England universities face sector-wide findings on sexual misconduct as OfS releases first nationwide survey

Thousands of final-year undergraduates at English universities reported experiencing sexual violence or harassment in the first sector-wide survey of sexual misconduct, the Office for Students said.

Fourteen percent of respondents reported sexual violence, including rape, attempted rape and unwanted touching, and one in four reported experiencing sexual harassment. An additional 1.5% said they had been in an intimate relationship with a member of staff. Fifty-two thousand final-year undergraduates responded to the survey, making it the first nationwide study of its kind. The OfS asked respondents about experiences of sexual harassment, sexual violence, and intimate student–staff relationships, and whether incidents were reported and whether the support received was adequate.

Women were nearly three times as likely to experience sexual harassment than men, and more than twice as likely to experience sexual violence. Nearly half, 47%, of LGBT students reported sexual harassment, compared with 22% of heterosexual students. Campaigners have said the data align with years of calls for sector-wide reporting dating back to 2010.

Dr Anna Bull, senior lecturer at the University of York and director of the 1752 Group, which researches and campaigns against sexual misconduct in universities, said the data "confirms what we have known for a long time." "For these students, university is not a safe or welcoming place," she said. "I hope that the higher education sector's progress on this issue in the coming years will be as ambitious as this challenge requires."

The LGBT Foundation notes it offers an independent sexual violence advisor (ISVA) service covering Greater Manchester to support those affected by sexual abuse.

Molly Hanning, 22, a master's student at Royal Holloway, University of London, says the support she received from the university after she was raped during the Christmas holidays of her first year was insufficient. She has waived her right to anonymity to share her experience with the BBC. Molly says she was given leaflets as support resources and was passed to external services rather than receiving direct help from the university's own teams. "They just didnt want to be involved and wanted to pass me to the next person — that was really, really frustrating," she says. She says she had to push to get an appointment by making regular in-person visits, and when she did speak to someone she was told to "download an app and do meditation" and that she would "just get over it". The lack of support contributed to a breakdown in her mental health during her second year. "I would have thought that wellbeing departments at universities would be able to cope with more than just exam stress," Molly says.

Royal Holloway, where Molly studied, said the university understands the profound impact such experiences can have and that it is committed to listening with care and responding with integrity. Dr Nick Barratt, who runs the executive team supporting students at Royal Holloway, said the university is "grateful to Molly for her extensive and impactful work" and noted that staff are involved in shaping consent education and support services. "We do not wait for harm to occur to create meaningful change for our students, and their voices are vital in shaping the support we provide on an ongoing basis," he said.

Following her experience, Molly set up Academics Against Assault, which campaigns for education about consent to become mandatory at all UK universities. She also runs training workshops on enthusiastic consent and bystander intervention. Dr Barratt said the university was grateful for the collaboration that has included co-developing a new consent-education teaching module at Royal Holloway.

The OfS has published new guidance for universities on how to prevent and tackle harassment and sexual misconduct, which took effect in August. For the first time, universities are required to provide training for staff and students, publish information about their policies and procedures, protect students from conflicts of interest and abuses of power in staff–student relationships, and enforce a ban on non-disclosure agreements in cases of harassment or sexual misconduct, effective from September 2024. Breaching these conditions could lead to fines for institutions. A list of organizations in the UK offering support and information on these issues is available at BBC Action Line.