The Top 10 Money Tips for College Students

College time is fun. But the struggle to make money last is real for most of us.

From cooking ramen in a coffeepot to having pop tarts for dinner to searching for the cheapest secondhand textbooks, we have seen it all as college students. 

We know why networking is so big in college. Online dissertation writing service providers offer attractive discounts on bulk orders! So, here we are with some mind-blowing money-saving tips to make your college life much easier:

1. Have fun with open-source textbooks, ebooks, and audiobooks.

Open Textbook Library, OpenStax, Bookboon, and Libgen are absolute life-savers for college students. Besides open-source textbooks, you can also access ebooks and audiobooks for free or at very low prices through ever-increasing web and mobile apps.

Listen to the audiobook while lying down or use your travel time to complete the last few pages of the chapter you had been studying online – without having to buy a single book!

2. A sweet deal from Spotify, Hulu, and Showtime!

University and grad school students must use their student email address to subscribe to Hulu plan without any premium network add-ons and pay it directly (not through a third party). They can avail Hulu, Showtime, and Spotify Premium for as little as $4.99 per month. 

Kanopy is a free website for students. It is a treasure house of movies from independent festivals and smaller productions. 

3. Free software for students is an ongoing trend.

With a school email address, you can access AutoCAD and AutoDesk suite for free. Inventor is also free with a 3-year license for college students. GitHub student pack has many freebies, such as free domain names and cloud hosting.

JetBrains also allows students and teachers to use the JetBrains All Products Pack free of charge for educational purposes. Microsoft Office is also free if you have an email address having ‘.edu’.

Many journal websites allow some articles free for students. It is always worth a try. 

4. Eat healthy and tasty food for less!

Students either survive on ramen and Kraft Dinner during college years or go broke over food. But they don’t need to go down that road. Budgetbytes is wonderful to get easy and quick recipes for bowl dinners using the ingredients you have on hand. Eatcheapandhealthy is another website with wonderful recipes all college students will love. 

Also, keep an eye on college events. Most events have free food (or free food vouchers) to enjoy – and present you with some of the best opportunities to make new friends. There’s nothing like bonding over (free) food & drinks.

5. Low-cost assignment help providers can help you out of tight spots in college.

Many online assignment help service providers offer local experts to create custom assignments for you. GoAssignmentHelp, for example, provides assignment help Australiaservices. 

If you are in the US, Canada, UK, or any other country, and need help in writing your assignments, look for online assignment assistance in your country, check the samples, compare the prices, and get your work done for cheap.

Now that’s a secret we do not share with everyone!

6. Befriend a Librarian.

Librarians can not only help you borrow textbooks, journals, movies, and music but also help you save money in several little ways. You can find a quiet study space at the library, print your documents in peace, and get a quick tutoring session from the librarian. Yes, most librarians are well-read and eager to help. 

Being in a library also means that you can’t indulge in impulse-shopping. So if you are a shopaholic, go to a library and let the urge pass. Many libraries also offer free wifi. You can save your data while searching for books in other libraries online. And who can coach you better on using a digital database like a pro than a librarian?

Librarians can also lend you things like telescopes and skeletons for educational purposes. If you ask a librarian for a piece of information, he or she will go to great lengths to find it for you.

7. Find an on-campus job.

College campuses provide excellent part-time or full-time work opportunities for students. They tend to be flexible to adjust students’ academic schedules and give you solid references after you graduate.

In the 90s, students working in multimedia computer labs at universities were lucky to get 24-hour staff access to school computers. Note-takers get to attend interesting lectures and get paid for it. 

On-campus jobs for students are designed to add value to their college experience. Besides, you save time and money on commuting to somewhere outside the campus for work.

8. Save money and time on research work.

Google Scholar is a great search engine that turns up academic articles and books you can use in your research paper based on keywords. You can access most of these papers using your university’s library or network credentials.

Scihub and PubMed are also excellent resources for someone in college. If some research articles still ask you to pay up, email the author directly. Many authors are happy to send you a free copy of their publication.

An institutional IP address or the university email address also provides you access to the full text of most of the research papers published in reputed journals. You can try adding ‘pdf’ after the research paper topic to see if you can access its free copy online.

9. Apply for all the scholarships you are eligible for.

Many small scholarships, grants, and bursaries in American universities go unclaimed every year because no one bothers to apply for them. Contacting the university office to see which of these scholarships you are eligible for (based on merit, ethnicity, first-come-first-served, economic background, etc.).

Some of these scholarships are made available to anyone who applies if no eligible person is available. 

Free money is always good – no matter how small the amount is. Multiple random scholarships can add up to hundreds to thousands of extra dollars in your pocket every year.

10. CLEP Tests save you time and money while working to earn a degree.

The College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) allows students to earn college credits by clearing an exam with their existing knowledge. Thus, you can skip the introductory classes and save money on them. CLEP Tests can be taken in as many as 24 general academic courses.

If you already know a subject, taking CLEP tests offers you a cheaper and faster way to earn a college degree.