The study, commissioned by Universities Australia and undertaken by the Human Rights Commission, will interview thousands of students at 39 institutions with many already reporting allegations of rape and abuse.

Students at the Australian National University will be presented with the survey this week with commission president Gillian Triggs to speak at a student-led event on Tuesday night.

ANU Pro Vice-Chancellor professor Richard Baker said the university supported the event and had organised support support services for any students who found it distressing.

"We have encouraged all students who receive the survey to complete it and students who don't receive it or want to say more to make a submission through the Human Rights Commission," he said.

Close to 400 students have already made submissions to the study, which will be presented to vice-chancellors along with recommendations from the commission next year.

Professor Triggs said initial submissions were shocking and included female students waking up after drinking to find men having sex with them.

Close to 13 per cent of submissions have come from international students and 19 per cent from students who identify as LGBTI.

"I have been shocked by the relatively high number of young international students and a disproportionately high number of LGBTI students who have reported assault," Professor Triggs said.

Professor Triggs said a female lecturer reported students taking pictures of her genitalia when she wore a dress to class. The students shared the images on the internet.

The Australian National University Students' Association has thrown its support behind the anonymous survey with representatives working on its roll-out for more than a year.

The Universities Australia study comes months after five students at ANU's John XXIII College were expelled after allegedly taking images of students' breasts and rating them on Facebook.

The university expelled five students involved, suspended two and disciplined seven more when the secret group was found by authorities.

In an article for the student newspaper Woroni, one student targeted by the men said they needed "to recognise that all the women they reside with are their equals, not objects".

There were 21 reported incidents of unwanted sexual attention at the university last year, prompting vice-chancellor Brian Schmidt to pledge to make the campus safe and respectful to women.

Professor Baker said the entire ANU academic community had made it clear that sexual assault and sexual harassment were simply not acceptable.

"In the case of sexual assaults, the university strongly supports students and staff to report such incidents to the police," he said.

Universities Australia chief executive Belinda Robinson said the study would give universities an evidence base for future projects.

"Universities and individuals have been working in this area for many years, but this is the first time that the whole sector has come together to obtain data at this national level and share best practice," she said.