Referring to Ms. DeVos, she said: “She has to reject the idea that rape is just regretted sex. She has to reject the idea that most women lie, and she has to say it and say it and say it again.”

One major issue before Ms. DeVos is whether to rescind a letter issued in 2011 by the Obama administration that urged colleges and universities to take a tough stance on rape on campus or risk losing federal funding. Another question is whether her department will instruct schools to change the standard of evidence used to determine whether students are responsible for sexual assault. The Obama administration asked colleges to adopt a “preponderance of evidence” standard, a lower bar than the “clear and convincing evidence” threshold that many schools had been using. Some accused students have protested that the lower standard turned nebulous cases into grounds for discipline or suspension.

Ms. DeVos did not reveal her plans but hinted she would take action soon.

“We need to do this right, we need to protect all students and we need to do it quickly,” she said.

Among the accused students who told their stories to Ms. DeVos on Thursday was Joseph Roberts, who said he was three weeks from graduating from Savannah State University in Georgia in 2013 when he received an email from the university accusing him of sexual harassment. He was “summarily suspended,” he said in an interview, “pending the outcome of a hearing that never happened.”

Mr. Roberts, who enrolled in college after serving in the Navy and is now 36, said he was “deemed a threat to the campus community” and was not allowed to return. He was allowed to graduate by taking classes online. He sued the school in federal court, but the case was dismissed. A spokeswoman for the university declined to comment on the case, but said the university was “committed to providing a safe campus environment” and ensuring students’ due process.

Mr. Roberts has been working in Washington with a group called FACE (Families Advocating for Campus Equality), but he said many lawmakers have not listened to him.

“This was the first time that I felt like a decision maker, like a government official listened and was sincere and she was patient and she cared,” he said.

But advocates for victims cautioned Ms. DeVos not to forget those who have been sexually assaulted.

“The rights of the accused are just as important as the rights of survivors,” said Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a New York Democrat, who has made combating campus rape a signature issue, and who spoke at Thursday’s demonstration. “But what we’ve seen over the last several decades is a disregard for survivors. Not only are they disbelieved but they are retaliated against for reporting these crimes.”