College 101
Weird Ways to Get Cash for College
Want to go against the grain? Feel like bucking the system? Or, uh, did you just not get any scholarships? Here are few off-the-beaten-path ways to come up with the cash to finance your college education.
Disclaimer: we don't recommend ditching student loan applications in favor of one of these ideas. Or, at least tell your parents we said that.
1. Crowdsourcing
People use crowdsourcing sites to raise money for charities, albums, self-published books, and movies…so why not college? A few students have paid for college this way, either creating their own website or using crowdsourcing sites like IndieGoGo, Kickstarter, and Gofundme.
Sometimes it pays—literally—to depend on the kindness of strangers.
2. Corporate Sponsorship
You probably wear clothes with company logos on them anyway, right? So why not get a company to pay you for it? A few enterprising college students have done just that. They've written to companies, promising to use their products on campus and to promote their brands to other students. In exchange, they get cold, hard cash. Back in 2001, Luke McCabe and Chris Barrett took this route and never had to worry about pesky student loans or traditional financial aid.
They probably got a lot of cool swag, too
3. Starting a Business
Sure, you could sling on a hairnet and work at the dorm cafeteria, serving up re-heated mush to hungover undergrads while still graduating with student loans (minimum wage only goes so far, you know).
Or you could start up your own business and make enough to avoid student debt entirely.
Okay, it's not easy, but lots of students are doing it. College student Alex Tew started selling ad space on a website and earned a cool million in the first five months. Other students launch elaborate start-ups meant to rival Facebook, and others stick with basic businesses like delivery or tutoring services.
The point? It pays to be your own boss.
4. Small Change
It's a very simple system: see a penny; pick it up.
Repeat ten million times, and you'll have enough for four years of college. Maybe not the fastest way to save up, but it's not unheard of. In 2011, Nic Ramos paid for his tuition in one dollar bills, and in 2012 Devin DeFraine did the same with rolled-up coins.
Added bonus: you get to annoy the crap out of the hard-to-deal-with campus offices that you have to interact with on a daily basis.
5. Moonlighting
Try getting temp gigs through an agency, or do remote freelance work. If you have any skill on the planet, you can be pretty sure that people will be willing to pay you for it in some capacity. Plenty of college students pick up extra bucks—or their entire tuition costs—by doing these kinds of casual gigs.
6. The Competitive Edge
Love to compete in stuff—and win?
Well, there might be money in it.
In 2013, Eric Dahl of the University of Wisconsin was earning bucks as a competitive eater. He would show up at food competitions, get free food, and walk away with hundreds or thousands of dollars in prize money. If eating till you puke isn't your thing, there are contests and competitions for just about everything.
Time to let that Type A personality come through for you.