A recent survey has looked into the quirky methods students resort to when their loan isn’t enough.

A recent survey carried out by Voucher Codes Pro found that British students are resorting to all sorts of quirky ways to help them raise money to help fund their degree, including the sex industry, acquiring a “sugar daddy” or “mummy” and taking part in medical experiments.

As The Gryphon reported in November 2016, Natwest’s student living index established that university costs are higher than before. With the abolition of maintenance grants and housing prices rising significantly, further strains have been placed on students to look to alternative forms of income.

The survey carried out by Voucher Codes Pro was part of an ongoing study into the ways in which British students fund their way through university. The study’s respondents consisted of 2,415  Britons who were aged 18+ and had completed an undergraduate degree within the past two years.

When asked how they managed financially when money was tight, one of the top responses was “resorting to unusual or quirky money-making methods”. These unusual methods included writing assignments for other students, selling handmade art/crafts items, offering a taxi service using their own vehicle and taking up gambling. 

George Charles, spokesperson for Voucher Codes Pro, commented that “with tuition fees in the UK at the highest they’ve ever been, the results of this survey are incredibly shocking. Students shouldn’t have to resort to such extreme measures in order to get through their course. Having a second job just isn’t feasible for some students, especially those that also have to pick up work experience. Student loans are means-tested and are based largely upon the income of your parents – if they earn a good salary, they’re expected to help finance your degree which isn’t the case.”

The on going study further illuminates how desperate students are to ensure they graduate with a degree in the hope of maximising their career possibilities. The fact that students have to resort to alternative methods such as selling sex and undergoing medical experiments is an indictment of a loans system which often presumes parental fiscal support, revealing just how vulnerable students can be when such help is unavailable.

Jangira Lewis 

(Image: Ian Waldie/Getty Images)