Television programs glorify it. Professors frown upon it. College students all around the United States say they are simply doing it to pay their way through college.

“Sugar baby” is the term given to a young woman or man who offers companionship and, in return, receives money and gifts from an older benefactor, a “sugar daddy” or “sugar mommy.” College students across the nation are taking advantage of such arrangements to pay their way through college. According to a recent report, the sugar baby trend in Texas universities, similar to that in colleges and universities across the nation, is steadily growing.