Over 1 in 5 female undergrads sexually assaulted, survey finds

WASHINGTON — More than 20 percent of female undergraduates at an array of prominent universities said this year they were victims of sexual assault and misconduct, echoing findings elsewhere, according to one of the largest studies of college sexual violence.

The survey from the Association of American Universities drew responses from 150,000 students at 27 schools, including most of the Ivy League.

Researchers acknowledged the possibility of an overstated victimization rate, as there was evidence that hundreds of thousands of students who ignored the electronic questionnaire were less likely to have suffered an assault.

But the results add to growing indications that sexual assault is commonplace at colleges and universities, especially among undergraduates living on their own for the first time.

Though colleges already are on high alert to the problem — in part because of a White House task force formed last year to combat it — the survey findings underscore the seriousness and breadth of sexual as- sault’s impact, and how difficult it will be to curb it.

The survey provides a wealth of insights about the prevalence of specific types of assault at a cross-section of public and private research universities.

Among them was the finding that 11 percent of female undergraduates said they experienced incidents of penetration that fit the criminal definitions for rape or sodomy, half of them saying it happened by force.

Others said they were victims of unwanted touching or kissing that could be defined as sexual battery.

The AAU’s findings are consistent with a Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation national poll, published in June, that found 1 in 5 young women who attended a residential college during a four-year span said they were sexually assaulted.

Other recent studies also have found high victimization rates at universities.

But some Justice Department crime data show that women in college are less likely to be victims of rape or sexual assault than those who are not students.

The AAU’s report did not provide detail on victimization rates at each school. Many participating universities plan to release their own data from the survey.