Top California college received staggering number of sexual misconduct claims as students raise red flag

University of California, Berkeley has seen an alarming rise of reports of sexual harassment and sexual violence — more than 700 — yet shockingly few went to a formal investigation.

There were 735 reports last fiscal year on campus, a noticeable uptick from each of the previous two years when there were fewer than 600. There were 454 reports in 2022 and 272 reports in 2021, according to data compiled by the Daily Californian.

But during the most recent year, only 35 were adjucated after an investigation.

Oftentimes, half of the cases are closed after initial assessments as complainants can’t be identified or don’t respond to outreach, according to the school’s 2025 annual civil rights report, Cases can also be closed if there’s not enough information.

The Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination “considers whether the alleged conduct could violate the UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment (SVSH) Policy or the Anti-Discrimination Policy, whether there is enough information to move forward, and whether the conduct has a connection to the university,” campus spokesperson Dee Mostofi told the Californian.

“At Berkeley, we are committed to working with students to ensure that reports of misconduct are dealt with fairly and effectively, that students get the support they need and that those responding to complaints are treated with compassion,” Mostofi added.

Scrutiny of how schools handle sexual assault claims has exploded in the wake of recent allegations by a “Jane Doe” accusing 7 fraternity brothers of gangraping her at Cornell University. That case has attracted nationwide attention.

Amid that controversy, the student government of UC Berkeley expressed concerns about staffing reductions and other cuts to the school’s PATH to Care Center, which provides confidential resources to survivors of sexual harassment.

“We are deeply concerned about how these reductions may compromise the accessibility, timeliness, and quality of student support,” student representatives said on social media.

Student advocate Reena Alsakaji told the Californian that they’ve heard multiple concerns about the reporting process.

“There are often concerns about delayed response times or why cases weren’t taken for an investigation,” Alsakaji said. “Additionally, we get concerns regarding why a specific resolution pathway was/was not applicable.”

The PATH to Care Center, which previously faced budget constraints, helped 289 individuals and had 1,152 sexual harassment-related appointments in the most recent fiscal year, according to the report.

Other California colleges are also going through their own crises around sexual assault claims.

Cal State San Marcos experienced four rapes in a span of just three weeks in September, forcing students to take matters into their own hands, such as arming themselves with pepper spray and walking together in groups.

Also on the West Coast, the University of Oregon has been rocked by five incidents of sexual assault during the first week of classes. Four incidents involved University of Oregon students. A fifth happened off-campus near the Alton Baker Dog Park, adjacent to university property.