Did you know that roughly 70% of students are managing their studies alongside a side hustle? Since education costs have skyrocketed, a growing majority of students are keen to find ways in which they can earn money while studying. The good news-it’s easier than ever!
Whether you want to pay fees, save for the future, or simply want to start making money in what will turn into a business sooner or later, side hustles are plentiful and very compatible with the study schedules of students. In this blog, I am going to take you through the top five side hustles for students in 2025-flexible, profitable, and beginner-friendly! Let’s dive right into it!
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Freelancing is probably the easiest way for students to find a source of income. If you know graphic design, writing, video editing, coding, or some digital marketing, then you can earn your money online as it saves everyone from stepping into any office.
The best thing is, you can do freelancing whenever and as long as you want. You can work at any time you want based on specific projects you are willing to accept within your timeline. It’s really all about starting small, building a solid portfolio, and gradually raising your rates as you get more experience.
Create an account on freelance platform sites such as Fiverr, Upwork, or PeoplePerHour to begin. Don’t, however, worry about having no skill. These days, that is no obstacle as many free courses can be found on platforms such as YouTube and Coursera to teach you.
Earning potential: A beginner might earn anywhere between 50,000-100,000 rupees a month, while experienced freelancers can expect to earn much higher amounts.
Pro tip: Video editing is hot now! Learn tools like DaVinci Resolve or Adobe Premiere Pro, and you will never be short of clients.
Print-on-demand is the most desirable online business to sell custom T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, phone cases, etc., without having to pre-purchase inventory. Even better? Printing and shipping are on the supplier; you just relax and enjoy the profits!
It works like this: you design the artwork, upload it to a POD site, and whenever someone orders that design, the supplier prints and ships it directly to the customer. So you earn profit for every sale without even holding the risk of unsold inventory.
To begin, you can create your original designs with tools like Canva or Photoshop, and upload them to POD sites like Printify, Redbubble, or Teespring. Advertising is essential to attract buyers; you can use Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest to market your products.
Earning potential: Depending on the store’s performance, it can make anything between 30,000 to 1,000,000 rupees per month.
Success story: One of my students started a custom T-shirt business while in A-levels. By the time he graduated, he was running it full-time—never having needed to get a job!
If you are good at a subject, tutoring is one of the easiest ways to make money. The best thing? Well, you are already studying for that subject so you don’t need to prepare anything extra.
There are two ways to make an income through tutoring. To begin with, you may offer in-person tutoring to younger students in your locality, or you may also set up home tuition classes.
Second, online tutoring through different websites such as Chegg, Cambly, and Preply*(which pay in dollars)*.
Online tutoring especially works well for those with excellent English skills. Plenty of platforms connect you with international students who need help with conversational English, and you don’t need any degrees to start.
Earning potential: One can easily make anything from 30,000 to 150,000 rupees a month, depending on the number of students he/she teaches.
Pro tip: If you speak fluent English, Cambly is a great site to earn dollars just by talking to students around the world!
Have you ever considered venturing into online selling but lack the funds to stock inventory? The answer is dropshipping! With dropshipping, you can sell products without holding any inventory. When a customer places an order, your supplier ships it directly to them.
The best way this works is by finding popular products on fire that people can’t wait to buy. You can create a store through Shopify and link it with suppliers from AliExpress, Spocket, or CJ Dropshipping. Your primary focus will now be on marketing- by Facebook ads, TikTok influencers, SEO to bring traffic to your store.
Income potential: A beginner can earn up to 50k per month, but when you scale it up, you can easily end up with six digits a month.
Insider tip: Look out for trending products like fitness gear, tech accessories, or home décor- these will fly off the shelves!
Content is king in the year 2025! Well, whether you are making videos for YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, or even writing blogs, all could make your passion be the site of your paycheck.
Earning in Content creation would vary from:
✔ Ad revenue- Youtube pays you per view of your video.
✔ Branding sponsorship- Corporations directly pay you to promote that specific product through your channel.
✔ Affiliation- For promotion of these products, a small commission is earned showing them.
✔ Sale of E-products- An e-book, course, or template can be created and sold through direct sales methods.
The best part? Not high-end cameras; all you need to make great content is your phone. All else is just regularly posting great stuff- that continuous flow attracts people, and if it does that, it is attracting income too.
Income potential: You can earn millions annually from this line doing it the right way.
Insider tip: Specialize in a particular niche, like fitness, tech, beauty, or education, and you will get a loyal audience.
The world is changing fast; now, students can earn more than ever before. The best thing? It involves not working in a full-time job or investing large amounts of money in anything—just being smart and dedicated.
Well, here are some of the best ones:
– Freelancing – If your skills involve doing something digital, such as design, writing, or coding.
– Print-on-Demand – If you like making customized stuff and selling it.
– Tutoring – You’re knowledgeable in subjects and want to pass this on to others.
– Dropshipping – You want to start your business without owning products.
– Content Creation – If you make videos, blogs, or social media for enjoyment. So, which of the side hustles are you fired up about starting?
To get complete guidance on these five hustles, watch the full video here: Top 5 Side Hustles for Students in 2025 – Make Money While Studying!
