Have you ever tried to earn extra cash by taking surveys online? If so, you've probably realized by now that while it's a fairly easy way to earn a little extra pocket change, it can often be more trouble than it's worth, especially for the lower paying surveys. If you like the basic concept of doing surveys for cash, but want to take it to another level and earn more, you might want to consider becoming a paid participant in clinical university research.
There are many different kinds of paid university studies available, but most fit more broadly into two main categories: medical, and psychological. Some of the studies, especially the medical ones, require you to travel to a specific location, but these days a significant number of the psychological studies are conducted remotely.
Participating in research can actually be pretty fun for some folks. Depending on the specifics of the research project you're involved in, you might learn new insights about yourself, or meet interesting people.
Most studies don't require all that much time – maybe just a few hours a week for a short stretch, or even just a single afternoon – but the pay can be quite good. $50 to $100 per hour is not uncommon at all, and many of the universities transfer funds for remote studies via PayPal, so it's usually pretty easy to get your money.
Below, we've put together a list of universities which frequently seek out paid research participants, most of which have easily accessible sign-up forms for online studies. But remember, just because you signed up, that doesn't necessarily mean you'll be selected. Many of these studies are looking for people who fall within a particular demographic, so some will find it easier to get accepted than others, depending things like their age, background and ethnicity.
- Brigham Young University – Pays in cash for your participation.
- Carnegie Mellon University
- Columbia Business School – You get entered into a prize drawing for your participation in studies.
- eLab at the Yale School of Management – In exchange for your participation in their studies, you get entered into prize drawings and may also receive Amazon vouchers.
- Johnson Cornell University – Paid in cash (Paypal) for your participation.
- Kellogg School of Management – Offering either a sweepstakes entry or cash payment for your participation, depending on how long the study is.
- Kent State University Psychology Research
- MIT Behavioral Research Lab – Participants are compensated typically with cash or gift certificates. See individual study descriptions for specific payment amounts
- Paid Psychology Studies – This panel is another one through Princeton University.
- Princeton University Psychology Department
- University of Colorado at Boulder
- University of Colorado: Colorado Springs
- University of Maryland – Pays in cash for your participation.
- MIT Agelab – Pays in cash for your participation, between $30 and $150.
- University of Pennsylvania Psychology Research – Pays in cash. The Positive Psychology Center at theUniversity of Pennsylvania, headed by Dr. Martin E. P. Seligman, needs you for our online research studies.
- Vanderbilt University – Pays in cash (Paypal). Must be 18 or older.
In Closing
Hopefully you found the list above helpful. Remember you might have to sign up for quite a few studies to get selected, but if you're interested enough to stay persistent, your efforts will likely pay off eventually.
Have you ever participated in a remote university research study? If so, please feel free to discuss you experiences below. We'd love to hear what you have to say on the subject!
