Oxford's STI rate is 66% higher than Cambridge's, according to new analysis of official 2025 data. The university town recorded 674 diagnoses per 100,000 residents, placing it fifth overall among England's university towns, ahead of typical party destinations like Liverpool and Nottingham.
How the university towns compare
The data, analysed by adult platform Erobella, shows the 10 university towns in England with the highest STI rates. Manchester leads with 924 new diagnoses per 100,000 residents, followed by Brighton (859), Salford (846), and Lincoln (748). Oxford ranks fifth with 674, while Liverpool (638), Norwich (573), Birmingham (565), Nottingham (523), and Reading (522) complete the top 10.
Cambridge's rate of 405 new diagnoses per 100,000 residents placed it 22nd. Both cities have two universities – Oxford and Oxford Brookes, and Cambridge and Anglia Ruskin – with similar populations (166,000 and 149,000) and almost identical student numbers. In 2025, Oxford University had around 26,000 students enrolled, while Cambridge University reported approximately 24,000.
Trends in the data
Oxford's STI rate has been climbing for the past four years, rising by 11.8% last year alone. Cambridge's rate, by contrast, fell by 23.6% in a single year, reaching its lowest level in 14 years of available data and dropping from 10th to 22nd in the table.
The divergence may partly reflect testing patterns. A survey by Lloyds Pharmacy found that only 36% of 500 UK graduates took an STI test during university. Some 60% said universities do not do enough to promote regular testing, and 86% thought tests should be available in all student halls.
Possible explanations and changing fortunes
Oxford's more urban character and vibrant nightlife could play a role, with more bars and DJ club nights compared to Cambridge's fewer late-night venues. Erobella's data also shows Oxford recording 50% more chlamydia diagnoses among young women than a year ago, while Cambridge recorded 44% fewer.
The gap between the two has not always been this wide. Cambridge's STI rate overtook Oxford's in 2019, and in 2022 the two were level. The 2025 gap is the widest since 2015.
