FOI_26-171 Reports of sexual misconduct in 2025-26

Date of response: 28 August 2026

We have now considered your request of 30 July 2026 for the following information:

As a freedom of information request, please provide data regarding the following information for the academic years 2025/2026. We would like the following results for students and for staff separately.

Question 1. Number of reports of rape to the university, broken down by male, female, LGBTQ+ where possible

Our response:

For the academic year 2025-26, a total of 24 students reported a rape, sexual assault or sexual misconduct (including all behaviours which constitute sexual misconduct as per our student and staff regulations). Of those students, 23 were female, and 1 was male. No students who reported a sexual assault or sexual misconduct had self-declared their gender as LGBTQ+.

There were no staff members who reported any sexual misconduct during the requested academic year.

Our records do not specify, categorise or record an incident as ‘Rape’, and wording or descriptors such as ‘severe assault’ or sexual assault’ or ‘non-consensual’ may be used by students or staff reporting and/or staff recording such incidents. Therefore, we have included all cases wherein an incident was recorded under a category of sexual assault, sexual harassment or sexual misconduct, was reported.

Question 2. Number of reports of rape to the university, which resulted in suspension or expulsion, broken down by male, female, LGBTQ+ where possible

Clarification received –

Please provide all data even if the perpetrator was not identified. Secondly yes if you can provide the breakdown by gender that would be helpful thank you.

Our response:

Where the perpetrator of alleged sexual misconduct, is identified as a current student of the University as the time of the incident, or time of the incident being reported, they will be investigated to ascertain whether they have breached General Regulations for Students. Not whether they committed a criminal offence.

Formal student non-academic disciplinary investigations into sexual misconduct reported in academic year 2025-26, resulted in two male students, who were found to be in breach of General Regulations, being suspended.

• number of students who prematurely left the University (before the end of their degree) and who had made a sexual assault/sexual harassment/rape report, broken down by male, female, LGBTQ+ where possible

Our response:

For academic year 2025-26, only one female student who had reported sexual assault, sexual harassment or rape (sexual misconduct) to the University in this year, prematurely left the University before the expected end of their degree. No male students left the University, and no student reporters had declared their gender as LGBTQ+, therefore not applicable.

A student who reports an incident of sexual misconduct and prematurely ends their study without completion (leaves the University before their expected degree end date) may not have ended their studies due to, or as a result of their reporting a sexual assault or sexual misconduct, nor can it be taken that the student left their studies as a direct result of the incident they reported to the University.