Top 5 side hustles for students (that aren’t Uber Eats)
By William Nguyen5 min read · March 20, 2025
We’ve all been there. You check your bank account and… yikes. You’re either waiting for Centrelink, your next pay check, or hoping your mate pays you back for that coffee.
And while Uber Eats and dog walking are fine, maybe you’re after something more flexible, less effort for better reward, and—who knows?—something that could turn into a legit business.
At UNSW Founders, we’re all about helping students make moves. So we’ve rounded up 5 practical side hustles you can start now. They fit around your study schedule, you don’t need a ton of experience and they can help you build skills and your bank account.
1. Freelance skills you already have
Design, Tutoring, Writing, Admin
You’ve got skills, even if you don’t realise it yet. Think about the assignments you ace without breaking a sweat, the notes your friends are always borrowing, or that Canva poster you made look amazing.
Freelancing is a great way to earn money from skills you already have. You don’t need a degree or years of experience to start—just a solid offer and a little confidence.
What you could do:
Design logos, social posts, or presentations
Tutor high school students in your best subjects
Proofread essays, CVs, or job applications
Help small businesses with admin or data entry
Where to find gigs:
Airtasker → Easy, local jobs in tutoring, admin, design
Fiverr → Create a profile and offer services like writing, design, or editing
Upwork → Freelance marketplace with remote gigs
Facebook community groups → advertise your services on here
Quick tip: Offer your services to friends and family first. Word of mouth is still one of the best ways to land your first gig (and get reviews).
2. Sell your art or digital products
For the creatives out there
If you’re always doodling in your lecture notes, making mood boards, or have a knack for design, you could be sitting on your next side hustle.
Selling digital products means you make something once, and sell it again and again. That’s what we call passive income—and who doesn’t love making money while they sleep?
What you could sell:
Digital art prints, stickers, phone wallpapers
Planners, templates, and digital journals
Handmade art like earrings, tote bags, or zines
Where to start:
Etsy → Great for digital files and handmade goods
Redbubble → Upload your designs, and they handle the printing and shipping
Gumroad → Sell downloads like planners, templates, and art
Canva → Pro tip: It’s free for students and super easy to create digital products
Quick tip: Don’t overthink it! Your first product doesn’t need to be perfect. Launch it, get feedback, improve as you go.
3. Flip items for profit
️ Thrift it, flip it, cash out
This one’s for anyone who loves op-shopping or scrolling Facebook Marketplace for bargains. Flipping is simple: buy low, sell high.
You can start small with clothes, books, or tech—basically anything you find cheap (or free!) and think someone else would pay more for.
Hot items to flip:
Clothes and shoes
Textbooks and study materials
Phones, cameras, and other gadgets
Furniture (hello, IKEA hacks)
Where to sell:
Depop → Trendy thrifted clothes and accessories
Facebook Marketplace → Textbooks, furniture, random finds
eBay → Tech gear, collectibles, and gaming stuff
Uni buy/sell groups → Fellow students always need textbooks!
Quick tip: Hit up Vinnies or Salvos, grab $2 bargains, then list them online with good photos and honest descriptions. Easy.
4. Offer virtual assistant (VA) services
Help people stay organised—and get paid for it
If you’re organised (or at least better at it than your group project team), you’ve already got the skills to be a Virtual Assistant. Small businesses and solo entrepreneurs are always looking for help with admin.
The best part? Most VA gigs are remote and flexible, which means you can work from your bed between classes.
Common VA tasks:
Email management
Calendar scheduling
Data entry
Social media posting
Customer support
Where to find VA gigs:
Upwork → Search “virtual assistant” for loads of options
Airtasker → Admin and data jobs
Instagram DMs → Reach out to small businesses offering help (keep it friendly and casual)
Quick tip: Start by offering your services at a low hourly rate to gain experience and testimonials—then raise your prices as you go.
5. Design & sell notion templates
For the productivity nerds
If you’re the type who loves colour-coded planners and to-do lists, this one’s for you. Notion is huge right now, and people are willing to pay for done-for-you templates to organise their lives.
From student planners to business dashboards, there’s so much you can create (and sell).
What to create:
Uni planning templates (assignment trackers, study schedulers)
Life dashboards (fitness, budgeting, meal prep)
Business tools (CRM, social media planners)
Where to sell:
Gumroad → Easy to set up and sell your templates
Reddit (r/Notion) → Share freebies to build hype, then link your shop
TikTok / Instagram → Show how your template works in a quick demo
Quick tip: Notion offers a free student plan, so you can get started without spending a cent. Create, sell, repeat.
So… What’s Next?
You don’t need to wait for graduation to start something cool.
Some side hustles stay side hustles—but some? They become startups. If you’ve got the itch to go bigger, UNSW Founders is here to help.
We’ve got:
Free workshops and mentorships to grow your skills
A state-of-the-art markerspace
Funding and accelerator programs to take your idea further
👉 Check out our programs and start your founder journey.
Social Media Assistant
William is the guy behind the posts at UNSW Founders. He’s currently studying Education and Media Arts at UNSW, with a soft spot for storytelling that helps students back themselves—whether it’s launching a side hustle, starting a business, or just figuring out what’s next. Outside of work, he’s usually at a concert, listening to jazz, eating his weight in seafood, or making TikToks (for fun and research). Fun fact: he can turn literally anything into a LinkedIn post.