How to make money as a student

For many, their time at university represents the best years of their life. It’s an opportunity to enjoy your freedom, gain some independence from mum and dad, explore a new city and make some new friends. And of course, it offers you a chance to further your education and set yourself up for a successful professional career.

With all those enticements, it’s little wonder that there were 2.38 million students in higher education in the UK in 2018-19. But it’s not all rosy, and every year scholars up and down the country must decide whether going to university is the right decision for them. Most doubts centre around the financial aspect, with the average amount of student debt rising steadily since 2000, and particularly sharply in England over the last five years.

Every student’s situation is different, and some may look to bad credit loans to help them out if they’re struggling to make ends meet or cover that next rent payment. If that’s the case, there are plenty of things you can do to boost your finances and help to repay any money owed. Here are just five of them:

Part-time work

Many university courses have relatively few contact hours, which means there is plenty of spare time during the week to pick up a part-time job. That could be anything from working in a bar to picking up shifts for a cleaning company. The nature of the job isn’t crucial – what’s important is that it offers a little extra income as well as invaluable life experience.

Sell stuff online

If you’ve moved out of the family home, there’s a good chance you left some things behind that you deemed unnecessary. If that’s the case, why not make some money from them? It could be clothes that you never wear, books that you don’t read, or an old games console that hasn’t been touched in years.

Become an extra

Ok, so this one is slightly left-field but the pay can be more than handy and you might have some fun in the process. There are plenty of casting agencies where you can sign up and apply to become an extra and who knows, it might be the start of a stellar acting career!

Go freelance

If you’ve got a passion for writing, you could put your skills to good use whenever you’re not knee-deep in essays. Marketing agencies, newspapers and sports desks all frequently use freelancers to create content and if they like your work then it could turn into a regular source of income.

Deliver food

If you have your own car or bicycle, you can offer your services to nearby restaurants and takeaway outlets, helping to deliver food around the area. As well as making some money, if you’re getting around on two wheels rather than four, it’s a great way to stay active.