Sexual harassment more than twice as prevalent at England’s top universities, analysis finds

Students at England’s leading universities were more than twice as likely to experience sexual harassment than those at “lower tariff” institutions, according to analysis. Data from a national survey of undergraduates shows that 35% of students at “high tariff” universities – those requiring the highest A-level grades for entry – reported experiencing sexual harassment, compared with just over 17% of those at universities requiring the lowest grades for entry and 26% of those at “medium tariff” institutions. The analysis by the Office for Students, England’s higher education regulator, also uncovered hotspots of sexual harassment and sexual assault or violence against those studying courses requiring high entry grades, such as medicine, dentistry, veterinary sciences or languages. The OfS said it did not look at the reasons why there was such a large variation between types of institutions: “We observe higher prevalence among students studying at those [institutions] with high tariffs compared with the sector overall … The analysis does not assess the reasons for this variation and should therefore be interpreted with caution.” The high tariff sector encompasses the Russell Group of research-intensive universities, many of which have medical schools. …