24 Best passive income ideas for college students

When I was in college, I never thought I could earn money passively to sustain my expenses until it was too late. Yes, I worked while I was in college, but the idea of passive income did not cross my mind until I was a junior. If you are not currently earning passive income in college, you are missing out on a lot of earning potential. The good news is that it is not too late for you to start making money before graduation. In this article, I put together a list of the 24 best passive income ideas for college students to earn extra cash with no experience.

With millions of students struggling with student loans, it has become more important than ever to take on student side hustles to pay off some of your expenses without relying on student loans. Aside from side hustles, however, passive income is a great way to earn cash on the side without working too hard. Some of the passive income ideas I will cover in this post might sound like active income. However, given the nature of the work you do and scheduling flexibility, they can also be classified as passive income.

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What is passive income?

Passive income is a type of earnings that requires minimal labor to earn or maintain. This type of income often requires an initial investment of time or money to get it where it is sustainable for the long term. A good example of passive income would be:

Rental income from properties

Earnings from a business where the individual is not actively involved

Dividends from investments such as stocks

Royalties from published works or patents, and

Income generated from internet advertisements or affiliate marketing.

Not every passive income is suitable for college students. For example, earning a passive income from a business will require you to create a business first which might not be practical given your academic schedule. But, it is easy to grab your camera, take photos, and start selling them online as a source of passive income.

The following is a list of the 24 best passive income ideas for college students that require less work to maintain.

You might also like the 13 best side hustles for college students to make money

1. Donate plasma

When I was in college, I used to be low on cash until I learned about donating plasma for money. At first, I was hesitant but later, I learned that donating plasma was an easy and lucrative way to make money as a college student.

From my experience, donating plasma is one of the best passive income ideas for college students. Yes, it takes some time as you have to go to the plasma center for plasma collection. But, there is no other input on your end besides showing up. If you are looking for an easy way to earn a passive income while in college, subscribe to your local plasma donation center and get started. My favorite donation center is BioLife. With Biolife, I was able to make close to $300 per month which was enough to cover half my rent!

Other great locations where you can donate plasma besides Biolife are CSL Plasma, BPL Plasma, KEPPlasma, American Red Cross, and Immunotek. Keep in mind that the money you get paid in passive income from donating plasma as a college student will vary by company and location.

2. Resell used textbooks

There is no better way to earn quick cash in passive income for college students than reselling used books. Since, you will no longer be using your textbooks or need them for future use, selling your textbooks will help you get some of your money back. Once your books are finished, ask your friends and classmates if they will be throwing their used textbooks away.

Very often, students throw their books away when the bookstore decides to not buy them back. Yes, many students don’t want to go through the hustle of selling one or two books online. That is where you come in. You can buy all those books for pennies and sell them for 10 times your cost on Amazon and similar sites. If you can repeat this process every semester, you will easily start collecting passive income from your sales.

You might also like: 11 clever ways to save money on textbooks in college

3. Start a YouTube channel

Starting a YouTube channel might seem like an outdated way to make money but you can still earn some cash from it. All it takes is having at least 1,000 followers and a total of 4,000 watch hours in the previous year to monetize your channel. Of course, the more followers and engagement you have, the more money you can make with your YouTube channel.

The reason I included YouTube among passive income Ideas for college students is that you can make videos in your free time and talk about anything you want to talk about. If you like science, talk about science. If you like video games, talk about video games or record yourself playing video games.

No matter what you choose to work on and talk about, you will have an audience.

How to make passive income with a YouTube channel as a college student? The most popular way to monetize your channel is through AdSense. With AdSense, however, your earnings will be limited as it is based on your traffic and engagement. To maximize your earnings potential, look into affiliate marketing and sponsored content. Another way to earn extra cash with your channel is to sell your products either directly on the channel or link to your online store such as blog, Etsy store, Amazon store, etc.

4. Get paid to play video games online

Being a college student means there are times when you might need some time for yourself. Most students turn to drinking, partying, and watching their favorite TV shows. What if you could do a relaxing activity such as playing video games and get paid to do it? One of my favorite passive income ideas for college students is getting paid to play video games.

You might be wondering if it is even possible to make money playing video games, but it is true. There are mobile apps and websites that compensate you for playing video games on their platforms. Most game websites and apps allow you to earn points for every game you play which you can redeem later for cash or gift cards. Some platforms also allow you to withdraw your earnings through PayPal. My favorite websites and apps that pay you to play video games are Mistplay, Rewarded Play, Swagbucks, InboxDollars, and Bananatic.

