Nearly one in five students have had a sexual experience with a person of the same sex, the findings of a new survey suggest.
Of these students, only half identified themselves as lesbian, gay or bisexual, according to the study to be released by the Union of Students of Ireland (USI) later today.
Ten per cent of students are lesbian, gay or bisexual, according to the survey, with 12 per cent of male students classifying themselves as either gay or bisexual.
This compares with 8 per cent of females who claimed to be either lesbian or bisexual.
Five hundred students in 15 colleges around the State, aged predominantly between 17 and 29, were surveyed last October for the study, which was conducted by the USI's research wing.
The survey represents the preliminary findings of research into the experiences of lesbian, gay and bisexual students in higher education, with further qualitative research due to be conducted in the coming months.
It reveals that students also have a high level of tolerance when it comes to homosexuality.
Some 67 per cent said it would not bother them if they saw a same-sex couple kiss or hold hands in public, although 16 per cent replied that they would not like to be faced with such a situation.
Nearly half said they would not have a problem if their best friend told them they were gay.
However, one in 10 said they would feel uncomfortable in such a situation, and 6 per cent said they would be disappointed or would worry that their friend would "come on" to them.
When asked what their reaction would be if one of their siblings revealed they were gay, tolerance decreased. Only 23 per cent said they would feel comfortable with this situation, while 27 per cent said they would find it "weird". Eight per cent said they would be devastated.
The survey also found that seven out of 10 students believe Irish society is homophobic. Of these, 24 per cent believe this is because of a lack of sex education in schools, 39 per cent attribute it to the dominance of a heterosexual ideology, while 21 per cent say it is a result of religious doctrine which infers that homosexuality is wrong.
Mr Tadhg O'Brien, Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual rights officer with USI, said he believed the survey raised a number of important issues with regards to young people's acceptance of homosexuality.
While he was not surprised that a relatively high percentage of students had indicated they had experimented with their sexuality, there was still much work to be done in addressing homophobia, he said.
It was encouraging that so many respondents would have no problem with a friend being gay, he said.