Business ideas for college students

College can be a great time to explore entrepreneurship. And there are plenty of different business opportunities that college students can start without a lot of upfront expense or time commitment. Below you’ll find fifty business ideas for college students.

Business Ideas for College Students

Blogger

Blogging can offer great opportunities for college students. You can choose a topic or niche that interests you and work to build up an audience on your own schedule.

Virtual Assistant

You can also work from your home or dorm room as a virtual assistant, offering services like email communications and social media management. 

Tutor

If you have expertise in a specific academic topic, you could offer your services to other college students as a tutor to help them get through specific courses. 

YouTube Personality

YouTube is a great platform for building a business. You can earn money through ad revenue or work with brands as an influencer to make money on YouTube. 

Social Media Manager

For those who have a fair amount of social media knowledge, you can start your own social media business and offer your services to those that need help managing their social media accounts.

Social Media Influencer

You could also build up your own social media accounts and then work with brands as an influencer.

Social Media Consultant

Or if you’d rather simply offer your expertise to brands so that they can work on their own social media accounts, you can offer your services as a consultant. 

Podcaster

Podcasting is another potential business opportunity that you can work on from your home or dorm room and set your own schedule. 

Pet Groomer

You could also start a pet grooming service where you offer to wash and groom animals for a set fee. 

Inventor

There are also plenty of opportunities for college students to invent brand new products and then license or produce those items to sell.

Graphic Designer

If you have some design skills, you could start a business as a graphic designer, working on logos, branding elements or other designs for clients. 

Web Designer

Web savvy designers could also set up a business designing websites for businesses or individual clients. 

App Developer

Or if you’re really skilled with mobile technology, one of the great business ideas for college students is starting a business developing mobile apps for clients or even making your own and then selling them in app stores. 

Clothing Designer

Fashion savvy college students, you could start your very own clothing line out of your home or dorm and then sell your designs online or in local boutiques. 

T-shirt Designer

Or you could use online marketplaces to offer t-shirts with your own custom designs for sale.

Jewelry Maker

If you want to make some other unique wearable creations, you can make your own jewelry and begin selling jewelry on Etsy or at local events.

Flea Market Vendor

You could also sell a variety of different products at flea markets in your area on the weekends. 

Farmers’ Market Vendor

Or if you grow or can any of your own food products, another one of the neat business ideas for college students is selling items at farmers’ markets on the weekends.

Soap Maker

Soap is another product that you can easily make in your own home or dorm and then sell online or at craft fairs or events. 

Candle Maker

Or you could make your own scented candles and sell them in one or more of those avenues. 

Vintage Clothing Seller

If you have an extensive vintage collection, you could set up your own online shop where you can sell vintage clothes. Then you can scour resale shops and flea markets for even more vintage finds to sell. 

Ebook Author

If you have enough vision or expertise to write a book, you could self-publish your own ebook and sell it on platforms like Amazon. 

Ecommerce Reseller

You can also pretty easily set up your own ecommerce business on sites like Amazon or eBay and then sell a variety of different types of products. 

Event Photographer

Photographers, use your weekends off from school to start an event photography business where you could photograph weddings, conferences or other events. 

Portrait Photographer

Or you could offer portrait photography services and sell various packages for family photos, senior portraits and more. 

Recycling Service Provider

If you want to start an eco-friendly business, you can offer to pick up select items from people and take those items to local recycling facilities.

Book Seller

College students often have a lot of books lying around. You could start a business by selling some of those books online and maybe even open up your own shop. 

Transportation Service Provider

You could also start a transportation service where you offer rides to other college students who don’t have reliable transportation. 

Errand Service Provider

Or you could offer to handle various errands for busy college students or others in your community. 

Student Magazine Publisher

You could also start your own magazine about student life or a variety of other topics and then sell copies or ad space. 

Baker

If you enjoy preparing food, you could use one of these baking business ideas and start baking for special events. Or you could even sell specific products to nearby stores or bake shops. 

Tech Support Provider

For tech savvy college students, you could start a service where people with tech questions can contact you for assistance in exchange for a small fee. 

Computer Setup Povider

Or you could offer to set up people’s computers or other devices if they need some help getting started.

Tour guide

If your college campus is in an area that’s popular with tourists, you could offer your services as a tour guide and shop people around the community.

Laundry Service Provider

Some college students might not have enough time or patience to do their own laundry regularly. One of the creative business ideas for college students is starting a laundry service where you charge a small fee to take care of that chore for your fellow students.

Musician

Musically inclined college students, you can start your own band or musical act and play at local events or venues. 

Student Website Operator

You could also start your own website for your fellow students and charge a membership fee or even work with local businesses for advertising opportunities. 

Social Networking Founder

Or if you have an idea for a new social networking site, a college campus could be the perfect place to get started and test out your idea. 

Freelance Writer

For writers who don’t necessarily want to make a business out of their own blogs, you could offer services as a freelance writer for other publications. 

Resume Service Provider

Or you could offer services to your fellow college students who are entering the job market by writing or critiquing their resumes. 

Illustrator

Artistically inclined college students, you can offer your services as a custom illustrator for businesses, authors or other organizations that need specific items drawn out. 

Artist

Or you could create your very own drawings, paintings or other works of art and sell them online or in local galleries. 

Delivery Service Provider

If you have reliable transportation, you could also start a delivery service for food or other items.

Proofreader

You could also start a business as a proofreader where you look over papers or other assignments that your fellow college students want edited. 

Welcome Kit Provider

If you’ve been in college for a few years, you know some of the essential items that newcomers should have. So you could put together and sell welcome kits for new students and their families. 

Personal Trainer

For those who are more physically focused, you could choose from one of these fitness business ideas and offer personal training services to help your fellow college students avoid the dreaded “freshman 15.” 

Sports Coach

Another one of the business ideas for college students into sports is providing coaching services aimed at people competing in specific sports.