150 female and 116 male students at the University of Provence-Aix-Marseilles in France answered a 44-item anonymous questionnaire designed to identify the circumstances, impressions, and comparative aspects of their 1st sexual intercourse. The average current age of the students was 20 years. The average age at 1st intercourse was 17 for 124 females and 16.9 for 104 males. The minimum and maximum ages respectively were 13 and 27 years for the women and 11 and 22 for the men. 16.5% of the women and 5% of the men were virgins. The age at 1st intercourse and rate of virginity did not vary by sociocultural or religious background. All of the women who were virgins felt that amorous sentiments had to accompany sensuality in sexual encounters. Among the nonvirgin women, 57% thought that amorous sentiments and sexuality were inseparable, while 28% felt they were not necessarily linked. 65% of the women and 12% of the men reported being disappointed by their 1st intercourse. 24% of the women and 81% of the men reported not being disappointed. The disappointment of the woman was linked essentially to lack of sensation. 70% of the women had no orgasm, but 75% of the men did. Among the 24% of women who reported they were not disappointed, only 20% had their expectations of physical pleasure fulfilled. 41 women and 53 men stated their primary motivation was desire, 14 women stated it was to give pleasure, and 24 women and 32 men reported curiosity as their principal motivation. 66% of the women and 26.5% of the men reported that their partner had been a love interest. The partner was older for 64% of the women and 32% of the men, the same age for 28% of the women and 47.5% of the men, and younger for 2% of the women and 13.5% of the men. 63% of the women and 60% of the men said they were comfortable with their sexuality, while 20% of the women and 24% of the men said they were not. 55% of the women and 85% of the men reported they masturbated. 69% of women and 60% of the men used no contraception at their 1st sexual encounter. 27% of the women used oral contraceptives and 5% of the men reported their partners did so. 49% of the women and 13% of the men used condoms or spermicides, and 2% of the men used withdrawal. Tests of correlation between socioeconomic background, parental education, and religion showed no significant differences in responses to questions regarding pleasure, orgasm, masturbation, the age at 1st intercourse, or the rate of virginity.