Sexual harassment levels over twice as high at England’s top universities, study reveals
Students at top English universities face double the sexual harassment risk compared with their peers at institutions with the lowest entry requirements, according to a new analysis by the Office for Students (OfS), England’s higher education regulator.
Data from a national survey of 50,000 final-year undergraduates shows that 35% of students at “high tariff” universities – those requiring the highest A-level grades for entry – reported experiencing sexual harassment. That compares with just over 17% at “lower tariff” institutions and 26% at “medium tariff” universities. The high tariff sector encompasses the Russell Group, an association of 24 leading public research universities known for their research excellence, many of which have medical schools.
Course-specific hotspots and stark demographic divides
The analysis also identified particular courses where rates of sexual harassment, assault or violence are markedly higher. On language and area studies courses, 42.4% of students reported experiencing sexual harassment. Comparable figures were recorded for veterinary sciences (41.3%) and medicine and dentistry (40.3%). The OfS did not assess why these subjects appear to be hotspots, but the findings have prompted particular concern because they involve the training of future doctors and other professionals.
Gender disparities are stark across the board. Women were nearly three times as likely to experience sexual harassment as men – 33% compared with 12.2% – and more than twice as likely to experience sexual assault or violence (19% versus 7%). In one striking example, 20% of women on architecture, building or planning courses reported sexual assault or violence, against 3% of men on the same courses.
Vulnerable groups face even higher risks. Nearly half of lesbian, gay or bisexual students (46.6%) experienced sexual harassment, compared with 21.7% of heterosexual students. Students reporting a mental health condition experienced harassment at a rate of 42.2%. Women with disabilities, including mental health disabilities, reported higher rates of attacks than their peers or male counterparts. Students with disabilities also reported the worst experience of the formal reporting process and the lowest confidence in seeking support.
Living arrangements also play a role. Students attending university away from home said they were more exposed to sexual harassment or sexual assault and violence than those studying close to home or as distance learners.
Despite the scale of the problem, only 13.2% of students who experienced sexual harassment in the preceding year made a formal report to their university or college. Of those who did report, 46.7% found the experience good, while 39.3% found it poor. More than half (59.1%) of incidents reported in the last 12 months took place in a university or college setting. Separately, 1.5% of students reported being in an intimate personal relationship with a member of staff, and in 68.8% of those cases the staff member was involved in their education or assessment.
Reasons behind the prevalence gap remain unexplored
The OfS explicitly stated it did not investigate why high tariff universities show a higher prevalence of harassment. “The analysis does not assess the reasons for this variation and should therefore be interpreted with caution,” the regulator said. This leaves a critical question unanswered, and experts have been limited to speculation. Those who spoke to the Guardian suggested that high tariff universities are more likely to have a higher proportion of young undergraduates living away from home, a factor the survey itself links to increased exposure. The concentration of high-tariff institutions in the Russell Group – with their large medical schools and residential campuses – may also create environments where risk factors cluster, but without further research, the causes remain unclear.
Previous surveys underline the persistence of the issue. A 2023 pilot OfS survey found 20% of students had experienced unwanted sexual behaviour. Research by The 1752 Group in 2020 found 55% of students experienced offensive remarks or harassment, with 30% of gender harassment victims facing sexual violence. A Revolt Sexual Assault survey reported that 62% of students and graduates experienced sexual violence at UK universities, rising to 70% for female respondents.
Institutional and regulatory responses
Jo Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union, said it was “especially alarming” that sexual harassment is more prevalent at higher tariff, more prestigious institutions. “Perpetrators from these universities are more likely to end up in powerful jobs, risking the reproduction of these toxic cultures,” she said. “Likewise, it is incredibly worrying that such high levels of sexual harassment were reported in courses like medicine, given this is where the next generation of doctors are being educated.”
Professor Libby Hackett, chief executive of the Russell Group, described the data as “very troubling” and reiterated that their universities have a zero‑tolerance policy for sexual misconduct. “Many universities have stepped up these efforts in recent years, with more support and clearer reporting processes – but it’s evident from the data that there is more work to be done,” she said. “We will be working collectively with the regulator, government, charities and wider local communities to understand the risks for the most vulnerable students, respond to students’ needs, and prevent harassment and violence before they occur.”
Amira Campbell, president of the National Union of Students, said she was “extremely saddened” by the prevalence of sexual misconduct and called for collective action to fight the culture in which it thrives.
The OfS has already set out new requirements. A new condition of registration, coming into force on 1 August 2025, will compel universities to publish their policies and procedures for tackling harassment and sexual misconduct. The regulator also plans to publish further supplementary analysis – including findings by academic subject and combinations of student characteristics – on 8 May 2026. A further sexual misconduct survey linked to the National Student Survey will run in 2027, and the OfS intends to publish institutional-level data from both the 2025 and 2027 surveys to enhance transparency.
