Seeking Arrangement, an organization that allows people to sign up as “sugar babies,” says the cost of tuition and the impact of student debt is driving more Canadian students to sign up for its services. If students are turning to this organization with the sole purpose of paying off their debt, this is a problem.
A sugar baby is defined by Seeking Arrangment as someone seeking financial support in exchange for dating another person. The company says a large portion of its user base consists of post-secondary students with the goal of graduating debt-free.
Seeking Arrangement’s founder, Brandon Wade, has publicly said students are “taking matters into their own hands” by signing up for the service, which pays $2,750 on average to sugar babies each month. Carleton University currently ranks fifth on the company’s list of “fastest growing Canadian sugar baby schools.”
Some students may legitimately be interested in this service for reasons beyond acquiring funds to pay off student debt. Seeking Arrangement says many sugar babies use the service because they are seeking mentorship or companionship from the person who pays them, otherwise known as a “sugar daddy.”
However, if most students are using this service because they are desperate to pay tuition costs, this highlights a problem with the current education system.
Canadian post-secondary education continues to leave students in debt before they even graduate. As a result, some students may feel forced to join Seeking Arrangement, which pays large sums of money, but could make students feel uncomfortable.
