Study: 1 in 3 sophomore women at N.Y. college has suffered rape or attempt

Al Jazeera America - A new study found that 18.6 percent of women said they experienced a rape or attempted rape during their first year at an upstate New York private university, more evidence of the grim rate of sexual assault at American colleges.

Researchers surveyed 483 incoming female students when they arrived on campus and then at several points throughout the year. Of the women, 28 percent reported experiencing a rape or an attempt before getting to college. During their freshman year, more than one in six said they were assaulted again or for the first time, with more incidents during the fall semester.

By the start of sophomore year, 37 percent of the women reported experiencing a completed or attempted rape since age 14, according to the study published online Wednesday in the Journal for Adolescent Health. A woman who had experienced an incapacitated assault before college was six times more likely than a woman who hadn't to experience the same type of assault her first year.

The university, which the authors kept anonymous so as to keep the focus on the larger issue of campus violence, is well-regarded academically and draws students from around the country. The freshman sample was 34 percent nonwhite.