I concur with most that have been said here. Having any income is a good advantage. Even a weekend job will make you more appealing to extend credit. Being a college student puts you into a desirable category for banks. They love to get you hooked on using credit and know most are able to depend on family for payment so it's a safe(ish) gamble for them.

The 3 "best" student cards I see available are:
-the Capital One Journey for Students with $0 annual fee and 1-1.25% cash back
-Citi Thank You Preferred for Students with $0 annual fee and 1-2 points earned per dollar spent based on category.
-Discover It card for Students with $0 annual fee and 1-5% cash back depending on category and bonus periods.

If you're going to get into the Travel Rewards (it's not so much a "hacking") game I'd personally go with the Citi card if you feel you can satisfy the requirements. Thank You points have their advantages in the awards game. The current bonus isn't great for that card but it's better than nothing.

Another option is a secure card. Many banks offer these with an annual fee. Discover is an example of one that does not charge an annual fee for the secure card and offers a cash back program. The way it works is you deposit with them money and they extend you this amount in "credit" but you cannot use that deposited money to pay the bill. If you have no documented income and not attending college this may be the way to go to establish yourself.

Some banks/CC companies have a "see if you qualify" section that isn't a full application but will show you what the banks feels you qualify for. It's not a guarantee though.
For example: https://www.citicards.com/cards/cred...~Citicards~3D3