Nexus Notes Review: Easy Side Hustle If You’re Still In College

Do your college classmates constantly badger you for your notes or are you a meticulous notetaker? Or perhaps you’re a busy student who is open to making a few bucks for something you’re doing anyway in class. 

If so, consider sharing your notes on Nexus Notes, an online marketplace for students and professionals. The site was created for people to gain access to notes for classes and learn from other students around the world. 

The company charges a subscription fee for subscribers, also referred to as learners, but is free to use if you want to submit your notes. 

Here’s what you need to know before deciding whether or not it’s worth your time.

What Is Nexus Notes?

Nexus Notes is a platform for both learners and notetakers to come together. Learners need to pay to gain access, while notetakers can use the platform without paying a subscription fee. Students and professionals can upload their course materials, notes, and other summaries to Nexus. 

The notes are reviewed and then verified by the company to ensure the best quality. There is a chance your notes may be rejected if they don’t meet Nexus Notes’ standards, which will be covered in detail below.

How Does Nexus Notes Work?

The platform has specific requirements for notetakers. You must be enrolled in college and ideally, you should have stellar grades. You don’t have to have straight A’s to qualify, but imagine if you were on the site looking for notes to study for an upcoming exam. Wouldn’t you feel better knowing that you’re buying notes from someone who has aced that class? It gives learners peace of mind that the notes they pay for are from a high-achiever. 

If you’re able to prove you have good grades by submitting your transcripts, Nexus Notes will include a verification checkmark in your profile. This may help you stand out from other notetakers. 

According to their site, well-structured notes are usually more popular and can earn you more. Therefore, notes need to be detailed, concise, and easy to follow.

Getting Paid As A Notetaker

If making money is a top priority for you, you may not like the fact that there’s a lot of gray area when it comes to Nexus Notes’ payout structure. For example, it’s unclear how many notes you have to upload before you can turn a profit. 

The site says earnings aren’t guaranteed, but according to Nexus, notetakers can make up to hundreds a year. Top notetakers can make thousands per year, but again, it’s unclear how many notes this would entail and how many subscribers would have to purchase them.

The company pays a percentage of monthly profits that come from Nexus Notes’ subscriptions. 

For subscribers, Nexus’ annual plan is $5.99/per month ($71.88 per year) or monthly at $29.99/per month ($359.88 per year). A subscription allows users to access up to 30 documents each month.  

For note takers and payment, Nexus looks at how many subscribers have added your notes to their library within the month, and then pay you accordingly via PayPal.  

How Can I Get Paid For My Notes?

Nexus Notes charges $35 for subscribers that come to the site and want to buy your notes. You earn a 50% commission for every set of notes that sell. So for one set of notes, for example, you can earn around $17.50. 

The Ideal Nexus Note Taker

If you're already sitting on a mountain of notes on your computer and get good grades, Nexus Notes may appeal to you because it can't hurt to start uploading in the hopes of earning passive income.

Try running a little experiment by keeping tabs on what kind of notes you’re uploading and how much you earn. Even if you already have notes, you may have to edit them so they are easier to understand or fit the detailed structure that Nexus Notes requires. If you go this route, see how long this takes. You may be surprised at how quickly you can edit them and start earning a little extra. 

If you’re spending too much time editing, however, it may not be worth the hassle of a few extra bucks each month.

Quick Tip: Consider investing to earn some passive income while you’re in college. 

Of course, you could also plan on uploading your notes from upcoming classes too. That way you know to be more careful and structured about your note-taking habits. 

Documents That Nexus Doesn’t Accept 

Don’t upload anything other than the notes you write. This means Nexus Notes won’t accept or approve materials created by your school or a third party. 

They don’t accept:

• Assignments
• Essays
• Practicals
• Take-home tests

How To Use Nexus Notes

Go to the site and sign up with an email, your Google, or Facebook account. From there, you can start uploading your notes quickly, in as little as 15 seconds. 

It may help to see what other notes look like—you can do this by searching for notes in the search bar and previewing them. 

Nexus Notes encourages you to upload a copy of your transcript to prove you’re a solid student. This is part of the verification process and can be turned in as a screenshot. The transcript should include the grade you received for the corresponding notes and subject you want to turn in. 

Once this is done, you’ll see a verification checkmark next to your notes.  

Submission Process

After you upload your documents as a PDF file, put in a description. The more detailed, the more likely they will be added to a learner’s library. 

Nexus recommends you do the following:

• Describe how these notes helped you ace this particular subject and how it could be helpful for learners.
• Include detailed information such as a title, subject matter, and the full name of the subjects that may be included in your notes.

What To Do If Your Notes Are Rejected

There’s a chance your notes may not make the cut. If this happens, these are the likely reasons why:

• They weren’t originally written by you and were taken directly from textbooks or have copyrighted materials.
• Your notes weren’t notes, instead they were an assignment, take-home exam, or other kind of document.
• Your notes already exist on the site from another user. 
• It contains offensive material, imagery, or language.

You can reach out directly to Nexus Notes if you disagree or have more questions around why your notes were rejected. Email [email protected].

How Nexus Notes Stacks Up Against The Competition

There’s a whole world of note taking platforms beyond Nexus Notes. If you don’t like Nexus Notes' vague information and that there’s no guarantee that you’ll even make any money, consider the following options. 

OneClass: Pays you a flat rate of $470, per course for notes, but in the form of credits. Then, you can turn in those credits in exchange for cash, prizes, and Amazon gift cards. It’s perfect for note takers who want certainty and don’t mind taking an extra step to turn their credits into cash or getting their earnings in the form of a gift card.  Other perks include reference letters for future job applications, if this is something that is important to you. 

Stuvia: Earn up to $103 on average, which breaks down to roughly $8.90 per document. 

This site is great for a wider variety of school-related materials outside of notes. These include textbook summaries and essays. You get to set your own rates, but this isn’t really a perk as you likely won’t get any sales if you charge way more than the next notetaker. 

Docmerit: Just like Stuvia, Docmerit lets you set your own prices. You keep 85% of what you sell, so you have the potential to earn more than Nexus Notes or OneClass. Another great perk is that you receive the funds within 24 hours of selling your notes. 

Beyond other note taking platforms, there are tons of ways to make money as a college student. Here are 100 of the best.

The Cost To Become A Subscriber

You can pay to become a subscriber and gain access to help you study for an exam or learn something new. Nexus Notes’s annual plan is $5.99/per month ($71.88 per year) or monthly at $29.99/per month ($359.88 per year). Your subscription allows you to access up to 30 documents each month.  

If you subscribe, it’s a good opportunity to see how other notetakers structure their notes and the descriptions they use to provide detailed information. 

Final Thoughts

If your main goal is to earn a side hustle, you could earn more elsewhere, such as online tutoring or driving for Uber or Lyft. Here are the 20 best side hustles right now. 

However, Nexus Notes might be beneficial if you don’t have time for a part-time job and you already have great notes. 

Try uploading your notes to see if you can start earning. It won’t cost you anything and it could be a decent way to pad your wallet with extra cash for lunch or gas.

Nexus Notes Features