Sexual misconduct survey

The sexual misconduct survey 2027 builds on the successful 2025 survey. We have commissioned this survey and Ipsos (an independent research agency) is running it.

Eligible students will be invited to respond to the survey after they have completed the National Student Survey (NSS).

The survey will be open from 6 January to 30 April 2027. Taking part is optional and all responses will remain confidential.

What we need providers to do

We require providers to support this important survey by:

1. Sending a student pre-notification email using the provided template.
2. Submitting links to their relevant support services and resources by 4 December 2026. 

There are details of how to do this in the documents below. Ipsos has sent copies of these documents to survey contacts in providers. 

The questionnaire

The sexual misconduct survey questionnaire asks students about their experiences of sexual harassment and sexual assault/violence while at university or college.

In developing the questionnaire, we carefully considered research ethics and drew on international best practice in sexual misconduct prevalence surveys in higher education.

We consulted with students to test the comprehension and readability of the questions and their suitability for a wide audience.

The questionnaire carefully flags sensitive questions and students can skip those questions, sections or choose not to take part. 

The survey contains links to national support services, and universities and colleges may also choose to include links to their own support services and resources.

What we will do with the findings

Tackling sexual misconduct in higher education is of high importance to the OfS and students. Findings from the 2027 sexual misconduct survey will help us build a national picture of students’ experiences of sexual misconduct. It will also support ongoing efforts by higher education providers to improve student safety and wellbeing.

We expect to publish the results of the sexual misconduct survey soon after publication of the NSS 2027 results.