Two in three female students in the UK say they would consider joining OnlyFans if they were short on cash, a new survey revealed.
According to a poll conducted by OnlyGuider, 66 per cent of female students would be open to launching an OnlyFans account for financial reasons. The survey, which consulted 1,000 UK undergraduates aged 18+, also found that 39 per cent of participants said they would rather sell “saucy pics” for £500 in a month, than stacking shelves or pouring pints.
The findings come amidst the first increase in tuition fees in nearly a decade, up from £9,250 to £9,535 for standard full-time courses, following cuts in the Maintenance Loan in the early 2020s.
Students across the UK are struggling to keep afloat financially, with many unable to cover the cost of daily essentials. Nearly 1 in 3 (59%) skip meals at least sometimes in order to save money, according to the National Student Money Survey 2025, and 10 per cent used a food bank in the 2024/25 academic year.
41 per cent have considered dropping out altogether due to financial troubles.
The survey also revealed that 2 per cent of students surveyed made money through sex work, while other less conventional or riskier sources of cash included using credit cards (15 per cent), gambling (6 per cent), drug trials (6 per cent), stocks and shares (4 per cent), cryptocurrencies (2 per cent) and private loans (1 per cent).
“I have often thought about turning to [sex work] solely so I could survive,” one participant of the National Student Money Survey 2025 said.
“I have parents I wish I was estranged from, however I can't cut contact and endure verbal abuse because it's better than being homeless. If I cut them off, this type of work may be the only thing I [could] do to keep a roof over my own head.”
However, not all students launching OnlyFans are motivated by financial necessity, and many creators feel liberated and empowered by sex work.
“Was for fun mostly,” another participant said.
“What older generations might sneer at as scandal, students are increasingly viewing as strategy,” says Sam Pierce, CEO of OnlyGuider.
“For them, OnlyFans isn’t taboo – it’s just another hustle. A few thousand paying subscribers can feel like a better safety net than competing for an entry level nine-to-five that AI is rapidly erasing."
What else did OnlyGuider’s survey find?
The survey revealed that 42 per cent of women and 34 per cent of men said they would rather 10,000 OnlyFans subscribers than a guaranteed graduate job.
It also illuminated significant gender disparities when it comes to attitudes around the site. While 55 per cent of men said they would happily date a girl with OnlyFans, 36 per cent would label men with an account “sad and desperate”.
Piece said: “The hypocrisy isn’t subtle: guys are fine with dating female creators, but when men put themselves out there they’re branded desperate.”
In comparison, just 39 per cent of women said they’d date a man with an OnlyFans account, and yet they were less likely to speak disparagingly about creators, with 22 per cent using words like “sad” and “desperate”.
“Women remain cautious about dating male creators at all. That’s a cultural double standard playing out in real time,” Pierce said.
“For many students, OnlyFans sits alongside bar work and gig apps as just another way to earn. That doesn’t mean they’re blind to stigma – but the narrative of empowerment and hustle is clearly winning. Universities, parents and employers will have to grapple with that shift.”
