The 2026 Side Hustlin’ Student Scholarship Opportunity

One of our core values here at The College Investor is that it is essential to both earn money and save money. Financial balance is the key to wealth over time. No financial goal can really be achieved without doing both.

So when it comes to paying for college, the same is true. Hopefully you've saved a little, and hopefully you're looking for ways to earn more.

This scholarship is designed to help you save. But you have to show us what you're doing to earn more.

I'm a firm believer that the most successful college students are those that works and side hustle during school. Not only does it help to earn some extra money, but it helps build skills like communications, sales, problem solving, and more.

Let's dive into it more, and talk about how to enter.

My Side Hustle Story

I personally started building a side income all the way back in Middle School. I used to convince my mom to buy the multi-pack Snickers and Three Muskateers bars at Costco. I would then take them to school and resell them individually at break and lunch time for a profit. I would make $10-15 per week profit doing this!

And that was just the start. I'd do all kinds of random things to earn money. I used to caddy for bridge tournaments (you know, the card game). I used to sell things on eBay while in high school. I got my first real job at 16 and worked all the way through high school and college.

The bottom line is, making money is essential to financial health and wealth. Even more so, the life skills gained by side hustling are huge: communication and selling, problem solving, math and computer skills. The list goes on.

That's why I want to reward those who are already side hustling.

The College Investor Side Hustlin' Student Scholarship Opportunity

We're proud to offer an annual scholarship of $2,500 to new and current college students. We will also offer a runner-up scholarship of $1,000.

Submissions will be accepted starting in January, with the winner selected in July.

The goal of the scholarship is to recognize and award individuals who are both pursing higher education while working hard to achieve their dreams financially. We want to hear about the creative and passionate ways that individuals are working towards their dreams - both literally and figuratively. 

This scholarship is not about how much money someone is earning at their side hustle. In fact, little consideration will be given to that. It doesn't matter if your side hustle is earning $100 or $100,000. What matters is your effort, thought process, and goals. We want to know your story.

How To Apply For The Scholarship Opportunity

Here are the details on how to apply for the Side Hustlin' Student Scholarship Opportunity.

Applicants must submit a 1,000+ word essay about how you are earning extra income on the side of going to school. Topics can include anything from how you started a business, to why you decided to get a job, to how your parents encouraged you to work.

The best applicants will share a story about their life/dream/goals and how they endeavored to achieve it financially through work/side hustle/business venture.

Here are a few guidelines to follow:

• Essay must be your own work not previously published on any other website or publication.
• Applicants must either be enrolled or actively applying for enrollment to an undergraduate or graduate program. Students at technical, community, and four-year colleges are welcome to apply.
• Entries will be accepted starting January 1, 2026.
• All entries must be received by March 31, 2026.
• Applicants must state the school they are or plan to attend
• Applications should be submitted to [email protected]. Please include a name, address, phone number, and headshot to be included with article publication. Don't use a school email address - use your personal email so that we can contact you during the summer.
• Please include "Scholarship" in the subject line of the email.
• The entry should be in a Word document (not Google drive or PDF), appropriately formatted (e.g. subheadings, proper paragraph spacing, proper sentence use), with use of good spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Note: this is the biggest disqualifying reason we've seen in past years. 

Essays will be screened, and the top essays will be published on The College Investor. Applicants are encouraged to support and promote the scholarship and other content on The College Investor. Our team notices who is out there and who is simply "mailing it in". The scholarship winner and runner up will be selected on July 31, 2026.

Take a look at the finalists and winners from the last few years to get a good sense of what we're looking for. 

Take Aways

Developing a side income is a skill that is essential for everyone. We are encouraged by stories of people starting young and working their way through school.

If this sounds like you, or you know someone who fits this description, please share this scholarship opportunity with them.

Note: About 75% of all entries are disqualified because they don't follow the basic instructions above - especially document type, formatting. If you're going to take the time to submit, take the extra five minutes to do it correctly.

Last Year's Winners

The winners for 2025 are live here: Side Hustlin' Student Scholarship Winners.