The University of Cambridge has come fifth with its Sexual Health Report Card, equal with the University of Exeter.

DrEd.com has ranked UK universities according to the sexual health services available to their students. The University of Nottingham came top, while the University of Oxford was 13th in the table. Cambridge was awarded a respectable 2:1 by the system, receiving a total of 64 marks.

The idea came from a similar report card system in the USA and the organisers hope that the system will help universities to improve the services that are offered to students.

The report card grades each university on a range of criteria, including access students have to contraception, opening hours and whether drop-in sessions are provided. Cambridge scored highly for opening hours and access to contraception, which is available through the University’s college system and the C-card scheme. The C-card scheme, first introduced last term, allows students to pick up condoms for free at pharmacies around the city, as well as from colleges. Students can also get condoms from their college welfare officers, either in person or anonymously. 

Commenting on the sexual health services provided by the University, Laura, a third-year student at Churchill, said: “It is really easy to get hold of condoms, but I think that is more down to my college welfare than CUSU.” 

Ellie, JCR president and women’s welfare officer at Churchill, suggested that students were not making best use of the C-card scheme: “We held a C-card registration session in Freshers’ Week and approximately 60 or more freshers signed up for the scheme...The issue is that at the C-card sessions we’ve been holding since, hardly anyone has come to us to collect C-card packs. We don’t know why: it could be that they’re using their keyrings to collect them in town, it could be that they still use the normal JCR supply – we still get a fair amount of requests that way - or it could be that they don't need condoms at all."

Although the University received A grades for four of the ten categories, Cambridge was rated less highly for the amount of information available online. The Cambridge University Students’ Union (CUSU) website gives information about the C-card scheme, as well as information about how to get pregnancy tests. The website does not give much information about STIs, or about different forms of contraception. 

The University only scored a D in the "drop-in or bookings” category, indicating that the sexual health services in Cambridge are let down by the fact that you need an appointment. Cambridge also did badly in both the campus information, and the special events and testing categories, receiving an E and an F respectively. Other universities were marked highly in the first category for having posters and leaflets about sexual health visible around the campus, as well as having a specific person responsible for improving sexual health. In the second category high marks were given for universities which held STI testing and education events. However, some STI testing events may have been overlooked because many of these are held in colleges and are not organised by CUSU.

Cambridge also underperformed in the sexual assault services category, only managing a C. Cambridge does have a page on the student advice website about sexual assault, and counselling is available, but there is not a dedicated sexual assault hotline. The Cambridge Rape Crisis Centre provides services for victims of sexual assault, although the centre is only open for limited hours. The nearest sexual assault referral unit is in Peterborough.