When it comes to monogamy, not all universities are created equal. Our survey of 2,000 students across 79 UK institutions reveals striking variations in sexual behavior, with some campuses fostering committed relationships while others embrace a more casual approach to intimacy.
University of Salford takes the crown as the UK’s most monogamous university, with students averaging just 0.36 partners per year. This remarkable figure suggests that Salford students are overwhelmingly committed to single-partner relationships – or abstaining entirely.
Close behind are University of Sussex (0.43 partners), LSE (0.50 partners), and University of Strathclyde (0.65 partners). These institutions demonstrate that monogamy is alive and well on certain UK campuses, challenging the stereotype of university as a time of sexual experimentation.
Durham University (0.71 partners) and University of Aberdeen (0.73 partners) round out the top tier, with students at these institutions showing a clear preference for committed, exclusive relationships.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, University of Sunderland students report an average of 2.91 partners per year – more than eight times the rate at Salford. This makes Sunderland the UK’s least monogamous campus by a significant margin.
Loughborough University (2.63 partners), Queen Mary University of London (2.59 partners), and University of Plymouth (2.50 partners) also feature among the institutions where students are most likely to have multiple partners. These campuses appear to foster a more fluid approach to relationships and sexual encounters.
Interestingly, the number of partners doesn’t always correlate with sexual frequency. Some universities combine high activity with low partner counts, suggesting committed couples are having regular sex, while others show the opposite pattern.
University of the West of England leads the nation with students having sex an average of 5.56 times per month – nearly double the national average of 3.25 times. University of Plymouth (5.50 times), Cardiff Metropolitan University (5.36 times), and Coventry University (5.29 times) also rank highly for sexual frequency.
University of Strathclyde students report the lowest sexual frequency at just 0.71 times per month, followed by Bangor University (1.00 times) and University of Huddersfield (1.10 times). These figures align closely with the national finding that 37% of students have no sex at all in an average month.
Perhaps the most interesting pattern emerges when we combine both metrics. Some universities demonstrate high sexual frequency alongside low partner counts, suggesting students are in committed relationships and sexually active within them.
London School of Economics exemplifies this pattern perfectly: students have relatively few partners (0.50 per year) but maintain high sexual frequency (4.90 times per month). This suggests LSE students favor committed relationships with regular intimacy.
University of Sussex, Durham University, and Staffordshire University show similar patterns, combining monogamy with sexual activity. These campuses appear to foster an environment where committed relationships thrive.
Conversely, some universities show high partner counts but lower sexual frequency – a pattern suggesting casual encounters rather than ongoing relationships.
University of Huddersfield demonstrates this most clearly, with students averaging 1.90 partners per year but only 1.10 sexual encounters per month. Queen Mary University of London and University of Dundee show similar patterns, where students have multiple partners but relatively infrequent sex.
This challenges assumptions about casual dating culture: having more partners doesn’t necessarily mean having more sex.
Across all 79 universities surveyed, the average student has 1.48 partners per year and has sex 3.25 times per month. However, these averages mask enormous variation between institutions.
The most common answer might surprise you. A significant 37% of students report having no sex at all during an average month, making celibacy the single most prevalent experience on campus. For those who are sexually active, the majority fall into the moderate range, with 33% having sex 1-3 times per month and 13% having sex 4-6 times per month. Only a small minority report very frequent sexual activity, with 10% having sex 7-15 times and 7% having sex more than 15 times per month.
The gender breakdown reveals that female students are slightly more likely to be abstinent, with 39% reporting zero sexual activity compared to 34% of male students. This challenges the stereotype of university as a sexually charged environment and suggests that many students are prioritising other aspects of their lives.
When it comes to the number of sexual partners, the data paints a picture of relative monogamy. The largest group by far consists of students who had exactly one partner in the past year (44%), followed by those who had no partners at all (30%). This means that nearly three-quarters of students fall into the 0-1 partner category.
Multiple partners are far less common than popular culture might suggest. Only 20% of students had three partners, while just 3% had five partners. The numbers drop even further for those with 11 or more partners, representing only 3% of the total sample. Male students report slightly higher numbers, with 27% having zero partners compared to 32% of female students, and 24% having three partners compared to 19% of female students.
The dramatic variation between universities raises questions about campus culture, student demographics, and institutional character.
Russell Group institutions show mixed results: While LSE and Durham rank among the most monogamous, others like Loughborough fall at the opposite end. This suggests prestige alone doesn’t determine relationship patterns.
Location matters: Scottish universities (Strathclyde, Aberdeen, St Andrews) tend toward lower partner counts, while certain English institutions show more casual patterns. Whether this reflects cultural differences or demographic factors remains unclear.
Campus culture likely plays a significant role. Universities with strong residential communities and active social scenes may foster different relationship dynamics than commuter campuses or institutions with older student populations.
This analysis is based on survey responses from 2,000 UK university students aged 18-24, collected in October 2025, in partnership with Pollfish. The survey was analysed by Erobella’s Data & Research team, led by Brenda Jensen. Students were asked about their sexual frequency per month and number of different sexual partners in the past year. Data was disaggregated by university to reveal institutional patterns.
Whilst 129 universities were represented in the original survey, only 79 are included in this final analysis. We excluded 50 institutions due to insufficient sample sizes, ensuring the reliability and statistical validity of our findings.
