Campus sexual assault is an epidemic in the United States. Education is one of the many ways in which we can work together to prevent violence and promote advocacy on campus. Please note that interpersonal violence is both underreported, and under-researched, especially in marginalized communities. Despite this, we hope these statistics, facts, and definitions provide a useful overview of interpersonal violence. Please contact the SHARE office, or explore our Signature Events page to learn more.

United States of America

• Sexual violence on campus is pervasive. It is estimated that 13% of all students will experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation (among all graduate and undergraduate students).
• Most survivors of sexual violence are assaulted by someone they know.
• As few as 1 in 5 survivors will report to law enforcement, and/or receive assistance from survivor supporting agencies.
• Nearly half of the individuals who experience sexual assault tell no one about it.
• Students are at an increased risk during the first few months of their first and second semesters in college.
• It is estimated that nearly 6% of students have experienced stalking while in college.
• Sexual violence may result in depression, flashbacks, self-harm, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), substance abuse, dissociation, panic attacks, eating disorders, pregnancy, sleep disorders, and suicide. 
• For every 100 rapes committed, approximately two rapists will ever serve a day in prison. 

Princeton University  (We Speak Report)

• During the 2016-2017 school year 16% of the students experienced some form of sexual misconduct including unwanted sexual contact, attempted sexual contact, suspected that sexual contact had occurred while incapacitated, stalking, an abusive intimate relationship, and/or sexual harassment. 
• 61% of undergraduate students who experienced sexual assault identified their assailant as another Princeton undergraduate
• 22% of graduate students who experienced sexual assault identified their assailant as another Princeton graduate student 
• The odds that undergraduates who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, asexual, or questioning experienced sexual misconduct were approximately 2 times greater than undergraduates who identify as heterosexual or straight
• Our data suggest that the odds that students who identified as Trans/Transgender, Genderqueer/Gender non-conforming, or another identity experienced sexual harassment or stalking were 4 to 5 times greater than the odds estimated for students who identified as being a man.
• 1st and 2nd-year undergraduates had the greatest odds of experiencing sexual misconduct over the 2016-2017 academic year
• 38% of undergraduates who experienced sexual assault first encountered their assailant in an eating club
• Of the 8% of graduate student women who experienced sexual harassment during the 2016-2017 academic year, 23% said that the harassment involved an employee/staff member, faculty member, or postdoc.

Sexual Violence and Marginalization

• Sexual violence has historically been and continues to be used as a tool to oppress marginalized populations.
• Biases and stereotypes about oppressed communities are used as justification for sexualized violence.
• Individuals with marginalized identities are at significantly greater risk for sexual violence. Those with multiple marginalized identifies are at the greatest risk.
  • Gay and bisexual men are over ten times more likely to experience sexual assault than heterosexual men.  
  • Approximately 34% of multiracial women, 27% of Alaska Native/American Indian women, 22% of Black women, and 14.6% of Hispanic women are survivors of sexual violence.
  • 23.1% of TGQN (transgender, genderqueer, nonconforming) college students have been sexually assaulted, representing one of the most at-risk groups.