Two in three feminine college students within the UK say they might take into account becoming a member of OnlyFans in the event that they have been brief on money, a brand new survey revealed.
Based on a ballot performed by OnlyGuider, 66 per cent of feminine college students can be open to launching an OnlyFans account for monetary causes. The survey, which consulted 1,000 UK undergraduates aged 18+, additionally discovered that 39 per cent of members mentioned they might somewhat promote “saucy pics” for £500 in a month, than stacking cabinets or pouring pints.
The findings come amidst the first increase in tuition fees in practically a decade, up from £9,250 to £9,535 for traditional full-time programs, following cuts within the Upkeep Mortgage within the early 2020s.
College students throughout the UK are struggling to maintain afloat financially, with many unable to cowl the price of every day necessities. Almost 1 in 3 (59%) skip meals no less than typically with the intention to lower your expenses, in line with the Nationwide Scholar Cash Survey 2025, and 10 per cent used a food bank within the 2024/25 tutorial 12 months.
41 per cent have thought-about dropping out altogether as a consequence of monetary troubles.
The survey additionally revealed that 2 per cent of scholars surveyed made cash by means of sex work, whereas different much less standard or riskier sources of money included utilizing bank cards (15 per cent), gambling (6 per cent), drug trials (6 per cent), shares and shares (4 per cent), cryptocurrencies (2 per cent) and personal loans (1 per cent).
“I’ve usually considered turning to [sex work] solely so I may survive,” one participant of the Nationwide Scholar Cash Survey 2025 mentioned.
“I’ve dad and mom I want I used to be estranged from, nevertheless I can not lower contact and endure verbal abuse as a result of it is higher than being homeless. If I lower them off, this kind of work could be the solely factor I [could] do to maintain a roof over my very own head.”
Nevertheless, not all college students launching OnlyFans are motivated by monetary necessity, and lots of creators really feel liberated and empowered by intercourse work.
“Was for enjoyable principally,” one other participant mentioned.
“What older generations would possibly sneer at as scandal, college students are more and more viewing as technique,” says Sam Pierce, CEO of OnlyGuider.
“For them, OnlyFans isn’t taboo – it’s simply one other hustle. A number of thousand paying subscribers can really feel like a greater security web than competing for an entry degree nine-to-five that AI is quickly erasing.”
What else did OnlyGuider’s survey discover?
The survey revealed that 42 per cent of girls and 34 per cent of males mentioned they might somewhat 10,000 OnlyFans subscribers than a assured graduate job.
It additionally illuminated important gender disparities in relation to attitudes across the web site. Whereas 55 per cent of males mentioned they might fortunately date a lady with OnlyFans, 36 per cent would label males with an account “unhappy and determined”.
Piece mentioned: “The hypocrisy isn’t delicate: guys are superb with relationship feminine creators, however when males put themselves on the market they’re branded determined.”
Compared, simply 39 per cent of girls mentioned they’d date a person with an OnlyFans account, and but they have been much less prone to communicate disparagingly about creators, with 22 per cent utilizing phrases like “unhappy” and “determined”.
“Ladies stay cautious about relationship male creators in any respect. That’s a cultural double normal taking part in out in actual time,” Pierce mentioned.
“For a lot of college students, OnlyFans sits alongside bar work and gig apps as simply one other technique to earn. That doesn’t imply they’re blind to stigma – however the narrative of empowerment and hustle is clearly successful. Universities, dad and mom and employers should grapple with that shift.”
