Sex education for adolescent and young adult university students, a new challenge in higher education: a systematic review.

Introduction: Sexuality is a primordial aspect of the human being whose meaning goes beyond sex, encompassing aspects such as gender, identity, sexual preference, sensuality, affection, love and procreation. Objective: To analyze the state of knowledge, beliefs and attitudes that university students have about sexuality. Methodology: Bibliographic review of studies developed in 11 countries in English and Spanish databases: LILACS, Scopus, Dialnet, Pubmed, Researchgate, Redalycs, ScienceDirect, Proquest and SciELO; published between 2015-2025. Results: The review reveals a disconnect between students' theoretical knowledge of sexuality and its application, which facilitates the acquisition of risky behaviors. The analysis highlights that, particularly in Latin America, biological and risk-centered educational approaches continue to predominate, omitting the emotional and social dimensions in the educational sphere. In addition, gaps were identified in teacher training and in the application of effective, long-term intervention models in the university context. Conclusions: There are a large number of studies that determine low knowledge on the part of university students on issues related to their sexuality, directly influencing the practices, attitudes and beliefs that they possess. Similarly, greater support is needed from higher education institutions in the design, implementation, and monitoring of sexual and reproductive education programs, contributing significantly to the construction of a life project and reducing social inequality resulting from school dropout caused by situations such as unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, and gender-based violence.