If you don’t like earning passive income in college from these sites and apps, try your favorites. There are a ton of other websites out there to easily make quick cash playing video games during your free time. Just do a quick Google search and pick your favorite. If you were already playing video games for fun, check if your platform pays to play video games.

5. Get paid to walk dogs/petsit

If you are a pet lover or enjoy spending quality time with dogs and cats, you are going to like this passive income idea for college students. Did you know that you can get paid to walk dogs or babysit them? It is incredible how easy it is to make money in college from just walking dogs.

Dog walking and pet sitting can be done in several ways. The easiest I find is to search in your local area on websites that match dogs/cat owners with dog walkers and apply there. Just like babysitting, you will be connected with dog owners and schedule a time to walk their dogs. You will also have an option to petsit them. That is you can go to the house of the pet owner and stay there for like one to 2, or even 5 hours depending on the owner’s needs.

What makes dog walking one of the best passive income ideas for college students is that you do the job while doing your homework! That is right. If you are watching pets, all you have to do is make sure they are fed and comfortable. Some dog owners can pay you as much as $20/hr in passive income.

If you are ready to get started, here is a list of the best websites and apps for finding dog-walking jobs in your area.

6. Become a tutor online

Being in college sometimes means having busy schedules and always running from one class to another. But, busy schedules do not mean you cannot make money on the side while in college. An effective strategy and perfect passive income idea for college students is to become a tutor online.

Why tutoring? Tutoring is good for you because, not only that you earn extra cash in passive income, but you also improve your knowledge in the subject you are tutoring. At the end of the day, it does not feel like you are working as your benefits go beyond a paycheck. There are a lot of websites and apps you tutor on and earn extra cash in your spare time. My favorite ones are Cambly, Preply, Skooli, Mathnasium, and Tutapoint. You don’t have to stick to these as there are many more to try.

7. Start a blog

Blogging is my all-time best passive income idea for college students or anyone who wants to make money on the side. This side hustle is so passive that you can continuously make money on your blog for months without even checking it out.

As easy and sweet as it sounds, blogging takes quite some time and hard work before you can get it where it is monetizable. In other words, you will put in a lot of work at the beginning, but over time, your blog will gain traffic which will enable you to monetize it. To make money with your blog as a source of passive income idea for college students, start with display ads and affiliate links.

These two options are perfect for college students who are busy with homework, tests, and exams because they do not require extra work. Once your links are incorporated into your blog posts, you will not have to do more work. All you have to do is to make sure that your blog has traffic by creating new content, editing old ones, tweaking your SEO, and marketing your blog through social media, email marketing, etc. You can also sell your products such as eBooks, books, or physical products such as t-shirts on your blog.

There are no limitations to how much passive income you can make as a student from your blog.

8. Rent out a parking spot

If you have been assigned a parking spot and you are not using it, why not lease it to someone and earn passive income? Most students especially in the dorms and university apartments get assigned specific parking spots. But, not every student has a car. Instead of letting it sit there, you can lease it to someone who has more than one car or without a parking spot. Even if they pay you $30 a month, it will be enough to buy you lunch for a few days or pay for one of your books.

9. Sell used clothes and unused gift cards online

Do you have a lot of clothes and gift cards you have not used for many months? Maybe you have outdated cell phones that have been sitting in your bags for a while. If that is the case, you can sell these items online and start earning quick cash. While you might not get the full price of the items, any dollar you earn will make a huge difference in your finances. You can also collect unused gift cards, used clothes, and electronics from your friends and family members and sell them online for passive income. If you are wondering where to sell items online, refer to the following related articles.

10. Sell eBooks online

Another way to secure a passive income for college students is to sell eBooks online. If you have a great idea that can help your readers, turning that idea into an eBook will be a great way to connect with your audience and earn some cash.

A great way to start with eBooks is to focus on something you truly understand or are passionate about. Your eBook also does not have to be too long like conventional eBooks you see online. But, you have to deliver value in the eBook to secure more sales and get good referrals.

11. Start a freelance gig

One of the biggest setbacks for being a student is that you are always stuck with your class schedule. Busy schedules prevent you from making money on the side especially when you are in a Junior or a Senior. What if you can find a side hustle that works around your busy schedule to make you passive income while in college?

That is where freelance gigs come in. Freelance is a term used when you are working independently in different organizations as opposed to working for a single company. With freelance, you get paid per project and you establish your schedule. The passive income you can earn from freelancing will depend on the number of projects you complete and your pay rate.

