A quarter of students will catch an STI in their first year

Half aren't even sure who they got it from

(Rex Features)

University is certainly a time for fun and frolics – but new research suggests that some students may be taking their partying a touch too hard, and endangering their health in the process.

In fact, 23 per cent will catch an STI before they finish their first year of university, half of whom (54 per cent) aren’t even able to remember who gave it them, according to a survey conducted by shagatuni.com.

What’s more, an incredible 89 per cent of students admitted that they didn’t use condoms for the majority of their sexual encounters while at university – 73 per cent of which took place under the influence of alcohol.

2,177 young adults were quizzed about their sexual habits. All of them had graduated in the past year. Chlamydia – which is curable - is the most likely infection to be picked up (59 per cent), followed by herpes (18 per cent) and genital warts (14 per cent) – which are not.

The survey also uncovered the courses with the most sexually free students. Apparently, people studying drama and dance are the most promiscuous, with an average of 28 and 25 partners each while at university. Also popular were Media Studies students, with 22, and, aptly, Biology students at 19, obviously taking the practical aspects of their degrees quite seriously.

Worryingly, 67 per cent of these students claimed that they didn’t like condoms, and would rather put themselves at risk of developing another STI rather than use one.

Tom Thurlow, shagatuni’s creator insists that “being promiscuous and having casual sex” are not bad, but admits to concerns about people’s devil-may-care attitude to condom use.

Of course, a sample of students polled by a website dedicated to hook-ups at college is possibly a little self-selecting – and everyone surveyed did admit that they had been single throughout their university days.

Which course has the most sex?

1. Drama/Theatre Studies - 28
2. Dance - 25
3. Media Studies/Public Relations - 22
4. Biology - 19
5. Philosophy and Ethics - 17
6. English Language/Literature - 15
7. Sports Science - 13
8. History of Art - 13
9. Law - 11
10. Geography - 10