One in ten university students admit to having had an affair with staff, a shock survey has revealed

One in ten students has had an intimate relationship with a university employee in the past year, a new poll shows.

Another 15 percent say staff have made attempts to pressure them into such romantic affairs.

Half of students who had a relationship with a university employee indicated that the employee was involved in their education, such as a lecturer or tutor, while 52 percent confirmed that the employee had a non-academic position.

Meanwhile, about a third, or 35 percent, of students said they felt pressure to “take their relationship further” because they feared refusal would have a negative impact on their studies or careers.

Three in 10 said the staff member stated or suggested that turning them down would have consequences, such as dictating whether they would get worse or better grades.

One in ten students have had an intimate relationship with a university employee in the past year, a new poll shows (stock image)

In new guidance published in July, the Office for Students told universities to introduce an outright ban on intimate relationships between staff and students.

The survey on the prevalence of sexual misconduct in universities was commissioned by university regulator Office for Students (OfS).

The research, published in July, asked current students studying for higher education in England to report on their experiences and perceptions of sexual misconduct during their studies.

The results were collected from 3,017 online surveys on topics including sexual harassment, sexual assault and staff-student relationships.

It was also revealed that six in ten respondents had experienced at least one form of sexual harassment since they were a university student.

These individuals were significantly more likely to be male than female.

Additionally, more than a third of those who took the survey said they had experienced sexual assault or sexual violence, with a fifth of these incidents occurring in the past year.

Three in ten victims said the incident occurred exclusively in university settings.

In new guidance published in July, the OfS told universities to introduce an outright ban on intimate relationships between staff and students.

Last night, Susan Lapworth, chief executive of the OfS, said the poll’s findings were ‘concerning’.

She added: “That is why the Office of Students is introducing new regulations to tackle harassment and sexual misconduct in higher education.

‘Universities and colleges will have to record how they prevent these problems, how they investigate incidents and how they ensure that students are properly supported.

‘Universities will also have to show how they prevent abuse of power in personal relationships between employees and students.

“Many universities have already banned these inappropriate relationships, and we expect more to follow.”

Saranya Thambirajah, president of the National Union of Students for Liberation and Equality, said: “This is clear evidence that universities must do more to protect students.

“Staff-student relationships have an inherent power imbalance, which can expose students to abuses of power and make it difficult for them to leave the relationship if they no longer want to be in it.”

‘Universities must ensure there are clear policies and procedures in place to ensure professional boundaries are respected by staff, with robust consequences where this is not the case.’