OfS publishes new data on the scale of sexual misconduct in English higher education

In January 2025, the OfS invited all final-year undergraduate students in England to complete a survey about sexual misconduct in higher education after they had completed the 2025 National Student Survey (NSS). It builds on the OfS’s 2023 sexual misconduct pilot survey, which was sent to students from a small group of institutions.

The largest prevalence survey of sexual misconduct in higher education in the UK, it follows the introduction of new requirements for universities and colleges registered with the OfS to tackle harassment and sexual misconduct. The results provide a clearer picture of students’ experiences of sexual misconduct and will help institutions to understand where, how and when interventions might be targeted.

The results show that 24.5 per cent of final-year undergraduates who responded to the survey have experienced sexual harassment since starting their studies. Around one in seven (14.1 per cent) have experienced sexual assault/violence.

The survey also found that, of those responding:

• Women were nearly three times more likely to experience sexual harassment than men (33.0 per cent compared to 12.2 per cent). Women were also more than twice as likely as men to experience sexual assault/violence (19 per cent compared to 7 per cent).
• Nearly half (46.6 per cent) of lesbian, gay, or bisexual students experienced sexual harassment, compared to 21.7 per cent of heterosexual students. They were also more likely to have experienced sexual assault/violence (29.8 per cent compared to 12 per cent).
• 13.2 per cent of respondents who experienced sexual harassment in the preceding year made a formal report to their university or college. Of those who did make a report, 46.7 per cent said their experience of reporting was good and 39.3 per cent said it was poor.
• Over half (59.1 per cent) of students who reported at least one incident of sexual harassment in the last 12 months said that some or all of the incidents took place in a university or college setting.
• 1.5 per cent of students reported that they had been in an intimate personal relationship with a member of staff at their university or college in the last 12 months. Of those, 68.8 per cent said that the staff member(s) was involved with their education or assessment.

Commenting, 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.

‘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.’

Notes

1. The Office for Students is the independent regulator for higher education in England. We are currently developing a new strategy for 2025-2030 which seeks to ensure that students from all backgrounds benefit from high quality higher education, delivered by a diverse, sustainable sector that continues to improve.
2. The sexual misconduct survey is a pilot survey and was developed with advice from an external expert group about survey design, questions, implementation and research ethics. The OfS engaged with a wider group of experts in prevalence survey design and management from the UK and elsewhere. The questionnaire itself was based on international examples of prevalence and ‘campus climate’ research.
3. The findings are consistent with a comparable survey in Australia which concluded that ‘sexual harassment and sexual assault are common experiences’, with one in six students reporting that they had experienced sexual harassment since starting at university.
4. We are publishing aggregated / sector level data in two parts:
   1. Part 1 will focus on headline results for individual student characteristics and overall prevalence. Where possible, and student anonymity can be protected, we will share institution data with individual institutions so that it can support their work to prevent and address sexual harassment and violence.
   2. Part 2, to be published at a date to be confirmed, will provide more detailed analysis, including results for different combinations of characteristics and findings by academic subject, and respond to stakeholder questions from part 1.
5. On 1 August 2025, the OfS brought into force a new condition of registration that means universities and colleges must take action to prevent and address harassment and sexual misconduct. This includes publishing comprehensive information to explain to students how their institution is preventing harassment and sexual misconduct, how incidents that do happen can be reported, and what students should expect – and how they will be supported – during any subsequent investigation. Staff and students must also receive training, including training for new students to improve understanding of what constitutes harassment and sexual misconduct. Institutions are also being asked to take steps to prevent an abuse of power in intimate personal relationships between staff and students.
6. As of 1 September 2024, universities and colleges were also banned from using non-disclosure agreements in cases of harassment or sexual misconduct.