Two-thirds of female students in the UK say they would join OnlyFans if they struggled financially, according to a new OnlyGuider survey.
The poll surveyed 1,000 university students aged 18 and over. It found that 66% see OnlyFans as a possible source of income. Notably, 39% said they would rather earn £500 a month by selling “spicy pictures” than work in retail or hospitality.
The survey comes as UK tuition fees rise for the first time in almost a decade, from £9,250 to £9,535.
Many students across the UK are struggling to stay financially stable. A growing number can’t afford basic living costs. The 2025 National Student Money Survey found that nearly 60% skip meals to save money, and 10% used food banks in the 2024/25 academic year.
According to the findings, 41% of students have considered dropping out of university entirely because of financial hardship.
The survey also found that 2% of respondents are already earning money through sex work. Other risky ways students made extra money included using credit cards (15%), gambling (6%), and joining drug trials (6%). Some also invested in stocks (4%), traded cryptocurrency (2%), or took private loans (1%).
“I’ve often considered sex work just to survive,” said one participant in the 2025 National Student Money Survey.
“I wish I could distance myself from my parents,” one student said. “But I can’t cut contact — the verbal abuse is still better than being homeless. If I left, sex work might be my only way to afford a home.”
However, not all students who join OnlyFans are driven purely by financial struggles. For many, creating content on the platform offers a sense of freedom and empowerment, allowing them to reclaim control over their own image and income.
“It was mostly just for fun,” another participant admitted.
“What older generations might dismiss as scandalous, students increasingly see as a practical strategy,” explained Sam Pierce, CEO of OnlyGuider.
“For many, OnlyFans isn’t something shameful — it’s simply another way to make money. Having a few thousand paying subscribers can feel like a far more reliable safety net than chasing an entry-level nine-to-five job that AI is quickly making obsolete.”
The survey also found that 42% of female students and 34% of male students would rather have 10,000 OnlyFans subscribers than a guaranteed graduate position.
The survey also highlighted clear gender differences in attitudes toward the platform. While 55% of men said they’d date a woman with an OnlyFans account, 36% called male creators “sad and desperate.”
Pierce said, “The double standard is clear — men are fine dating female creators, but people quickly label male creators as desperate.”
In contrast, only 39% of women said they would date a man with an OnlyFans account. However, female respondents were less likely to use negative language about creators — just 22% described them with terms like “sad” or “desperate.”
“Women are still hesitant about dating male creators in general,” Pierce explained. “It’s a cultural double standard unfolding right before our eyes.”
“For a growing number of students, OnlyFans is viewed much like bartending or gig economy jobs — simply another way to make a living,” Pierce noted. “That doesn’t mean they’re unaware of the stigma, but the message of empowerment and self-reliance is clearly taking hold. Universities, parents, and employers will soon have to reckon with this cultural shift.”
