A growing number of U.S. college students are turning to OnlyFans, the subscription-based platform known for sexually explicit content, as a means to supplement their income while navigating the soaring cost of higher education, Fox News Digital reports.

The platform, launched in 2016, allows creators to produce and sell adult content directly to subscribers. It saw explosive growth during the COVID-19 pandemic, when millions turned to online avenues for income. Data from Statista shows that while OnlyFans had around 350,000 creators in 2019, that figure had risen sharply to more than 4.1 million by 2023 — a surge that underscores its growing mainstream appeal.
Rock Jacobs, director of a documentary series titled Lonely Fans, which explores the platform’s infiltration of college campuses, told Fox News Digital that the trend is driven by both economic pressures and social shifts.

“More and more people want to cut the line. And since the pandemic, there was this explosion of OnlyFans. The amount of money they’re making is more than Google, more than Intel, more than the NBA,” Jacobs said.

Rising tuition costs have compounded the platform’s appeal. According to the Education Data Initiative, the average cost of attending college in the U.S. is now about $38,270 per year in 2025. Factoring in student loan interest, the lifetime cost of a bachelor’s degree can reach as high as $500,000.

For many students, OnlyFans offers a flexible way to earn money that can help offset tuition and living expenses. But experts caution that the decision carries long-term risks. Putting explicit content online can affect future job prospects, damage reputations, and invite stigma within communities.

“It’s a payroll system,” Jacobs said, describing the platform’s appeal. “What creators have been able to do is use sex to prey on lonely people, and because of technology, anybody can have a payroll.”