ill cut right to the chase on this one

I met this girl last halloween who i got along with right away, i know her from someone i work with girlfriends' best friend, and then a little later i found out i had a class with her that following semester

we have great chemistry and always make each other laugh and always flirt but im having trouble making that jump from friend to something more... she plays hard to get in a coy way but she hasnt been super clear if she feels the same way, i dont text her alot or try giving her too much attention because i see her in class 3 days a week so i guess i havent been as clear either

shes got a birthday coming up and i want to get her something nice ( inside joke gift cuz i dont feel like spending more than i have too haha) and maybe finally making a move, any suggestions on how i would go to tell her because this has been bothering me for a while to let her know how i feel about her, so which way would give me the best chance without weirding her out

im not sure if i explained it that well and if i didnt please feel free to ask more questions

thank you, any answer is appreciated!

You're just simply gonna have to start hitting on her more and see how she reacts.

"That's cute" (when she does something, doesn't matter what)

"if you keep being cute, I'm gonna have to start hitting on you."

You can also Do sexualized role plays: "I'm gonna take u on a date. We'll go to the Sizzler. You can anything you want. Even the six dollar steak. Then we'll go to the beach and let off balloons and we'll jump in the ocean...wait a second, now I'm just picturing u in a bikini...............ok, I'm back..and then we'll walk around the little beach town holding hands. And then I'll leave you there. I mean, you can take a cab back, right?" (credit Sinn I think)

Bottom line though: start hitting on her more and showing more explicit interest instead of just innocent flirting. That's the only way to tell. If she gets a little bit uncomfortable (which she probably shouldn't if she already likes you) then you can always release the escalation:
"Too bad you're such a dork "
"Uggh, get away from me "
I put those smiley faces there just to express the fact that even the releases should be said playfully.

SteveUrkel is right.

I was going to suggest either make the frame between you find another girl. It's not like she is the only girl you will have great chemistry with. If you're already friends, then she will expect you to act in a friendly way.

Here's the thing about women, they want men to act in a consistent manner. That is how they manage to have such high social prowess: they categorize their relationships. They have a group of acquaintances, besties, girlfriends, guy friends, booty calls, boyfriends, guys they are currently dating, guys they are keeping on the back burner in case they feel like going out, guys they are curious about, it goes on forever.

The bottom line is, if you want to be the main man in her life, you need to risk your friendship to a certain point. In other words, if you choose to make things more intimate between you two, there will be A LOT more tension, and the main way of moving from friends to more than friends is to know how to deal with that tension. Here's how you do it, you pretend it isn't there. You act as if you two have known each other since you were kids and she was always trying to get you with her.

She'll notice this immediately and as soon as she gives you something to bite, you bite back immediately. In other words, as soon as she gives an IOI, starts flirting with you, compliments you on something she doesn't usually compliment you on, you put on the full court press and start gaming her like you would with any other girl you just met. She will be surprised by this, but pleasantly surprised. She'll think you have changed, become more mature, become more alpha, basically become more of what SHE WANTS.

Cheers and good luck brother.