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You can report sexual assault to your college, to local police, or to both; one report does not replace the other. You can also ask the college about support and reasonably available academic, housing, transportation, or work accommodations without first reporting to police. This guide covers U.S. colleges and universities; the right office and local police process depend on the school and where the incident occurred.
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If you are in immediate danger, move to a safer place if you can and contact the local emergency number. For urgent medical needs, seek local medical care. Reporting can wait if your immediate safety or health needs attention first.
Choose which process to contact
A college report and a police report serve different purposes. The college can explain its institutional process, campus safety measures, support services, accommodations, and any school disciplinary process. A police report asks law enforcement to consider the matter through its local intake and possible criminal investigation. You may choose either route, both, or neither. The U.S. Department of Education’s 2026–2027 Federal Student Aid Handbook says campus procedures must explain how to report and the options for involving campus authorities and law enforcement.
| Consideration | College process | Police process |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Institutional response, campus measures, support, accommodations, and any school disciplinary process. | Law-enforcement intake and possible criminal investigation; jurisdiction and next steps depend on location. |
| How to start | Contact the office named in the school’s sexual-misconduct or Title IX reporting information. | Contact the relevant local law-enforcement agency, or ask campus authorities to help notify it. |
| Support and accommodations | The school must explain available services and make requested accommodations when they are reasonably available. | Services and procedures vary locally; the federal handbook does not specify one agency’s process. |
| Confidentiality | Public Clery reporting omits identifying victim information, but that does not make every conversation with an employee confidential. | Privacy and records rules depend on local jurisdiction and process. |
How to contact your college
- Find the school’s current reporting information. Look for its sexual-misconduct or Title IX reporting page and annual security report. The annual report must describe reporting procedures, options for involving campus and law-enforcement authorities, confidentiality information, available services, and institutional disciplinary procedures.
- Ask what happens before sharing details. You can ask which office or person you are speaking with, whether the contact is confidential, whether they must share information with anyone else, and what they would do next. Confidentiality depends on the person’s role and applicable school policy.
- Ask about support and accommodations. You can ask what counseling, health or mental-health services, advocacy, legal assistance, visa or immigration assistance, financial aid, and other campus or community services are available. You can also ask about academic, living, transportation, or work accommodations.
- Decide whether to make a formal report. Ask whether the school requires a formal complaint to provide a particular service or accommodation. The answer depends on school policy and the circumstances; you can ask the question without assuming that contacting one office automatically starts every process.
How to contact police
You may contact the relevant local law-enforcement agency directly or ask campus authorities to help notify law enforcement. The responsible agency depends on where the incident occurred and local jurisdiction. If you do not know which agency to contact, ask the college which local agency handles reports for that location.
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A police report does not substitute for notifying the school, and notifying the school is not the same as filing a police report. The handbook describes options for either process or both; it does not require one report before the other.
If you are undecided or want both options
You do not have to choose one route as a condition of asking the school about available support. You can first ask a campus office to explain its options, or contact a resource the school identifies as confidential after checking what confidentiality means there. If you want both institutional and police processes, you may contact each separately or ask campus authorities to assist with police notification.
What to know about confidentiality
The handbook requires schools to explain how they protect confidentiality, including that public Clery reporting is completed without identifying the victim. It also says protective measures are kept confidential when doing so does not impair the institution’s ability to provide them. These protections are not a promise that every campus employee can keep an individual conversation private.
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Support and accommodations without a police report
The handbook says schools must inform victims about available services, including counseling, health and mental-health services, victim advocacy, legal assistance, visa and immigration assistance, financial aid, and other institutional or community services. It also says a school must make requested academic, living, transportation, or work accommodations when they are reasonably available, regardless of whether the person reports to campus or local police. Ask the school which options fit your situation and how to request them.
Evidence and medical guidance
Federal procedures must address the importance of preserving evidence that may help prove an alleged offense or support a protection order. The handbook does not establish one checklist or deadline that fits every situation. If you want guidance, contact a medical provider, sexual-assault advocate, or law-enforcement agency promptly for advice suited to your circumstances. You can ask for medical care or support without deciding immediately whether to report to police.
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The federal handbook sets out what schools must explain, but it does not identify the correct office at a particular college or the police agency for a particular location. Use the school’s current annual security report and sexual-misconduct or Title IX reporting page, and ask each office about its process and information-sharing practices before providing details.
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