NewsRadio 920 WHJJ and the Associated Press

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island colleges are reporting sexual assaults to the federal government, but a newspaper investigation has found few cases are resulting in criminal charges.

The Providence Journal reports Tuesday that 500 sex offenses were reported to the U.S. Department of Education by 10 colleges and universities in Rhode Island over a 10-year period that ended in 2012.

The newspaper also found that one sexual assault case was filed by the state's four campus police departments over that same period of time.

Schools are not required to report sexual assaults to police and the newspaper found policies vary from campus to campus.

The University of Rhode Island says it tells police of any sexual assault reported on campus, and encourages students to go to local authorities to report off-campus incidents.