. People with translation skills are in high demand, and you can choose jobs that offer the flexibility to work around your college classes. 

Depending on where you search for translator jobs, the earnings may vary. On average, you can expect to earn around $10 or more per hour with online translation jobs, making it an ideal opportunity for college students.

Related: 14 Sites to Find Translator Jobs

How Can College Students Make Money Online?

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There are plenty of jobs available for college students and new graduates looking to supplement their income by working online. Flexible, part-time jobs that you can do remotely would likely be the best option for college students. Such jobs will enable you to focus on maintaining your GPA while earning some extra income.

Many of the jobs on this list can also be converted to full-time careers. Thus, you can try out the various options available while you are still in school to see if there is any job that you enjoy doing. Once you graduate, you can then consider doing it full-time.

Related: 32 Ways to Make Money Now