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 could 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 contributors mentioned they might fairly 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 normal 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 day by day necessities. Practically 1 in 3 (59%) skip meals at the very least typically to be able to lower your expenses, in response to the Nationwide Scholar Cash Survey 2025, and 10 per cent used a food bank within the 2024/25 educational yr.
41 per cent have thought of dropping out altogether attributable to monetary troubles.
The survey additionally revealed that 2 per cent of scholars surveyed made cash via sex work, whereas different much less typical 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 thought of turning to [sex work] solely so I might survive,” one participant of the Nationwide Scholar Cash Survey 2025 mentioned.
“I’ve mother and father I want I used to be estranged from, nevertheless I am unable to 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 often is 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 plenty of creators really feel liberated and empowered by intercourse work.
“Was for enjoyable principally,” one other participant mentioned.
“What older generations may 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 couple 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 ladies and 34 per cent of males mentioned they might fairly 10,000 OnlyFans subscribers than a assured graduate job.
It additionally illuminated vital gender disparities relating to attitudes across the website. Whereas 55 per cent of males mentioned they might fortunately date a woman with OnlyFans, 36 per cent would label males with an account “unhappy and determined”.
Piece mentioned: “The hypocrisy isn’t delicate: guys are effective with courting feminine creators, however when males put themselves on the market they’re branded determined.”
As compared, simply 39 per cent of ladies mentioned they’d date a person with an OnlyFans account, and but they have been much less more likely to converse disparagingly about creators, with 22 per cent utilizing phrases like “unhappy” and “determined”.
“Girls stay cautious about courting 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 approach to earn. That doesn’t imply they’re blind to stigma – however the narrative of empowerment and hustle is clearly successful. Universities, mother and father and employers must grapple with that shift.”