My favorite freelance platforms include Fiverr, Upwork, Flexjobs, and Freelancer. If you are in a specific niche, you might need to look for freelance sites that cater to your niche.

What makes freelance one of the best passive income ideas for college students is that you complete projects with the knowledge you already have. In other words, you monetize your current skills and don’t have to learn anything new. Some of the tasks you can expect to complete include but are not limited to copywriting, web design, bookkeeping, software engineering, IT services, research, and any other tasks you can complete remotely.

12. Get a roommate

Many college students live in large apartments by themselves and they take out student loans to pay for them. The reality is that as a college student, all you need is a place to sleep, shower, and probably watch TV. Any extra space you have costs you money that could be saved for your future financial needs.

This brings me to the next best side hustle idea for college students which is getting a roommate. If you have extra space in your apartment, get someone to stay with you for a few hundred bucks. It does not have to be an entire room in your apartment. Some students are willing to stay on your couch to save money. With this strategy, you can easily start making extra cash every month from leasing extra space in your apartment. Keep in mind that most student housing and rental offices do not allow these arrangements.

If you are planning to make these arrangements, try to stay within your lease agreements whenever possible.

13. Work in a coffee shop

Working in a coffee shop is one of my favorite side hustle ideas for college students due to its scheduling flexibility and workload. Most coffee shop owners let you pick hours that align with your school requirements which is essential for your success.

A typical coffee shop work schedule for a college student is between 3 to 6 hours. You might even work 2 hours per shift depending on the arrangements you have with your boss. Additionally, you can work more hours during the weekend, should you choose to do so. Any hours you work at the coffee shop bring in extra passive income every month that you could not have made if you did not pick up this side hustle. You can easily make up to $20/hour or more working in a coffee shop. My favorite coffee shops are Starbucks and Caribou.

14. Do affiliate marketing

If you are looking for the ultimate passive income ideas to make money as a college student, try affiliate marketing. The way affiliate marketing works is through affiliate links which are displayed at one of your platforms and you get paid when people click on the link to make a purchase. That is how it is done.

Before you can apply for affiliate programs, however, you might need to put in extra work at the beginning to build a large audience on your platforms. Once, you have enough followers and engagement, you will then start promoting business products to your audience. For example, you can start with the Amazon affiliate program and promote products in your niche from Amazon. If you are into banking or finance, you can promote other products such as credit cards to your audience.

15. Do online paid surveys

Doing online surveys is another great passive income idea for college students. The only catch to this side hustle for college students is that you will need to put in enough time to make it worth it. Pay rates for this side gig are low but if you have a lot of extra time at your disposal, you can spend it doing surveys rather than playing video games, partying, or watching useless movies.

To get started with paid surveys, create an account with your favorite survey site and start taking surveys. For every survey you complete, you will earn points or rewards. Once you have enough points and rewards, you will have an option to redeem them into rewards, gift vouchers, or cash. Some survey sites might also have different reward programs besides gift cards, cash, and rewards.

My favorite paid survey sites to make money as a college student are Survey Junkie, Opinion Outpost, Swagbucks, Mypoints, and Prime Opinion. This does not mean you have to go with these sites but they are great for starters.

16. Sell artwork on Etsy

Online businesses are some of the best passive income ideas for college students. This is because your business is accessible to millions of people worldwide 24/7 and you don’t have to be there to make a sale! Everything is automated and some products such as eBooks don’t even need to be shipped.

Selling artwork on Etsy is one of the best side hustle ideas for college students to earn passive income. Etsy is an online marketplace where creators sell their unique products such as eBooks, Calendars, crafts, and artwork. It is also a great place to sell vintage products of all kinds. Artwork sells best because they are usually unique and original.

If you are looking for a way to earn quick cash passively, start with Etsy. What kind of products can you sell there? A good starting point is to look into your hobbies. If you make fun products from knitting, pottery, crafting, etc, sell them on Etsy. Even if you think people might not like your products, you will never know until you have listed them.

17. Create an online course

Just like selling products on Etsy, creating an online course is another great passive income idea for college students. As a student, you are already working on the material. All you have to do is to find a course that you understand best and turn your notes and materials into an online course.

For example, if you are good at business valuation strategies or investing, create an investing course that teaches new investors and aspiring students how to pick the right investment. Or if you are good with English and have a clever way of learning it, turn your talent into an online course and start earning passive income from your course. It will take a lot of work to make the course but it will be well worth it once it is complete.

