Safest College Campuses in the U.S.

In 2022, U.S. college campuses reported nearly 30,000 criminal offenses.^{Note Reference [1]} A BestColleges survey from the same year revealed that over half of students believed their college should be doing more to protect them at school. Most students also said school shootings make them concerned for their safety on campus, especially since some states allow guns on college campuses.

In this report, we cross-reference Peterson's data about campus resources and the U.S. Department of Education's data on crime rates to determine which college campuses are the safest.^{Note Reference [2]}

Discover which schools have the lowest crime rates and best campus safety resources like late-night escorts, 24-hour security, and electronically operated dorm entrances.

Safest College Campuses

Our list of the top 15 safest college campuses in the U.S. all had 16 criminal offenses or fewer reported in 2022.^{Note Reference [1]} All schools on our list also provide the following resources: legal services, a health clinic, psychological counseling, a veterans' office, a women's center, an emergency telephone (available 24 hours), 24-hour security, late-night escort services, and electronic-operated dorm entrances.^{Note Reference [2]}

Individual schools may offer unique services outside of the ones listed above. According to Peterson's Data:^{Note Reference [2]}

• Cameron University provides students with laptops to rent, which gives students the option to work from home rather than at the library late at night.
• At the University of South Alabama, students can download a free campus safety app called LiveSafe. The app allows users to live chat with safety officials and anonymously submit tips.
• Undergraduates at Willamette University can take self-defense classes.

Safest Private Universities

The safest private school on our list is St. Joseph's College of Nursing, which had only one reported criminal offense in 2022. Russell Sage College closely followed with just three counts of burglary and no other criminal offenses in 2022.^{Note Reference [1]}

These schools also provide the same resources detailed above: legal services, a health clinic, psych counseling, a veterans' office, a women's center, an emergency telephone (available 24 hours), 24-hour security, late-night escort services, and electronic-operated dorm entrances.^{Note Reference [2]}

Safest Ivy League Campuses

Of the Ivy League institutions, the University of Pennsylvania had the lowest total number of criminal offenses reported on campus (26 counts) in 2022. Harvard University had the highest number of reported criminal offenses, with more than 100 offenses reported — the most common crime being motor vehicle theft.^{Note Reference [1]}

Safest University of California System Schools

UC Merced reported just 24 criminal offenses on its campus in 2022, making it the safest UC System institution that year. It is followed by UC San Francisco, which had two times the number of reported criminal offenses (48).^{Note Reference [1]}

Most Dangerous College Campuses

After learning about the safest college campuses in the U.S., you might also wonder: What schools are the most dangerous? This is a complicated question, and here's why.

A high number of reported criminal offenses on campus does not necessarily mean a school is dangerous. Instead, it could indicate a number of things, including a larger student population (more students could mean more chances of crimes), a city location (major metropolitan areas can lead to more crimes), or ease of reporting crimes due to vast safety resources.

For example, UC Berkeley had one of the highest numbers of reported criminal offenses in 2022: nearly 500. Some of the most commonly reported crimes included aggravated assault (63 cases), motor vehicle theft (307 cases), burglary (48 cases), robbery (25 cases), arson (20 cases), and rape (17 cases).

However, Berkeley also has some of the most robust campus safety resources available to students including legal services, a health clinic, psych counsel, a veterans' office, a women's center, an emergency telephone (available 24 hours), 24-hour security, late-night escort service, and electronic-operated dorm entrances. It even has an Office of Emergency Preparedness.

Regardless of which campus students are on, they can utilize some of the resources available. For more specific resources, refer to your school's campus safety website.