Top 5 Side Hustles for Students in 2025

If you’re a student and are looking to make some extra money or you even have some extra time, starting your own side hustle can be beneficial. We’re going to take a look at the top side hustles for students.

What is a Side Hustle?

A side hustle is normally an additional job, business or opportunity that a person undertakes normally alongside their job, studies or other normal activities. In essence it’s just something you do to earn extra income. A side hustle is normally on a freelance or self-employed basis and they are flexible and can lead to going full time into it in future.

As they are flexible, undertaking a side hustle can be perfect for students to do alongside their studies. There have been countless amount of people who also started with side hustles and gradually went full time with them.

Two young employees working at Atari and Hewlett Packard decided to start a side hustle building computers in their spare time in a garage. Eventually it blew up and they quit their jobs and went full time and they changed the world with Apple. Steve Jobs and Steve Woznaik created one of the most valuable companies in history and it all started as a side hustle.

Craig Newmark started an email list to share interesting local events in San Francisco with his friends. This simple email list grew by word of mouth, leading him to transition it into a website. By 1999, Newmark quit his day job as a programmer to focus on Craigslist. Craigslist would go on to become the most popular online classified ads website and make Newmark a billionaire.

These were just two examples from the numerous others. It obviously takes a lot more to create a billion dollar company and even if you don’t want to do that, a side hustle can help you to increase your savings, buy a nice car, buy a house or even help you quit the job you hate.

Top Side Hustles For Students

Students across universities and colleges are often willing to pay for well-organized study materials, especially around exam periods. To start, ensure your notes are comprehensive, clear, and well-structured. This means organizing them by topic, using consistent headings, and including summaries, diagrams, and example questions where appropriate. It’s often best to type your notes to ensure readability, using tools like Google Docs or Microsoft Word, and then converting them to PDF format for sharing.

Once your notes are ready, select a platform to sell them on places like Stuvia. Just upload your material, provide course-specific information like the university name and course code, and set a price.

To increase visibility and boost sales, promote your notes through student forums, Facebook groups, or platforms like Reddit where students gather to discuss coursework.

If you enjoy crafting or working with your hands, creating and selling handmade or upcycled items can become a profitable side business. The first step is deciding what type of product you want to make. Choose something that not only aligns with your interests and skills but also has a market demand. Look at trending items on Etsy or Pinterest to get inspiration.

Next, gather your materials and tools. For handmade crafts, invest in quality supplies to ensure the final product is durable and attractive. F

When your products are ready, choose a selling platform. Etsy is ideal for handcrafted or vintage goods. eBay works well for one-of-a-kind items or collectibles. Social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook can help you build a brand and engage with potential customers directly. Create a shop or business account, and post high-quality photos that showcase your products in good lighting and appealing settings.

Once you begin selling, focus on customer service and shipping. Respond quickly to messages, package your items securely, and include a thank-you note or small bonus item to create a memorable customer experience. Encourage buyers to leave reviews, as good ratings can significantly boost your credibility and sales.

Reselling, AKA flipping, is one of the easiest side hustles to start, especially if you enjoy thrifting or hunting for bargains. The idea is to buy undervalued items at a low price and resell them for a profit. Entrepreneur and YouTuber Gary Vaynerchuk made this popular by doing a series on this on his YouTube channel.

To get started, begin by exploring thrift stores, flea markets, clearance sections, garage sales, and online marketplaces like Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. Look for items in good condition that you believe you can resell at a higher price. Popular reselling categories include clothing (especially name brands or vintage styles), electronics, books, small appliances, and home decor.

Before buying anything, research the item’s resale value. For example, if you find a pair of sneakers, check the “sold” listings on eBay to see how much similar ones have sold for. This helps you avoid overpaying and ensures you understand what buyers are willing to pay.

Once you’ve sourced a few items, clean them up or make minor repairs if needed. Presentation matters a lot in resale. Well-lit photos and honest, informative descriptions are essential. Mention any defects clearly, but also highlight the item’s strengths, such as brand, quality, or rarity.