18. Work for a food delivery service company

Another great opportunity to make passive income for college students is to work for food delivery services. There is a great number of businesses in the food delivery sector and the demand is high as millions of people are currently working from home. What makes food delivery jobs a great way to earn extra cash is that you can make up your schedule and your earnings are unlimited.

Some of my favorite food delivery companies include Uber Eats, DoorDash, and GoPuff.

To start this side hustle for college students, you need a reliable car and have flexible schedule. Most food delivery companies will pay you as much as $15 to $22/hour even more plus tips. Experience is also not needed for most food delivery side hustles as long as you have a driver’s license and a reliable car.

19. Get paid to read books

If you are a book lover, getting paid to read books will be a great side hustle to make passive income while in college. With this side gig, you will write book reviews, proofread books, translate books, or narrate books. What makes this side hustle great for you is that you can make your schedule which is helpful, especially during mid-terms and final exams months. You might also pick your books which makes the side hustle fun and engaging. Most companies pay as much as $30-$50 per book review, but, if you are getting started, your rate might be a bit lower until you have built enough experience.

Learn more: 6 legit ways to get paid to read books

20. Get paid to housesit

One of the easiest ways to make passive income in college is housesitting. What is housesitting and how does it work?

House sitting means what it says. All you do is stay in someone else house for a given number of hours or days to keep it safe while the owner is away. That is all you have to do. For example, if a homeowner is going for a 1-month vacation, you can housesit their house to make money on the side while in college. This side gig can also save you money on rent since you will be staying there for free.

To properly maintain the house, the owner might have a list of activities you should do while you are staying there. For example, the owner might ask you to feed their dogs, watch them, maintain house temperature during the winter, shovel the snow, etc.

You can find housesitting gigs online through job boards, craigslist, Facebook marketplace, and other social media platforms.

21. Earn interest on your savings

If you are going to be earning passive income, you might as well save that money the smart way to earn even more money. That is right. You don’t have to spend all the money you earn from your college side hustles. Some of that paycheck can be saved to take care of your expenses and life goals after graduation.

How you save money, however, can make all the difference. One of the best ways to save money which is also among the best passive income ideas for college students is to save money in high-yield deposit accounts. Two of my favorite deposit accounts that pay higher interest are high-yield savings accounts(HYSA) and certificates of deposit(CDs).

CDs and HYSAs pay higher interest than traditional savings accounts or money market accounts(MMA) which makes them stand out. With these two deposit accounts, you can earn as much as 5% APY on your deposit which is impressive. For example, if save $10,000 in an HYSA, you can earn as much as $500 a year just by keeping that money in the account.

22. Invest in dividend stocks

If you have extra cash which you do not need to spend any time soon, invest it in the stock market. The stock market is a perfect way to earn passive income for college students as it requires less work and gives consistent returns on investments. As a college student, you can buy dividend stocks and get paid quarterly or yearly when earnings are released. To avoid high volatility and reduce risk, stick with large-cap stocks as they are less volatile and tend to hold value over time due to having a large market share.

23. Buy bonds

Just like putting money in high-yield deposit accounts, investing in bonds is also one of the best passive income ideas for college students. Bonds pay you a fixed interest on the money you have deposited on a monthly, quarterly, or yearly basis until maturity. The maturity date is the date when the terms of your bond end and you receive your money back. Three common types of bonds include corporate bonds, government bonds, and municipal bonds.

Investing in bonds does not require too much time since all you have to do is buy the bond and start collecting interest from your investments. This setup works best for busy students with limited availability.

24. Lend money

Have you ever thought about being a lender? If you have some extra cash that you don’t need, lend it to your friends and family members in need of cash. What makes lending money one of the best passive income ideas for college students is that you don’t spend too much time on it. All you need to do is establish lending terms and lend your money to genuine people who are responsible enough to pay you back.

If your friends are not trustworthy, try P2P lending platforms. Online P2P lending platforms match lenders and borrowers and handle all the heavy lifting. As a lender, you create an account on a P2P lending platform and invest in projects that suit you. Here is a list of top P2P lending platforms you can start with. After investing your money, you start getting paid interest on your money per lending agreements. The best P2P lending platforms include Prosper, Peerform, Upstart, and Funding Circle. P2P lending is also a great way to make passive income for college students as you don’t need too much money to start with. You can start with as little as $500 to $1,000. Additionally, you can invest in as many projects as you want which is a great way to diversify your investments.