The Best Web Hosting Solutions for College Students: The Truth!

A photo of a laptop with the text web hosting for college students

So, while you’re at the Ohio State University, I bet you have a variety of reasons why you may want to host a website. Whether you’re looking to host a portfolio to showcase your work, or you want to write a blog to make some extra money on the side, picking the right web host is pretty important. It may seem pretty confusing, but it’s actually pretty simple! I’ve even highlighted some providers that I reccomend later in this guide. Here’s what you should consider when choosing web hosting for college students.

Budget

First, consider your budget. If you were like me when I was in school, you’re probably on a tight budget. You should find a web hosting provider that offers affordable plans. Think about what you might be willing to spend, and don’t go above that. Be sure to check for any additional fees or charges that may not be included in the base price when searching for plans.

Features

Next, think about what features are important to you. Some web hosting providers offer free domain names, free SSL certificates, and free website builders included in the price. Others may charge extra for these services. In most cases, I don’t think you need business-level tools like marketing and business suites that are offered by sites like Wix!

For college students like you, you’re probably fine with just simple blog posts and pages. That is, unless you have other needs. That’s up to you!

Customer Support

Another important factor to consider is customer support. This is important regardless of your skill level with web hosting! Some services provide 24/7 support, while others may only provide it during certain times. Chances are, if you are just running a portfolio or personal website, you may not need 100% uptime, so if something goes wrong you may be able to get away with a few days of downtime.

However, make sure that the hosting you get does have good support that isn’t completely frustrating. Trust me, bad customer support for websites can be a royal pain. Now, if you need to use your website for a class project, maybe having 24/7 support isn’t such a bad idea, especially if something goes wrong right before your project is due.

Types of Websites for College Students

So, what type of website do you want to make? Blogs and personal sites are the simplest and most web hosts can handle them. However, if you’re planning on creating a more complex website, like a store for some Brutus Buckeye buttons you’ve been pressing at the resource center, you’ll want to make sure that the provider offers the necessary tools and resources to support your needs.

Read the Reviews!

You probably know this by now, but read the reviews! You’re a college student, so use those research skills! Look for web hosting providers that have been in business for several years and have a good track record of customer satisfaction.

If you can find any, read reviews from other college students who have used the web hosting provider to get a sense of their experiences. Speaking of: are you using a web provider right now? Let me know which one you’re using in the comments below.

Best Web Hosting Providers for College Students

So, what we’ve learned is that choosing the right web hosting provider for your college needs is a matter of finding the right balance between affordability, features, customer support, and reputation. So, with all that in mind, let’s take a look at some of my recommendations for web hosting!

u.osu.edu – Great for OSU Students!

Surprise! You’re here right now! The Ohio State University has its own version of WordPress called u.osu.edu. It’s completely free for OSU students, and you can even use it after you graduate! It’s a great way to showcase your portfolio or write a blog. It has a few notable benefits:

  • The .edu domain is great for ranking on search engines.
  • It’s free for OSU students!
  • It’s easy to use.

However, it does have a few downsides. Unlike full or self-hosted WordPress, you don’t get access to a lot of theming tools and plugins. It also can’t support more advanced features like forums or storefronts. If that’s a price you’re willing to pay, then u.osu.edu is for you! To create a website, just head over to the u.osu.edu webpage. Make sure you read their terms of use. 

Vultr – Cheap Hosting If You Know What You’re Doing

Vultr homepageFor one of my other projects, I use Vultr. It’s cheap and it’s simple. Vultr provides Virtual Private Servers (VPS) that you can use for web hosting. It does require some technical knowledge, but there are tutorials out there on how you can use it to run stuff like WordPress.

Typically, a ‘do-it-yourself’ solution is a great budget option for college students who want the freedom to do what they want with a website. Also, if you don’t rely on OSU’s website software, when you graduate you don’t have to associate with the university anymore or migrate away from it. The choice is ultimately up to you.

If you want to help support me, use my referral code to create your Vultr account to get started! 

WordPress.com – Easy Hosting for a Price

WordPress.com pricing

WordPress.com is another great option if you aren’t as tech savvy. It is possible to host WordPress’s software yourself! However, if you don’t know what you’re doing, WordPress.com will make hosting easier for you. It’ll make it so that you don’t have to set up your own server, manage a database, or any of the other funky MySQL stuff.

However, in some cases it may cost more than a do-it-yourself option. WordPress.com has a free tier, but if you want stuff like a custom domain, plugins, and the ability to monetize your site, you’re going to have to pay a bit more. Check out WordPress’s most recent pricing plans to learn more.

Web Hosting for College Students: Explained!

Now that you’re armed with this knowledge, finding web hosting fit for college students like you shouldn’t be a problem! If you’re already hosting a website or have one in mind, I’m curious about your experience! Please let me know about your journey and experiences with hosting websites in the comments below. Thanks for reading, and go Bucks!