Shootings at Colleges: U.S. Statistics
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Data Summary
Since 1966, there have been 17 shootings at colleges where at least three people were killed.- Outside of mass shootings, there have been roughly 385 instances of gunfire on college campuses since 2013, killing 111 people and injuring 266.
- Researchers have found that gun access on college campuses may increase the risk of suicide and turn aggressive incidents more deadly.
- Most college students surveyed say school shootings impact their sense of safety on campus (65%) and favor stricter campus gun policies (63%).
Special Note: In April 2025, when this report was last updated, four additional mass shootings on college campuses were added to include shootings involving three or more fatalities.
While state legislatures continue to debate gun policy, there’s no denying the frequency of school shootings in the U.S. or the immeasurable toll they take on survivors and victims’ families and communities.
This report covers mass shootings that have happened at colleges over the past several decades. It also explores non-mass-shooting incidents involving guns to better understand the scope of gun violence on college campuses. Finally, it examines what college students say about gun policy and campus safety.
Shootings at Colleges, 1966-2025
No public government database tracks shootings at colleges. For the most part, researchers, journalists, nonprofit organizations, and volunteers track the number of college shootings.
There’s also no standard definition of a mass shooting. This list includes college shootings where at least three people were killed. We compiled this report based on various sources, including data made available by The Violence Project, the nonprofit investigative news organization Mother Jones, the Everytown for Gun Safety school shooting database, and other news reports.
1966: University of Texas at Austin
On Aug. 1, a shooter killed 15 people and injured 31 others from a tower on UT’s campus. The earliest recorded university shooting, it’s also known as the first modern mass shooting in the U.S.
1970: Kent State University
According to Kent State, on May 4, members of the Ohio National Guard fired 61-67 shots into a crowd during a protest at the university in Kent, Ohio. Four students were killed by gunfire, and nine others were wounded.
1976: California State University
On July 12, a man shot nine people, killing seven and injuring two, on the Fullerton, California, campus. The shooter used a semi-automatic rifle he had purchased illegally.
1991: University of Iowa
On Nov. 1, a man killed five people and wounded one other on the Iowa City campus. He died by suicide during the incident. The shooter had legally purchased the two guns used from a licensed dealer.
2002: Appalachian School of Law
On Jan. 16, a student opened fire on the Appalachian School of Law’s Grundy, Virginia, campus, killing three people — two faculty members and one student — and injuring three others.
2002: University of Arizona, Tuscon
On Oct. 28, a University of Arizona College of Nursing student killed three professors and later died by suicide.
2007: Virginia Tech
The Virginia Tech Massacre occurred on April 16 on the university’s Blacksburg, Virginia, campus. It is the deadliest college shooting on record. Thirty-two people were killed, and at least 23 others were injured. The shooter took his own life during the incident.
Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence has pointed out that despite being federally prohibited from purchasing firearms, the shooter obtained guns from two licensed dealers after background checks.
2008: Northern Illinois University
On Feb. 14, a shooter killed five people and injured 16 others in a lecture hall on the Dekalb, Illinois, campus before dying by suicide.
2010: University of Alabama in Huntsville
On February 12, a professor shot at her colleagues in a faculty meeting, killing three people and injuring three others.
2012: Oikos University
On April 2, a man shot 10 people, killing seven and wounding three others, on Oikos University’s Oakland, California, campus.
2013: Santa Monica College
On June 7, a shooter killed five people and injured three others. The shooting spree occurred throughout Santa Monica, California, ending at the Santa Monica College Campus.
2014: University of California Santa Barbara
On May 23, a man shot several people in the college town of Isla Vista, California, in Santa Barbara County, killing three and injuring at least 13 others. He died by suicide after the incident. Right before the shooting, he stabbed three people to death in his apartment.
2015: Umpqua Community College
On Oct. 1, a shooter killed nine people and injured nine more on the Umpqua Community College campus in Roseburg, Oregon. He died by suicide during the incident.
2016: Dallas College, El Centro Campus
On July 7, five Dallas police officers were killed and 11 people were injured — including nine officers and two civilians — in and around Dallas College buildings. The shooter died when police detonated a bomb.
2022: University of Virginia
On Nov. 13, a shooter opened fire on a bus carrying University Students as it returned to campus in Charlottesville, Virginia. Three students were killed, and at least two more were injured.
2023: Michigan State University
On Feb. 13, a shooter opened fire in two buildings at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. He killed three students and wounded at least five others. When confronted by police, the shooter died by suicide.
2023: University of Nevada, Las Vegas
On Dec. 6, a shooter killed three faculty members at UNLV and wounded another on the university’s campus. The shooter later died in a shootout with police.
Gun Violence on College Campuses
Mass shootings aren’t the only kinds of gun violence on college campuses. Everytown for Gun Safety documented 418 instances of gunfire on college campuses, occurring in 44 states and Washington, D.C., from 2013-2025. These incidents include individual attacks, unintentional gunfire, legal interventions, self-harm, and other instances.
According to the Everytown database:Note Reference [4]
- Excluding mass shootings, gunfire on college campuses has killed 114 people in total and injured another 312 since 2013.
- Non-mass shooting intentional attacks have killed 81 people and wounded 192 others.
- Ten people have died by suicide in non-mass shootings on college campuses. Three were injured.
- Nine people have been killed in legal interventions involving guns on college campuses.
- Unintentional gunfire on college campuses, has resulted in three deaths and 36 injuries.
College Campus Gun Policies
College campus gun laws vary from state to state — and campus to campus. According to a BestColleges analysis: At least 16 states allow colleges to decide whether to allow guns on campus. Another 12 states generally allow guns on campus with some regulations unless the college prohibits it.
Most states generally prohibit guns on college campuses, but they may allow exceptions for safety officers, people with written approval from the institution, and/or people storing firearms in vehicles.
That said, these laws are subject to change relatively quickly. Take Montana, for example. In 2021, Montana prohibited colleges from banning guns on campus. The following year, the Montana Supreme Court decided the law was unconstitutional, so Montana schools can now decide their own gun policies.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University studied the link between state gun laws and gun violence on college campuses. They found that policies allowing guns on campus don’t reduce mass shootings. And gun access “substantially increases” the risk of suicide among young adults. The presence of guns could make aggressive or reckless behaviors more deadly.
College Students’ Opinions on Gun Policy and Control
College students care about gun laws and their campus safety. They show it in various ways, from student activism to survey responses to how they vote in elections.
In a BestColleges survey, 65% of students said school shootings, in particular, made them concerned for their safety on campus. A majority (63%) said stricter gun laws would make them feel safer.
Additionally, gun policy and control were among the top voting issues for college students in the 2024 presidential election.