8 Legit Ways to Get Paid to Go to School (and Avoid Debt)

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to stop earning while you learn. This article is all about how you can get paid to go to school.

If you’re passionate about continuous learning, there are numerous opportunities to earn whilst studying, despite the seemingly prohibitive costs of education. By finding companies that pay for your education, you can pursue your dreams without financial barriers, merging the importance of education and income to confidently achieve your goals.

We foster relationships with brands we use and trust. The testimonials on our site represent real experiences, but they don’t guarantee you’ll achieve similar results. When you make purchases through our links to our partners, we may earn a commission. Your support helps us continue this work. You can read our full disclosure here.

How to Get Paid to Go to School

Page Contents

1. Join the Military

One of the top jobs available to get paid to go to school is joining the military. Regardless of which branch of the military you choose to enlist with, you get the honor of serving your country plus the benefits that come with being a soldier. Those benefits include getting money to cover your school expenses. Additionally, those benefits can be passed down to your children.

Related: How to Become a Makeup Artist

2. Ask Your Employer for Opportunities

There are many employers that offer fractional tuition reimbursement while other employers provide coverage for your entire tuition based on the subject you are studying. For example, if you are working at a bank and decide to get a degree in accounting, this degree would directly impact your skills to be an even better employee.

This means the employer would benefit from your degree just as much as you would and it may pay for some or all of your tuition. Check with your employer first to ensure you understand what the conditions are for tuition reimbursement before enrolling in education courses.

Related: How to Get Paid to Drink Beer

3. Search for Scholarships and Grants

We know money doesn’t grow on trees, but there are plenty of pots of free money available out there that can pay for you to go to school. Those pots are known as scholarships and grants.

To get a scholarship or grant, you have to search for them online or within your local community. You will most likely need to complete an application and/or an essay about why you deserve the funds. Free money won’t just get placed at your doorstep; you have to do some of the footwork.

CareerOneStop is the place to start your search for grants, scholarships, prizes, and more. The organization is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration and lists more than 8,000 opportunities.

Scholarships and grants are awarded in various amounts. Apply for as many as you are qualified for to increase your chances of being awarded an amount that would pay for your school expenses.

4. Start a Lifestyle Blog About Your Time in School

Blogs are a great source for generating passive income. Start a blog about your life as a student and allow ads to be displayed on your site. You will get paid for each view and click that takes place on those ads.

Additionally, you can add in some affiliate links to products you use to help make school work easier. Every time someone makes a purchase using your special link on your blog, you get a commission. Advertise as many products as you want to increase your earning.

5. Create a School Life YouTube Channel

Start a YouTube channel and take your viewers with you as you make strides to earn the degree of your dreams. You may not be able to record in the lecture rooms, but you can record yourself studying, providing tips on cramming for tests, and doing various school-related activities.

Upload your videos onto your YouTube channel and incorporate ads on your videos. This will allow you to get paid to go to school.

Related: How to Become a Filmmaker

How to Get Paid by Classmates

While you’re in school, you might as well offer services to other students and get paid for them. Try one of these trusted online jobs for students and use the money for your tuition and any other supplies.

6. Sell Things to Classmates

The sky is the limit with the option to sell things to classmates. Find ways to create templates, calendars, to-do lists, flashcards, etc., and sell them to others. You can put these up on your own Etsy site to sell. You can also think about selling other school items you no longer need such as old textbooks, an oversupply of notebooks and pens, and more.

7. Offer Proofreading Services to Classmates

School requirements include writing essays, thesis papers, discussion posts, speeches, and more. It can be easy for the writer to overlook any grammar or spelling errors in their work. Consider becoming a proofreader and offering your services to them to help them increase their grades in the classes. Give them the confidence to submit assignments knowing you have proofread their work.

If you don’t know how to start in the proofreading world, begin with the free webinar by Caitlin Pyle, creator of the amazing Proofread Anywhere course. In a little over an hour, you will learn if proofreading is right for you and how to attract prospective clients (or classmates in this case).

8. Become a Tutor in Subjects You Excel In

We all have a subject that we are better at than the others. Figure out what subject that is for you and consider offering tutoring services to classmates for that subject specifically. Charge by the hour or offer packages for a certain amount of sessions per month. Additionally, check with the administration office to ask if there are paid tutoring opportunities. Some schools work with the state to fund tutors for students in need.

Going to School Pays in More Ways Than One

Going to school not only means you are preparing for a more lucrative future, but you can also get paid while you are working toward this goal. It couldn’t be a more ideal combination of brains and money.

From companies that pay you to go to school to offering services to other classmates or watching movies while participating in studies, there are a variety of ways to take advantage of earning while studying. If every student knew these ways to get paid to go to school, the world would be a better place.

The best part is that you don’t have to choose just one of the ways listed here to get paid to go to school. Combine a few ways to really maximize your earning potential.

School can be expensive, which leads to discouragement when thinking about going back to learn more. Don’t give up on your dreams; enroll in school and make money at the same time. It’s never too late to get paid to learn something new.

Related: How to Become a Babysitter