Cornell survey finds 35 percent of female undergrads reported nonconsensual sexual contact in 2025

Over 35 percent of undergraduate women at Cornell University reported experiencing nonconsensual sexual contact during their time at the Ivy League institution in 2025, according to a poll conducted by the university.

The survey results have gained renewed attention following fresh scrutiny over a 2024 allegation of sexual assault on Cornell’s campus.

In a new lawsuit filed last month, the woman, identified as Jane Doe, said she was drugged and gang raped by seven men at the Chi Phi fraternity house. She initially reported the incident to campus police three weeks after the alleged assault occurred on Oct. 15, 2024.

The 2025 Cornell Survey of Sexual Assault and Related Misconduct was conducted among 926 undergraduate, graduate and professional students in the spring semester of 2025.

Reports of sexual assault were higher among women involved in Greek life at Cornell in the survey, with 52 percent of this population reporting experiencing nonconsensual sexual contact, compared to 29 percent of respondents who were not Greek-affiliated. About 8 percent of all undergraduate men reported experiencing a sexual assault while enrolled at the university, according to the poll.

A 2023 survey found 23 percent of Cornell’s female undergraduate population reported being sexually assaulted while enrolled, compared to 20 percent of this same population in 2021.

Additionally, the 2025 data shows 29 percent of reported sexual assaults occurred in residence halls, followed by 23 percent at off-campus residences and 17 percent at fraternity chapter houses.

Prosecutors in New York state reopened an investigation into the 2024 allegation of gang rape on Cornell’s campus this week amid outrage from state leaders and federal lawmakers with the original probe into this incident.

On Thursday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) appointed state Attorney General Letitia James (D) as special prosecutor to lead the criminal investigation.

Hochul told reporters during a Friday morning press conference she was “deeply disturbed” by how Cornell University’s police department handled the case, citing the “partial record” the office shared with the Tompkins District Attorney’s Office. She stopped short , however of calling for District Attorney Matthew Van Houten or the university’s president to step down.

The governor did, however, criticize Van Houten’s decision not to interview the woman who brought the statement or bring criminal charges in this case.

“New reporting raises serious questions about the information his office relied upon when it made that decision, and that’s why I believe this case demands a special prosecutor who will provide a fresh and thorough review of all the facts, including the information that has recently come to light,” Hochul said.