atever they can to make it seem safer than it is. 

In a 2015 study, he found that during audits of universities' compliance with the Clery Act, reports of rape and fondling went up by 44% overall, only to decline again after the audit concluded. Other crimes tracked in the data, like aggravated assault, robbery and burglary, did not see the same patterns.

 The numbers just don't seem to match with the survey data and even the criminal reporting data in similar jurisdictions,  Yung said.  This is indicative … [that] schools are not telling us the full story of reporting and giving an impression that the campuses just don't have nearly the degree of sexual violence that they likely do. 

Still, the Clery Act data paints a picture of frequent assault. At more than a third of large schools, students reported rapes or sexual assaults more than once a month on average, CBS News' analysis found.

Sara Wilf, an assistant professor of social work at George Mason University who has researched campus sexual violence, said a lack of confidential resources, as well as significant gaps in students' knowledge of the resources available to them, also limits reporting.

Her research found that about half of the students surveyed in California did not know what the Title IX office did, and about a third said sexual assault and harassment trainings were ineffective or they could not remember them.

Many victims are also concerned their reports won't be taken seriously, or question whether they would be deemed sexual assault at all.

 The survivor goes through this process of thinking, 'Does this count as sexual violence? Was this sexual violence?' And it can take years,  Wilf told CBS News.  This word 'counts' was used over and over and over again in these open-ended responses by survivors. 

Wilf said the No. 1 resource survey respondents reported wanting on campus was a confidential advocate, or someone who can help guide victims through the  dizzying constellation of decisions they have to make  in the aftermath of the incident while still processing trauma. This includes helping them navigate any investigations or reports they may choose to make. The University of California system has installed such advocates on its campuses.

While few incidents are reported, even fewer result in university Title IX investigations and disciplinary actions, as was the case in the alleged gang rape at Cornell.

The then-20-year-old Cornell student known as Jane Doe alleges she was drugged and raped in October 2024. She filed a civil lawsuit alleging sexual assault nearly two years later against seven former fraternity brothers at Cornell, as well as the university and others she alleges failed to protect her. Prosecutors did not charge anyone but have now reopened the criminal investigation. Two of the accused in the case were expelled, two suspended for at least two semesters, one had already graduated before any punishment could be handed down, and two were found not to be responsible for sexual misconduct, Cornell President Michael I. Kotlikoff said on Sept. 29. Lawyers for two of the men have provided statements to CBS News denying the accusations against their clients. Others have not made public statements.

The two students expelled at Cornell as part of Jane Doe's case were two of five people expelled from the school between 2019 and 2024, among 171 sexual misconduct cases brought to the university to investigate, New York state data shows.

Across the entire state of New York, 246 people were expelled or dismissed during that timeframe, and 464 were suspended. Taken together, that represents a fifth of all incidents investigated, and 3% of all the cases initially reported to the state's colleges and universities. The state data also include domestic violence and stalking alongside sexual assault.

 Survivors hear from other students how the Title IX process failed them,  Wilf said.  And so, they are much less likely to seek out support on campus. 

Cornell says it  conducted an extensive investigation and adjudication over several months and imposed different sanctions based on the findings and circumstances involving each student,  and has posted information about its response to the allegations here.

About the analysis

CBS News examined data on rape and fondling incidents reported by 4-year universities and colleges to the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Campus Safety and Security that had at least 5,000 students enrolled in in-person or hybrid courses. Rape is defined as sexual penetration without consent, while fondling is defined as nonconsensual touching. The Clery Act data includes incidents on campus, off-campus properties owned or controlled by an official student organization, off-campus properties frequently used by the school or students, and public property within the campus or immediately adjacent to the campus. Incidents are included based on where they happened, and can include undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty members or family members.