Students may not deserve their reputation for being promiscuous, according to a new survey.

One in five male students and one in 10 of the women questioned said they were virgins.

The majority of the 2,600 who took part in the survey by a website, virginstudent.com, said they had had fewer than five sexual partners.

Many were monogamous.

Love

Of those who were in relationships, half of the women said they thought they would stay with their present partner for ever.

Four out of 10 male undergraduates also believed their love would survive long after university.

The poll highlighted Kent as the university with the most sexually active undergraduates.

One in five there said they had had 11 partners.

Oxford

Near the bottom of the sex league was Oxford University.

Most said they were not in a relationship.

Overall, most students seem romantic, with 65% believing in love at first sight and 89% saying personality was more important to them than looks.

And most seem to practice safe sex, although one in five said they had had unprotected sex.