Leeds Students Turning to Sugar Daddies to Fund Education
Leeds University has one of the highest numbers of students seeking ‘sugar daddies’.
That's when young women sign up to a website that matches them with rich men who can help fund their studies.
Leeds ranked 6th for signups to seekingarrangement.com last year.
Nicole's studying Psychology at the University, and says she’s been a member for years:
“I’ve had nice handbags, perfume…jewellery’s a real favourite. I like shoes so I get shoes too.
“I have had offers of help (with course fees), but on that front I’m okay. But it’s really nice to know that the guys are willing to help you, especially with your education.
“A lot of them tend to be from London and come up for business.”
The site works by allowing young women to meet rich men, who buy them things in exchange for spending time together.
It follows a big hike in tuition fees, leaving England with the highest further education costs in the EU.
The University of Westminster ranked highest in the website’s annual list of what it calls the ‘Fastest Growing Sugar Baby Schools of 2015.’
It’s followed by Kent, Cambridge, Nottingham and Exeter Universities, with Leeds taking 6th place with 96 signups.
According to the website, over 1.4 million university students are now turning to “Sugaring” for financial stability and funds. That’s a 42 per cent increase in the past year.
“At a time when graduates are guaranteed debt rather than a well-paying job, or even employment for that matter, Sugar Daddies are sought out for opportunity and not just financial stability,” says Brandon Wade, Founder and CEO of SeekingArrangement.com.
“Four in ten graduates struggle to find work and three-quarters won’t be able to pay off debt, according to statistics. Sugaring not only aids in the cost of pursuing an education, but a large majority of these men and women will have a more solid financial situation upon graduation - maybe even a job.”
Nicole reckons the arrangement is completely innocent:
“It’s been gifts and nice dinners more than cash. I’m aware of the misconception people have of the website, but I 110 per cent disagree with it. The guys are very generous and very respectable men.”