The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point documented 31 incidents of sexual assault, harassment, stalking or relationship violence during the 2024-25 academic year, a total that ties the highest figure recorded since the Nassau County academy began tracking the data. Eight cadets — four men and four women — reported being sexually assaulted over that span, with allegations naming three male cadets, one female cadet, three male crew members aboard vessels where cadets were training, and one male stranger.
The academy issued the report to House and Senate lawmakers, as first detailed by Newsday, which found the 31 reported incidents represent an almost 30% increase from the previous academic year. Of the eight assault reports, two were unrestricted and subject to investigation, while a separate administrative investigation was launched with its results still pending, according to the same report.
A Multi-Year Climb in Reported Cases
The 2024-25 total builds on a climb that has played out over several years at the Kings Point campus. USMMA documented 21 sexual misconduct cases in 2021-22 and 15 in 2020-21, according to figures reported by Long Island Press. The academy then logged 31 cases in 2022-23, before the total dropped to 24 in 2023-24 — a dip now reversed by the latest report.
Of those 24 incidents recorded in 2023-24, Long Island Press reported that two were sexual assaults, 19 were categorized as sexual harassment, and three as relationship violence. Seven of those 24 cases, including both sexual assaults, were listed as restricted reports, meaning they were filed without the complainant requesting an investigation. Disciplinary action was taken in six of the 2023-24 cases, and all six were against men, the outlet reported. The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy's own website separately lists a Final 2023-2024 Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Report to Congress as a published PDF document.
Survey Data Paints a Separate Picture
Beyond the incident counts, a 2024 survey captured cadets' own reported experiences and produced a starkly different set of numbers. Per Newsday's reporting, 75 USMMA women — 48% of all female cadets — said they experienced sexual harassment during the 2023-24 academic year, while 22 women, or 13.7% of female cadets, disclosed experiencing unwanted sexual contact. Both of those survey-based estimates were down roughly 12 percentage points compared with survey results from 2021-22, the outlet noted.
An academy spokesperson said it has never been easier for a USMMA cadet to report prohibited behaviors on commercial vessels at sea, according to the seed reporting from News12 Long Island. The academy categorizes misconduct types as sexual assault, including rape, sexual harassment, stalking, and relationship violence, per the same account.
Federal Reporting Requirements Behind the Numbers
USMMA is required to send a yearly report on sexual misconduct to Congress, a mandate rooted in federal oversight of the academy's policies. The U.S. Department of Transportation's Office of Inspector General has summarized that the underlying statute required DOT to direct USMMA to prescribe a sexual-harassment policy, conduct an annual assessment of its policies, training and procedures, develop action plans, and report its progress to lawmakers, according to a summary from the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General.
That reporting requirement sits alongside a broader federal survey effort tracking gender relations across the nation's service academies. The Office of People Analytics has published a 2024 Service Academy Gender Relations Survey overview report covering unwanted sexual contact, sexual harassment, sex discrimination, reporting practices and perceived retaliation at USMMA. A related fact sheet on military service academies for the 2024-25 academic program year, dated April 2, 2026, was issued by the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office.