Choose a resale platform based on the type of product. eBay is a great all-purpose platform for electronics, books, and collectibles. Depop is excellent for trendy clothing, particularly streetwear or vintage fashion. Facebook Marketplace works well for local sales and larger items that are expensive to ship, like furniture.

After making a sale, ship the item promptly or arrange a safe and public meetup spot if it’s a local transaction. Tracking your purchases and sales in a spreadsheet is key to understanding your profits, tracking trends, and managing inventory. As you gain experience, you’ll begin to identify which types of products flip quickly and yield the best margins, allowing you to scale your efforts efficiently.

If you excel in a particular subject, tutoring is a fantastic way to leverage your knowledge. Platforms like MyTutor or Tutorful connect students with those needing academic help. You can set your own hours and work remotely, making it highly flexible to fit around your university schedule.

Since you are new to the platform, it is recommended to charge a lower rate so you can gather some reviews after which you can gradually start increasing your prices. The good thing about these platforms is that they have tuition for almost any subject so you can go for any subject that you feel are an expert in.

Many businesses and individuals need help with various tasks that can be done remotely. If you have skills in writing, graphic design, web development, video editing, or social media management, you can offer your services on platforms like Upwork or Fiverr. This allows you to choose projects that fit your availability and build a portfolio.

A good idea is to price your services lower to your competitors so you can get clients as there tends to be a lot of competition on these platforms. Once you have gathered some reviews and testimonials for your services you can create your own website and start promoting your services off the freelancing platforms.

Check out this guide if you want more information on how to get started with freelancing.

While not always the highest-paying, this can be a very flexible option for earning small amounts of money in your downtime, like between classes or while commuting. Websites like Swagbucks, Branded Surveys, YouGov, or Opinion Outpost pay users to complete surveys, watch videos, or perform simple online tasks. It’s not going to make you rich, but the convenience and minimal effort can add up over time.

It’s very simple to sign up to these websites. To get started:

1. Go to one of the survey websites listed above.
2. Create an account and enter your personal details.
3. Based on your details you will get sent surveys. To earn extra income you can also do additional tasks.

TikTok is one of the popular social media apps out there right now and its also one of the best ways to make money. TikTok gives you a plethora ways to make money using the app. The two most popular ways are through the TikTok Shop or Creator Rewards Program.

TikTok Shop allows people to sell products on their platform. You can make money from TikTok Shop by selling your own products as a seller or by promoting products already on TikTok Shop and getting a commission on products sold of up to 20%.

Promoting others products on TikTok Shop is easier as you just have to focus on creating a good, engaging video. There are a couple of things to remember:

1. To start promoting products as TikTok Shop for Creator, you will need 1000+ followers or 500 if you are in the TikTok Pilot Program. If you don’t know how to grow your following, you can check out our guide here.
2. When promoting the product you need to display the product in the video otherwise it goes against TikTok’s TOS. You need to follow TikTok’s guidelines when promoting products otherwise it could lead to a ban on your account.

If you would like more info on how to make money on TikTok Shop, check out this article.

Alternatively one of the other ways to make money using TikTok is the Creator Rewards Program. Since 2024, TikTok launched their new monetization program in which they pay upto $1 per 1000 views.

However you need to adhere to TikTok’s guidelines and make videos over 60 seconds to qualify, videos have to be original and you need to have over 10,000 followers in the first place to apply.

Conclusion

When choosing a side hustle it is best to choose 1 or 2 to as doing more will not help you be productive. Especially as a student, you simply will not have the time. Set goals for your side hustles in terms of how much money you want to make. Whether that be $100/month or $1000/month, setting goals can help you stay on track and keep you aiming for something.

A side hustle can work for you as long as you put the work in and be persistence. It may take you some consistency for you to see some results but it will be worth it. If you would like to see more work from home jobs or side hustles you can check this article out here.