It’s no surprise that paying for college is one of the biggest stressors for young adults. Many students depend on savings from their parents, student loans, and work-study programs to cover their costs. With the impending economic downturn and the elimination of work-study programs on campuses that have gone remote, the challenge can feel impossible to tackle right now.
Consider the Cost of Tuition at Your Top Choices
Tuition costs can vary greatly, depending on whether it’s a state university, private college, or community college. It also depends on whether you live in or out of state.
The average tuition for a Virginia state university averages over $25,000 per year, with most students paying around $20,000 after financial aid. At a community college, such as Dabney S. Lancaster, tuition starts at $18,000 but there is significantly more financial aid available. Most students only pay around $6,000 after aid.
You should also take into account what scholarships are available through the school and what kind of work-study programs they offer when deciding your school of choice.
Alternative Ways for College Students to Make Money
If you don’t want to pay your tuition totally with student loans and you can’t depend on your work-study program in the current climate, there are some other great ways for college students to make money without having to get a full-time job.
Tap Into the Gig Economy
Love spending time with dogs? Download Rover and become a pet sitter! With the growth of the “gig” economy, you can make some money on the fly with a short-term commitment. If you’re not a dog lover, that’s okay – there are plenty of other options:
Offer Your Opinions
Another easy way to make money is by sharing your opinions! From the comfort of your own home, you can get paid to take surveys on a variety of topics. You can also participate in market research studies or get paid to let a web developer watch how you navigate a website or app with user testing.
There are plenty of ways to make an extra buck and every little bit adds up. Just get creative and use the gig economy to stack up your savings.
Get a Part-Time Job
While you can make a lot of money through side jobs if you commit your time to a variety of the options out there, if you’re spending that much time working anyway you may want to look into a part-time job. Working a full-time job and attending school full-time can be overwhelming, but putting in a few hours at a local restaurant over the weekend requires little time commitment for a higher payout. As businesses begin to open back up, many are hiring new part-time positions.
Partner with Your Bank
As a community bank, we want to see everyone in our hometown succeed. That’s why we offer products like Student Checking to help young adults get their financial footing. Our team is always just a phone call or branch visit away from helping you better manage your finances and find the right accounts and loans that could help you manage your college tuition.
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