PurposeThe aim of this study was to examine the sex education received by British university students and their perceptions of sex education received as well as their knowledge of contraception and accessing contraceptive methods.Design/Methodology/ApproachA survey questionnaire was constructed and completed by 128 university students from the north–east of England.FindingsThe findings revealed that the majority of respondents reported to not having received good sex education at school even though they reported having knowledge of contraception and how to access it. The majority of respondents were unsure about the types of contraception to use and where to get sexual health advice.Originality/ValueRecommendations are made on interventions that could increase the uptake of contraceptive services among university students, which is an area where there is lack of research.