Turns out that the sex industry is quite lucrative . . . if you weren't aware of that already.

Research gathered by the Swansea University suggested that while attending college and studying to earn a degree, nearly one quarter of students considered working in the sex industry in order to avoid debt and to take care of their living expenses.

Twenty-two percent of students played around with the idea of sex work, but one in 20 actually followed through with it, according to The Independent.

The research also revealed that men were more likely to partake in work opportunities than women. The study - said to be one of the largest of its kind - included 6,750 students from across the U.K.

One would commonly assume that "sex work" means prostitution, but that's not the case.

The study incorporated all types of occupations: escorts, phone sex operators, erotic dancers, glamour models, prostitutes or students who worked in the "auxiliary and organizational" sex industry, such as managing an escort service, The Independent reported.

One reason students - 39 percent - went into sex work was to avoid debt from enrolling in school. Sixty-five percent just wanted to "earn money to fund a lifestyle," 56 percent worked to meet their basic needs and 45 percent were concerned about debt in general.

Many school officials were alarmed by the rising number of students entering the sex business in order to make ends meet.

The National Union of Students, or NUS Wales, was particularly concerned about the students' lifestyle choices.

"NUS Wales recognizes that sex work can be a choice for students, as the nature of the work allows them the flexibility to keep up with the rigors of study, while funding their living costs. However we are concerned that so many students reported that covering basic living expenses was a strong factor in their decision to enter sex work.

"The main priority must be to maintain the wellbeing of students involved in sex work, not to stigmatize them," it said.

Aside from financial responsibilities, some students wanted to get into the industry for the mere pleasure of it all . . . literally. Fifty-nine percent admitted they would enjoy it, 45 percent wanted to work in the field and 44 percent had sexual pleasure on their minds.

An additional 54 percent of students had a curiosity that propelled them into the role; however, the excitement wasn't enough to keep them satisfied or secure. An alarming number of one in four students did not feel safe in their positions, and nearly a quarter found it difficult to leave the industry, according to The Independent.

"We now have firm evidence that students are engaged in the sex industry across the UK. The majority of these keep their occupations secret and this is because of social stigma and fears of being judged by family and friends," said Tracey Sagar, co-leader of the study.

"Sex work is widely but wrongly perceived to be an occupation that is predominantly taken up by women and this means that males may fall through the student support net because they are not associated with sex work occupations."