Your time spent at university will be some of the best years of your life. You will make good friends for life, have exciting romances, enjoy new experiences, and discover who you really are. Who knows, you may even get some studying in too!
But for many people, the university experience is marred by the fact that they don’t have enough money to enjoy it. All your friends with rich parents might be going out every night, living in the best student accommodation, and having exciting adventures. Whereas you’re sitting in your squalid flat, saying no to nights out so you can save for the expensive textbooks you desperately need.
Although many people have amazing student years while sticking to a tight budget, a little financial security can make a huge difference. Your student loan might cover your tuition fees, and perhaps you even have a maintenance grant to cover your rent. But there are still loads of expenses to deal with, such as food, books, stationery, laptops, and utility bills. Student life in a pandemic is difficult enough as it is without having to struggle to afford the basic cost of living.
One way to improve your situation is to find a source of income while studying. This way, you have regular money coming in that you could put towards the essentials and still have some money left over for having fun. If you’re unsure where to get started, here are five ways you can make money while at university.
Find a job on campus
Most universities offer all kinds of job opportunities for students to make a little bit of money. Whatever your skills and interests, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to find something that’s right for you. You could apply for bar work in your student union pub. Serving drinks to your fellow students will make you one of the most popular people on campus, but be warned that cash-strapped students are not going to be the best tippers. Alternatively, you may be able to find admin work in your student union office or become a student brand ambassador for a product or publication. And for added convenience, whatever work you find will be only a short walk from your lectures and seminars.
Start a blog
Even though the internet is saturated with bloggers on all kinds of subjects, it is a great way to make a quick buck if you’re a talented writer. There are lots of money making opportunities with blogging, including selling advertising space, brand sponsorship, or affiliate marketing. And the more popular your blog becomes, the more you can earn. First, you’ll need to pick a topic to base your blog around. It should be something you’re passionate about and can write extensively and eloquently about. You’ll need to post regularly and promote your blog on social media to gain a wider readership base.
Start a business
If you have a talent, perhaps you could use it to your advantage by starting your own business. Maybe you’re a skilled artist and could sell your work to willing buyers. Or maybe you are an aspiring graphic designer and can build websites for a fee. Whatever it is, there will be someone willing to pay money for your services, as long as you promote yourself effectively.
Tutor
As a student, you are well-versed in your chosen field. There will be thousands of secondary school students all over the country preparing for their exams that would benefit from tutoring from a university undergraduate. Tutoring can provide good money, as long as you are willing to commit to a regular schedule. You’ll need to be 100% confident on the subject and be able to convey information articulately. The most common requests will be for maths, science, and English tutors, so if you study something obscure like Ancient Greek Philosophy, you might struggle to find willing tutees.
Sell things
One of the easiest ways to make money is to sell your belongings online. Sites like eBay make it easy to list items and send them to the highest bidder. You could flog your old clothes, textbooks, and any other possessions you have lying around and gathering dust. For a more sustained source of income, many people make a lot of money by buying items cheaply at markets or car boot sales and then selling them for a much higher price online. However, this will require you to be smart about your purchases, and you are not always guaranteed to find a willing buyer.
If you are considering creating a money making blog whilst at university, why not refer to my resources page, or my university archive for all the tips and tricks you’ll need to make more money online.
If you enjoyed this post, check out my Domain Authority Guide for Bloggers
These are great tips for students! Selling unwanted items on eBay is such a fab way to make a bit of extra cash 🙂 x
https://www.femaleoriginal.com
Great tips 🙂 I started my blog while at university but unfortunately didn’t know much about affiliates back then 🙁 selling things is definitely a great way of making money 🙂
I highly recommending getting a job on campus when at University. It’s the easiest thing to do to get money. Tutoring is also a great option as well.
xo Erica
What some great suggestions for people who are university and with the pandemic hitting this post will be so helpful to students who cannot pick up a bar job or a weekend job. Tutoring is a great idea and great for your CV. Starting a blog is a great idea, I am not a student but I am loving starting to turn my passion into a career. Thank you for sharing these suggestions.
Lauren http://www.bournemouthgirl.com
I love this so much! I’ve been a hustler my whole life and often yet 2-3 side jobs in uni plus did lash extensions on the side, buy and sell furniture or baked goods haha I never slept. Reminds me how crazy that was but so helpful! Thanks for sharing x
http://www.lynnmumbingmejia.com
Nice post. All these suggestions sounds nice, I just need to focus on and work well towards it because I could use some extra cash. Thanks for sharing.
I’m not in uni but all of these sound like great options. We’re in lockdown now so I’m actually selling a few of my clothes online on Depop to make a new extra pounds! X
Some handy tips here, I didn’t go to university but I can imagine a bit of extra cash during your studies is very handy! I bet tutoring is a really nice thing to do on the side 🙂 xx
These are some fantastic ideas; I’ve been making the most of selling my clothes on eBay or Facebook marketplace as some extra cash whilst being furloughed. Thanks for sharing such a useful article!
I worked in a call centre when I was at uni and it was gooood money but completely crap!! I wish I’d have known how to blog when I back at uni, it would have changed my experience for the better.
Rosie
Amazing! Honestly such a nice post! I myself am a student and I applied to become a student ambassador and I also started a blog! I think these are so helpful tips!
Great tips! I had a couple of part time jobs on campus – fundraising and leading tour groups – but I could really have done with some extra cash on top of that! Thanks for sharing this list 🙂
I wish I’d looked into some of these back in the day… I do think it helps with a greater breadth of tech available, and as such the possibilities are endless. Some inspiration even for the older ones amongst us!
Yesss starting my blog and working at a restaurant made me go through Uni! 🙂
Brilliant advice here and some great tips for students xx
I wish you made this blog post when I was at uni, I couldn’t have easily made a bit of money by selling some of my clothes. Any extra money you can make when your a student is such a great help. Thanks for sharing x
I didn’t go to university, but I can only imagine how stressful it might be to make ends meet with studying! These are all great ideas to use even now that most of us are home! Thanks for sharing x
These are some great options! I did a variety of student union based paid work – from stewarding to focus group and even taking part in extracurricular training seminars to audit/review them! I definitely recommend getting a part time job at uni – even if only to take some of the financial stress away. 🙂
Useful tips. I’d left a job with savings so used this towards my costs though in hindsight wish I’d made effort to make some money as it just ate into all my savings.
I agree the a bit of financial cushion can make all the difference for a student. These are great ideas on how to bring in a bit of security.
These are great tips for those students who are after making some money when they’re at uni, of course starting a blog is a great idea! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
Great tips! I wouldn’t have made it throughout with a part time job. Wish I would have utilised blogging more though!
That’s good list. My friend always complain that he doesn’t have enough money to enjoy as other just like you said. So he looking for a job on campus. Thank you for sharing!
Some fantastic tips go for it 👍
These tips are so useful! I worked part time during Uni but wish I’d started a blog and/or business too.
You have some great options here. I worked part-time throughout University, but it wasn’t on campus. That being said, I highly recommend you see if there is something on campus instead. The time that I spent busing to/from work was time that could have been better spent in other ways. I wish someone had pointed that out to me back then lol
Selling clothes on Depop was a huge help for me financially in university! I had minimum loan so I definitely needed the extra income alongside my part-time retail job. These tips are fab xx
These are amazing tips! I know I struggled with money when at uni so this will be useful for so many people xx
Tiffany x http://www.foodandotherloves.co.uk
i was a student ambassador for the university while i was a student! it was a really good job for me because it was really flexible and a lot of the work i did was centred around my course/subject. it was also a good way to meet students from other courses which was a nice bonus