Student athletes typically have extra busy schedules along with the usual college expenses. Between classes, course work, practices, and games or competitions, finding the time for a job to make some money can be tough.
Fortunately, there are many ways for college athletes to make money — through coaching, training gigs, remote work options, and more. With a little creativity, it’s possible to earn some cash doing what an athlete does best: playing to your strengths.
Here, you’ll learn more about how college athletes can make money while working on their degree.
Rising Cost of College
There’s no doubt that college is a big-ticket item: In the 2021-2022 school year, the average cost of tuition and fees at a public college was around $10,740 for in-state residents, and $27,560 for out-of-state residents. For private college, the average cost was $38,070.
Between 1980 and 2020, the average cost of an undergraduate degree went up by 169%.
Even if you’ve been awarded a scholarship, student athletes still need money for everyday expenses and all those protein bars. If you’re wondering how to make ends meet, read on for answers to the question, “How can you make money as a college athlete?”
12 Smart Ways to Make Money as a Student Athlete
If you need to balance athletics and academics, there are an array of part-time job opportunities well-suited for the student athlete.
Here are 12 ways you can bank on your abilities, while adding to your college bank account.
1. Working for the Athletics Department
Landing a job in your school’s athletics department can be a convenient way to earn money while figuring out how to get involved at college and meet other students. Many college athletic departments can provide part-time gigs — in the office or the locker room.
Try asking your coach or athletic director about money-making opportunities. Athletic departments often need the support and, since they’ll be helping out a student athlete, the arrangement can be a real win-win.
2. Training Younger Athletes
Your athletic talents can help nurture the next generation. You could earn an hourly wage working in an after-school sports program for kids — either directly at a school, with a private league/program, or with an organization such as the YMCA.
Parents are often looking for role models to coach and train their children. Some college athletes offer their expertise in a private one-on-one or small group setting for an hourly rate — between $20 to $25 per kid.
Your coach or athletic director may have insight on opportunities for working with children. Bonus: Running around with those energetic kids can help keep you in shape.
Recommended: 15 Low-Cost Side Hustles
3. Personal Training
Still curious about how a college athlete can earn money? Think about all those hours spent training, whether your sport is baseball or gymnastics. You can parlay your workout know-how into income. As a personal trainer, you could make around $20 bucks an hour working with a client, and schedule sessions around your availability.
However, some clients (definitely gyms) may require you to have a personal trainer certificate from an accredited program, which could take time and money.
4. Managing Social Media
In addition to hours in the weight room, college athletes, like most young people, have spent a lot of time on social media. Why not turn those hours of screen time into cash?
Some small businesses don’t have a social media presence. You could check with your campus pizza joint, a local fitness center, or your team’s favorite coffee bar and see if they might hire you to set up or maintain their social media accounts. You could arrange for an hourly rate or flat monthly fee.
Recommended: Finding Jobs That Pay Off Student Loans
5. Vlogging
Some student athletes start their own YouTube vlog relating their experiences or testing sports equipment. As it grows, you can eventually monetize it by using income-producing programs such as Google Adsense.
The flexibility of vlogging is great for a busy college athlete’s schedule, but it might take awhile for you to learn how to get paid for social media and start bringing in income.
Quick Money Tip:When you overdraft your checking account, you’ll likely pay a non-sufficient fund fee of, say, $35. Look into linking a savings account to your checking account as a backup to avoid that, or shop around for a zero fee bank account that doesn’t charge you for overdrafting.
6. Writing Sports Articles
You can make some extra dough by writing about your experiences as a college athlete — personal stories or articles about your triumphs and challenges or an insider’s scoop on the big match.
Check with local newspapers or online sports publications for submission requirements and pay scale.
7. Working Seasonal Jobs
Many college athletes may have more hours for a job during the off-season. If the bulk of your athletic commitments are in the spring, you might consider an easy way to make money in the winter, whether shoveling driveways or ski detailing in a sporting goods store.
A primarily winter season could free up time for an athletic summer job, such as being a lifeguard or a counselor at a sports camp.
8. Selling Old Sports Gear
Student athletes can clean out their closets and earn extra money by selling their gently used sports equipment, apparel, and footwear. Online marketplaces such as SidelineSwap and Geartrade deal specifically in used sports products. Or you can always list your items on Ebay, Facebook Marketplace, and/or Craigslist.
9. Selling Sports Cards
Like many college athletes, you may have spent your childhood collecting trading cards of your sports heroes. Now your hobby could really pay off. There are many websites and antique stores waiting to buy individual cards or your whole collection.
Only one problem: Some of your sports cards may have high sentimental value. You may not be able to part with them!
Recommended: 39 Passive Income Ideas to Build Wealth in 2022
10. Starting an Online Business
Being your own boss is a great way to ensure a flexible schedule for a college athlete. Tap your entrepreneurial streak. The possibilities are endless — editing services, translation services, online T-shirt sales with a unique logo for your team — and you can hire your teammates to help out.
Recommended: 11 Benefits of Having a Side Hustle
11. Modeling
Here’s how else student athletes can make money: Most are physically fit, making them good candidates for modeling work. You could submit photos to a local talent/modeling agency and mention your athletic skills as a plus. A photoshoot for a print ad or an on-camera commercial can yield good money for a few hours of work.
12. Cashing in on Endorsements
In 2021, college athletes earned the legal right to profit off of their names, images, and likeness (NIL). While some student athletes have raked in five- to six-figure endorsement deals, the majority of the 460,000 college athletes across the country earned smaller payouts or free products from local businesses.
