| Summary: | South African institutions of higher education and training are experiencing an increase in the prevalence of gender-based violence committed against female students who are most often victims. This gave rise to this study to investigate the prevalence and underlying factors to gender-based violence among female students in public universities in Eastern Cape, South Africa. A cross-sectional research design was used to conduct a study among 604 female students from Nelson Mandela University, University of Fort Hare, Rhodes University, and Walter Sisulu University in Eastern Cape selected using cluster sampling method. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression. P-values (<0.005) variables were selected based on statistical significance. The adjusted odds ratio was used to illustrate the strength of association with 95% confidence intervals. Results indicate 344 (57.8%) to be the prevalence of gender-based violence. Findings show that 336 (56.5%) of the students experienced emotional or verbal violence, 378 (46.7%) sexual violence and 102 (36.3%) physical violence. The prevalence of attempted rape was 96 (36.7%) while complete rape was 80 (28.9%). Significant underlying factors to gender-based violence reported were living alone in a rented house (AOR = 3.3, 95% CI: 1.80–6.26, P = 0.040), having a sexual partner AOR = 4.42; 95% CI: 2.4–8.05, P = 0.001), monthly allowance ≤ 1000 rand (AOR = 3.4; 95% CI: 1.8–6.0, P = 0.010), age ≤ 19 years (AOR = 3.5; 95% CI: 1.5–5.4, P = 0.030), having a housemate with a boyfriend (AOR = 4; 95% CI: 2.9–7.7, P = 0.001), and being a student in the discipline of medical sciences (AOR = 3.1; 95% CI: 1.2–7.7, P = 0.030). Further, the study revealed that a considerable number of students were survivors of gender-based violence at the university. There is need for universities and interested parties to fight against gender-based violence by devising interventions and developing policies to protect female students, and generate intervention programmes to raise awareness of the prevalence, types of gender-based violence and their underlying factors.
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