Most of the students at the elite universities work less than 30 hours a week and do not go to parties. A third of them are virgins, the survey in The Independent newspaper said.
But more than 60 percent of the 3,038 men and women surveyed said they drank more than the recommended safety limit for men of 21 units of alcohol per week. The limit for women is 14.
Around three-quarters of the students said they rarely or never went to the theatre, cinema or concerts.
"I can't believe that," said Biplab Nandi, president of the student union at Queens' College, Cambridge. He said plays were very popular. "College social life as a whole is very healthy indeed."
Differences emerged between former pupils of private and state-run schools. Those from the private schools were more likely to have tried illegal drugs. Those from state schools were less likely to be virgins.
"I'm not surprised by the number of virgins, that seems about right," Nandi said.
The survey found that just over half the sample had tried some sort of illegal drug, mainly marijuana.
It also found that Oxbridge students were not as wealthy as many people believe, most spending ?3,000 to ?5,000 ($4,700 to $7,800) a year.
Only 10 percent of the students said they were politically active.
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