While the ruling may be controversial, for some, it’s an easy way to benefit from your years of hard work and dedication to your sport.
The Takeaway
Student athletes can leverage their years of training and discipline into finding a part-time job. You can channel your sports knowledge and work ethic into coaching, personal training, vlogging, writing sports articles, or launching an online business.
With a little research and hard work, you can find an income source that is financially rewarding and won’t put your studies or athletic performance in the penalty box.
FAQ
Is it legal for student athletes to make money?
Student athletes are allowed to hold on-campus and off-campus jobs.
How many hours are student athletes able to work?
The NCAA dictates that student athletes are limited to participate in school athletic activities for a maximum of four hours a day, or 20 hours a week. Depending on a student’s course load, that leaves a few hours a day for a part-time job.
Do student athletes get paid?
Student athletes don’t receive salaries from colleges. However, they are allowed to benefit from monetizing their name, image, and likeness, and benefit from commercial endorsements.
Photo credit: iStock/GCShutter
Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.
SoFi members with direct deposit activity can earn 4.60% annual percentage yield (APY) on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. Direct Deposit means a deposit to an account holder’s SoFi Checking or Savings account, including payroll, pension, or government payments (e.g., Social Security), made by the account holder’s employer, payroll or benefits provider or government agency (“Direct Deposit”) via the Automated Clearing House (“ACH”) Network during a 30-day Evaluation Period (as defined below). Deposits that are not from an employer or government agency, including but not limited to check deposits, peer-to-peer transfers (e.g., transfers from PayPal, Venmo, etc.), merchant transactions (e.g., transactions from PayPal, Stripe, Square, etc.), and bank ACH funds transfers and wire transfers from external accounts, do not constitute Direct Deposit activity. There is no minimum Direct Deposit amount required to qualify for the stated interest rate.
SoFi members with Qualifying Deposits can earn 4.60% APY on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. Qualifying Deposits means one or more deposits that, in the aggregate, are equal to or greater than $5,000 to an account holder’s SoFi Checking and Savings account (“Qualifying Deposits”) during a 30-day Evaluation Period (as defined below). Qualifying Deposits only include those deposits from the following eligible sources: (i) ACH transfers, (ii) inbound wire transfers, (iii) peer-to-peer transfers (i.e., external transfers from PayPal, Venmo, etc. and internal peer-to-peer transfers from a SoFi account belonging to another account holder), (iv) check deposits, (v) instant funding to your SoFi Bank Debit Card, (vi) push payments to your SoFi Bank Debit Card, and (vii) cash deposits. Qualifying Deposits do not include: (i) transfers between an account holder’s Checking account, Savings account, and/or Vaults; (ii) interest payments; (iii) bonuses issued by SoFi Bank or its affiliates; or (iv) credits, reversals, and refunds from SoFi Bank, N.A. (“SoFi Bank”) or from a merchant.
SoFi Bank shall, in its sole discretion, assess each account holder’s Direct Deposit activity and Qualifying Deposits throughout each 30-Day Evaluation Period to determine the applicability of rates and may request additional documentation for verification of eligibility. The 30-Day Evaluation Period refers to the “Start Date” and “End Date” set forth on the APY Details page of your account, which comprises a period of 30 calendar days (the “30-Day Evaluation Period”). You can access the APY Details page at any time by logging into your SoFi account on the SoFi mobile app or SoFi website and selecting either (i) Banking > Savings > Current APY or (ii) Banking > Checking > Current APY. Upon receiving a Direct Deposit or $5,000 in Qualifying Deposits to your account, you will begin earning 4.60% APY on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% on checking balances on or before the following calendar day. You will continue to earn these APYs for (i) the remainder of the current 30-Day Evaluation Period and through the end of the subsequent 30-Day Evaluation Period and (ii) any following 30-day Evaluation Periods during which SoFi Bank determines you to have Direct Deposit activity or $5,000 in Qualifying Deposits without interruption.
SoFi Bank reserves the right to grant a grace period to account holders following a change in Direct Deposit activity or Qualifying Deposits activity before adjusting rates. If SoFi Bank grants you a grace period, the dates for such grace period will be reflected on the APY Details page of your account. If SoFi Bank determines that you did not have Direct Deposit activity or $5,000 in Qualifying Deposits during the current 30-day Evaluation Period and, if applicable, the grace period, then you will begin earning the rates earned by account holders without either Direct Deposit or Qualifying Deposits until you have Direct Deposit activity or $5,000 in Qualifying Deposits in a subsequent 30-Day Evaluation Period. For the avoidance of doubt, an account holder with both Direct Deposit activity and Qualifying Deposits will earn the rates earned by account holders with Direct Deposit.
Members without either Direct Deposit activity or Qualifying Deposits, as determined by SoFi Bank, during a 30-Day Evaluation Period and, if applicable, the grace period, will earn 1.20% APY on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances.
Interest rates are variable and subject to change at any time. These rates are current as of 10/24/2023. There is no minimum balance requirement. Additional information can be found at http://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet..
SoFi® Checking and Savings is offered through SoFi Bank, N.A. ©2023 SoFi Bank, N.A. All rights reserved. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender.
The SoFi Bank Debit Mastercard® is issued by SoFi Bank, N.A., pursuant to license by Mastercard International Incorporated and can be used everywhere Mastercard is accepted. Mastercard is a registered trademark, and the circles design is a trademark of Mastercard International Incorporated.
Third-Party Brand Mentions: No brands, products, or companies mentioned are affiliated with SoFi, nor do they endorse or sponsor this article. Third-party trademarks referenced herein are property of their respective owners.
SOBK0822024
