Bulimia, an eating disorder characterized by binge eating, may be increasing in frequency. In order to examine and assess: (1) the prevalence of bulimia in a non-clinical sample of college women; (2) the relationship of reports of binge eating to the fulfillment of operationalized Diagnostic and Statistical Manual III (DSM III) criteria for bulimia; (3) the prevalence of binge eating in males and females at times other than meals; and (4) sex differences in the labeling of one's behavior as binge eating, 327 male and 485 female college students responded to a questionnaire requesting information about binge eating and its frequency. Of the 147 women who responded positively to both questions, 105 completed an operationalized form of the DSM III in which the criteria for bulimia were defined. Large quantities of food was defined as 1,200 calories or more per binge; episodic eating patterns was defined as a minimum of 8 binges per month; and repeated attempts to lose weight was defined as two or more attempts in the past month. Analysis of results showed that 56 percent of the women and 38 percent of the men reported binge eating, and more women than men labeled their behavior as binge eating. However, only 7.2 percent of the women binged 8 or more times per month. The criteria for bulimia in the operationalized DSM III were fulfilled by 3.9 percent of the women, suggesting that bulimia may be a more prevalent disorder in non-clinical college women than previously suspected. (MCF)