Serena Cervantes has been struggling to earn her bachelor 's degree for seven years . With tuition for two courses at her California university demanding $ 2,300 , it 's not the workload that has her putting off the final class she needs to graduate in May . Money is tight . The 25-year-old has worked as a maid and retail clerk to make ends meet , but she says that dating the men she encounters on Sugardaddie.com has proved to be a more lucrative endeavor . `` I 've had a hard time finding jobs and keeping jobs , '' she said . `` I thought this would be a good way for me to have a relationship with someone and also make it , as these sites all say , mutually beneficial . '' Cervantes is just one of many students who 've sought out sugar daddies online in a time of need . Dating site SeekingArrangement.com , which connects wealthy men with women looking for financial support , reports that female college students made up 44 % of the site 's total users in 2012 . With tuition on the rise , that number will likely continue to climb . While some may compare the practice to prostitution or question the morality of trading money and gifts for affection , the people who use these sites contend that they 're merely a conduit for both parties getting what they want . What 's the draw ? Men who engage in such relationships , many of whom are older and married , enjoy taking care of young women and assuming a mentor role in their lives , said Steven Pasternack , who launched Sugardaddie.com in 2002 . `` You have some guys who like to spoil and pamper their women by taking them out to nice dinners , buying them gifts . Some maybe help with the utility bills or take them on trips , '' Pasternack added . `` And there are other guys that will have an ongoing relationship in which they 'll say , 'OK , I 'll give you an allowance and you can put this toward whatever your needs are . ' `` The average monthly `` allowance '' sugar daddies on the site said they shell out is $ 3,000 , according to SeekingArrangement.com . So what do these `` sugar daddies '' get in return for all their generosity ? Surprisingly , sex is n't a given . It 's obviously on the table , says Cervantes , but there are other motivations . `` Some of them just wanted to go out to eat , '' she said . `` Some of them just wanted someone to talk to . Some of them just said outright , 'Can we ( have sex ) for this amount of money ? ' And I 've said no . '' But she admits that sex ups the ante -- if a sugar baby consents to an intimate relationship , she 's likely to get more gifts out of her benefactor . `` If you look at the language of various state statutes , the terms of many of the relationships fall under the definition of prostitution , '' said New Jersey attorney Alex Miller , who has studied `` sugar dating . '' Authorities shy away from prosecuting sugar websites and their users because the relationships can mirror a typical romance , Miller said . Plus , users are savvy enough not to broadcast online whether they 're trading sex for cash . Sex is n't the only motivator for sugar daddies , according to Brandon Wade , the founder and CEO of SeekingArrangement.com . Some also want to help a struggling young woman . Wade , 42 , ( who met his wife , 27 , on the site ) said most of the men on the site begin communication with potential sugar babies by asking them why they 're looking for a sugar daddy . He 's found that women who say they need money to pay for school get asked out more often than those who admit they want cash for breast implants , for instance . While most of the sugar daddies Cervantes has met through the website prefer to arrange a per-date per diem , one married man wrote her a check for $ 1,600 to go toward her tuition and rent after their monthlong courtship . She said she prefers dating married men because they tend to be more paternal and offer a steadier source of income than single men . Is it prostitution by another name ? SeekingArrangement.com 's Wade said the men who subscribe to his site are discouraged from offering money on a per-date basis to avoid operating like an escort service . By crosschecking users ' photos with those on Craigslist.com and Backpage.com , as well as monitoring conversations between members , Wade says he is able to weed out the escorts posting on his site . Atlanta-based criminal defense attorney Bernard Brody said there 's no crime in paying someone solely for his or her companionship . `` The crime is when you pay someone to engage in sexual conduct , '' he added . Read more : Pimps hit social networks to recruit underage sex workers . Kimberly Mackey , who attends college in the South , says she had one Sugardaddie.com suitor pay her $ 500 to have lunch with him . She said she does n't consider herself a prostitute because she does n't have sex with most of the men she meets through the site . The 23-year-old started engaging in relationships with older , wealthy men after moving away from home at 18 . An older colleague saw she was having trouble supporting herself , so he started inviting her on golf trips with his friends and buying her gifts . The man told her , `` You 're only going to be young and hot for so long . Take advantage of it while you can . '' Mackey got used to the perks . She said sugar daddies have offered her cars , vacations and apartments , but she prefers cash . Why go the sugar route ? Atlanta-based licensed mental health therapist Harrison Davis said sugar relationships are all about power and youth . On one hand , he said , these relationships remind the men of a more carefree time in their own lives . On the other hand , there 's a great sense of control . `` They can take things away and limit the amount of money they 're going to spend on the young lady . They can steer ( the relationship ) into any direction they want to . '' Though Mackey says she 's not ashamed of her unconventional part-time job , she does n't make a habit of telling everyone about it . When her mother asks how she can afford to not work , she says her ex-boyfriend helps her pay her credit card bills , which some people might consider a sugar relationship in its own right . Cervantes , on the other hand , said her relationship with a family member suffered after she opened up about her experience dating sugar daddies : `` He said , 'You 're selling your body online . ' '' Despite Cervantes ' qualms about accepting money in exchange for her companionship , she has no plans to deactivate her account anytime soon . She said she does n't have parents who can help her pay for school , so she relies on the kindness of wealthy men out of desperation . Without the extra income , Cervantes said she 'd be back at the homeless shelter she lived in for three months in 2009 . `` In my heart of hearts I do n't really like the situation , '' Cervantes said . `` Right now it 's a survival mechanism . '' Sugardaddie.com 's Pasternack said the relationship between a sugar baby and sugar daddy is all about perspective . `` I helped my wife get through school , I pay for the bills , take her on trips , buy her nice gifts , '' he said . `` I guess you could say a lot of married guys are sugar daddies without them realizing it . I think you can say basically any guy who wants to impress a woman is a sugar daddy . ''
Serena is one of many college students who 've sought out sugar daddies in a time of need . SeekingArrangement.com : Average 2012 allowance for sugar babies is $ 1,600 . SeekingArrangement.com : Students made up 44 % of the site 's users in monthly . Go inside the `` sugar daddy/sugar baby '' dating scene on ` ` The average monthly