Over a quarter of veterinary students have been the victim of sexual assault.
The findings of a report into students’ experiences of sexual misconduct in higher education are greatly concerning, the RCVS chief executive has said.
The report by the Office for Students (OfS) found that over one quarter of veterinary science students (29%) in the UK have been the victim of sexual assault, while an even higher proportion (over 40 per cent) have experienced at least one instance of sexual harassment.
Lizzie Lockett said the College is “greatly concerned” to learn that so many veterinary students had experienced sexual harassment and that its “first thoughts are with them.”
She added: "We take extremely seriously the safety and wellbeing of students on the veterinary courses we accredit and require all learning environments, including extra-mural studies placements, to have a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of discrimination and inappropriate behaviour.
"We also require that effective reporting mechanisms are in place for students to report incidents, whichever learning environment they are experienced in, and that such reports are acted upon.”
The report builds on previous research published in 2025 that found almost one quarter (24.5 per cent) of students in the UK have reported sexual harassment since entering higher education, and around one in seven (14.1 per cent) have reported sexual assault or violence.
This latest research provides a more detailed and contextualised view of how these experiences vary depending on how, where, and what students study, as well as characteristics such as age, sex and domicile.
Lizzie Lockett said the RCVS will be contacting the OfS to learn more about the findings and to discuss ways in which they can collaborate on these issues to help improve student experiences.
“We also await the imminent publication of a year-long research project into student experiences, undertaken by the Veterinary Schools Council, and will continue to work with them and all stakeholders to explore the problems highlighted by the OfS, to understand any barriers students might face in terms of reporting and addressing the issues, and to improve student confidence in the reporting process,” she said.
Interim chief executive of the OfS, Josh Fleming, said: “Every student should be able to enter higher education with the knowledge that they will be safe from sexual harassment and assault. Sadly, we know that isn’t the case for a significant number of students across the country.”
He added: “Every institution should consider these findings and reflect on their existing approaches to preventing and addressing harassment and sexual misconduct, and on how to bring about improvement where it’s needed most.”
Image (C) Opat Suvi/Shutterstock.
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