25% of undergrads experience sexual harassment at uni, survey finds

Nearly a quarter of final-year undergraduates have experienced sexual harassment since starting higher education, according to a new survey from the Office for Students (OfS).

The OfS invited all final-year students in England to complete a questionnaire following the National Student Survey in what marks the largest prevalence survey of sexual misconduct in higher education in the UK.

The findings show that 24.5% of respondents reported experiencing sexual harassment since starting their studies, while 14.1% said they had experienced sexual assault or violence.

Women were nearly three times more likely than men to face harassment, at 33% compared with 12.2%. They were also more than twice as likely to report assault or violence, with 19% affected compared with 7% of men.

The survey indicated that 46.6% of lesbian, gay or bisexual students reported harassment, against 21.7% of heterosexual students. Nearly 30% said they had experienced assault or violence, compared with 12% of heterosexual respondents.

Only 13.2% of those who experienced harassment in the previous year made a formal report to their university or college. Among those who did, 46.7% rated their experience of reporting as good, while 39.3% said it was poor.

More than half of students who reported harassment in the last 12 months said at least one incident took place in a university or college setting.

The survey also found that 1.5% of students had been in an intimate relationship with a staff member in the past year. Of those, 68.8% said the staff member was involved in their education or assessment.

OfS chief executive Susan Lapworth, said: “All students should expect their time at university or college to be free from sexual harassment or assault. We know that’s not always the case and we’re grateful to each student who told us about their experiences.

“Over the last year, universities and colleges have rightly renewed their efforts to tackle these issues – because when incidents do occur, it can have a profound, even devastating, impact on students’ ability to thrive and succeed.”

She added: “The data we’ve published today extends the evidence available on the prevalence of sexual misconduct. It will support institutions as they target their work to make improvements where that’s needed.

“We encourage students to continue reporting issues and concerns, using the support services offered by their institution or students’ union. Students can also find information on our website about national organisations and charities that can help.”