A website that links older men and women looking to provide monetary and emotional support to younger partners has announced that UC Berkeley is one of the fastest growing “sugar baby” schools in the nation.
In 2012, UC Berkeley experienced a 67 percent increase in registration on SeekingArrangement.com, according to a statement from the site. UC Davis experienced even greater growth with a 220 percent increase in signups.
SeekingArrangement.com organizes “mutually beneficial” pairings between students and older, more established individuals seeking to lavish a younger partner with gifts and money.
“The majority of students need help to pay for rising tuition and the high costs of living, especially because of recent tax increases, a tough economy and the high unemployment rate,” said Angela Jacob Bermudo, a spokesperson of SeekingArrangement. “Students are becoming more responsible for their own finances.”
Bermudo added that in contrast to taking on extra hours at a job, the “sugar daddy-sugar baby” relationship does not jeopardize students’ top priority, which is school.
While traditional dating sites focus on sparking serious relationships, SeekingArrangement tends to cater to individuals looking for a casual, noncommittal relationship.
Below are the 20 schools with the fastest growing number of sugar babies, based on the number of signups at SeekingArrangement.com:
1. Georgia State University with 292 signups
2. New York University with 285 signups
3. Temple University with 268 signups
4. University of Central Florida with 221 signups
5. University of South Florida with 212 signups
6. Arizona State University with 204 signups
7. Florida International University with 187 signps
8. University of Georgia with 148 signups
9. Indiana University with 131 signups
10. Texas State with 128 signups
11. Kent State University with 123 signups
12. Pennsylvania State University with 121 signups
13. University of North Texas with 112 signups
14. Florida State University with 111 signups
15. Tulane University with 109 signups
16. Michigan State University with 108 signups
17. Ohio University with 103 signups
18. Columbia University with 100 signups
19. University of Alabama with 96 signups
20. University of California, Los Angeles with 91 signups