Clery Act · U.S. Department of Education · 5,585+ institutions
Is your campus
actually safe?
According to the U.S. Department of Education's Clery Act filings, this page covers on-campus crime statistics, safety rankings, and fire-safety data for 5,585+ U.S. colleges and universities. The ranking score adjusts on-campus Criminal Offenses and VAWA reports for enrollment size, while category counts remain visible for context.
Median U.S. campus reports 1.6 Clery incidents per 1,000 students
According to U.S. Department of Education Clery Act filings covering 1,493 mid-to-large campuses, the median reports 1.6 on-campus Criminal Offenses and VAWA incidents per 1,000 enrolled students in 2024. Motor Vehicle Theft and Stalking lead category totals among 33,224 Criminal Offenses incidents that year. Scores normalize by enrollment so large and small schools compare, but they are not a forecast of personal risk.
Data source U.S. Department of Education, OPE Campus Safety and Security Survey
- Median / 1,000 (Typical)
- 1.6
- Campuses ranked
- 1,493
- Criminal Offenses, 2024
- 33,224
- Most-reported category
- Motor Vehicle Theft
The national picture
Across 1,493 mid-to-large U.S. campuses, the median reports just 1.6 on-campus Clery incidents per 1,000 students a year. Motor Vehicle Theft and Stalking are the most-reported categories of 2024, drawn from 33,224 incidents in the Criminal Offenses section and 17,655 in the separately reported VAWA section.
- 1.6
- median incidents / 1,000 students
- 1,493
- campuses ranked (≥2,000 students)
- 33,224
- Criminal Offenses incidents, 2024
- Motor Vehicle Theft
- most-reported category
Safety scores are on-campus Criminal Offenses and VAWA reports per 1,000 enrolled students. They exclude arrests and disciplinary referrals. A score of 0 can mean genuinely few reports or under-reporting; read it alongside campus modality and reporting culture.
What gets reported on U.S. campuses
Total on-campus Clery Act incidents by category, 2024 reporting year, across all 5,585+ tracked institutions
- Motor Vehicle Theft
Motor Vehicle Theft
12,588 incidents
- Stalking
Stalking
9,678 incidents
- Burglary
Burglary
6,673 incidents
- Rape
Rape
5,379 incidents
- Fondling 4,372
Fondling
4,372 incidents
- Dating Violence 4,170
Dating Violence
4,170 incidents
- Domestic Violence 3,807
Domestic Violence
3,807 incidents
- Aggravated Assault 2,869
Aggravated Assault
2,869 incidents
Signature insight · size does not equal danger
Campus size vs reported safety rate
Among ranked four-year campuses in the federal filings, sub-2,500-student schools average about 5.6 Clery incidents per 1,000 vs about 2.9 for the 10k-25k band - so the smallest campuses are not systematically the safest reporters. This plot of 64 four-year campuses (enrollment percentile vs safer-reporting percentile) makes that pattern visible; size alone is a weak predictor of the normalized rate.
Read the chart as text
- Point 1: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 13, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 14
- Point 2: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 0, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 13
- Point 3: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 14, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 16
- Point 4: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 5, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 11
- Point 5: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 3, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 8
- Point 6: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 10, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 8
- Point 7: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 17, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 17
- Point 8: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 21, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 6
- Point 9: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 24, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 5
- Point 10: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 6, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 19
- Point 11: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 2, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 21
- Point 12: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 19, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 3
- Point 13: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 11, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 22
- Point 14: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 8, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 2
- Point 15: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 22, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 24
- Point 16: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 16, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 0
- Point 17: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 33, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 60
- Point 18: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 32, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 59
- Point 19: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 46, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 62
- Point 20: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 30, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 57
- Point 21: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 27, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 63
- Point 22: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 25, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 56
- Point 23: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 40, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 54
- Point 24: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 29, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 65
- Point 25: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 38, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 52
- Point 26: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 35, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 67
- Point 27: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 49, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 68
- Point 28: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 37, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 70
- Point 29: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 41, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 71
- Point 30: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 48, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 51
- Point 31: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 43, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 73
- Point 32: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 44, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 75
- Point 33: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 65, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 89
- Point 34: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 52, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 87
- Point 35: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 59, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 90
- Point 36: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 67, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 86
- Point 37: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 54, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 84
- Point 38: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 68, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 92
- Point 39: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 70, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 83
- Point 40: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 51, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 94
- Point 41: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 63, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 81
- Point 42: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 60, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 79
- Point 43: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 62, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 95
- Point 44: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 75, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 97
- Point 45: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 73, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 78
- Point 46: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 57, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 98
- Point 47: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 71, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 76
- Point 48: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 56, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 100
- Point 49: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 81, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 33
- Point 50: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 83, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 32
- Point 51: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 87, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 30
- Point 52: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 84, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 35
- Point 53: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 95, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 37
- Point 54: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 98, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 29
- Point 55: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 97, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 38
- Point 56: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 100, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 40
- Point 57: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 76, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 27
- Point 58: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 94, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 25
- Point 59: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 90, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 41
- Point 60: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 79, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 43
- Point 61: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 78, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 44
- Point 62: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 89, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 46
- Point 63: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 92, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 48
- Point 64: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 86, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 49
Read the chart as a table
| Campus | Enrollment | Rate / 1k | Size pct | Safety pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Villa Maria College | 611 | 6.55 | 0 | 13 |
| Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Schuylkill | 624 | 6.41 | 2 | 21 |
| Talladega College | 760 | 6.58 | 3 | 8 |
| Bushnell University | 761 | 6.57 | 5 | 11 |
| University of the Ozarks | 778 | 6.43 | 6 | 19 |
| Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts | 896 | 6.70 | 8 | 2 |
| Ottawa University-Surprise | 912 | 6.58 | 10 | 8 |
| Presbyterian College | 1,095 | 6.39 | 11 | 22 |
| Catawba College | 1,376 | 6.54 | 13 | 14 |
| Maryland Institute College of Art | 1,687 | 6.52 | 14 | 16 |
| Wheaton College (Massachusetts) | 1,785 | 6.72 | 16 | 0 |
| Claflin University | 1,852 | 6.48 | 17 | 17 |
Sample of 12 campuses from the plot (sorted by enrollment). Source: U.S. Department of Education OPE Campus Safety Survey + IPEDS enrollment. Rate = on-campus Criminal Offenses and VAWA incidents per 1,000 students; lower is safer-reporting, not a personal-risk forecast.
Find campuses by state
State safety hubs →Jump to a state hub for Clery filings joined to IPEDS enrollment, then open any school profile for the per-1,000 rate, category table, and year-over-year change.
Safest large campuses
All rankings →Lowest reported incident rate per 1,000 students (≥2,000 enrolled)
Highest-incident large campuses
All rankings →Highest reported incident rate per 1,000 students (≥2,000 enrolled)
Research from the Clery filings
All research →How to read campus crime data
Understand the Clery Act, compare campus vs. city crime, and learn how to research safety before choosing a college.
How to read this safely
Across the 2024 Clery Act data, the typical campus reports about 1.6 on-campus incidents per 1,000 students, but a single number never tells the whole story.
- Start with the per-1,000-student rate, not raw counts, larger campuses always report more in absolute terms. Safest campuses
- Compare two schools side by side before you decide where to apply or enroll. Compare campuses
- A higher count can reflect stronger reporting, not more danger, learn what the Clery Act does and does not count. Clery Act guide
Figures reflect the 2024 Clery Act reporting year as filed with the U.S. Department of Education and carry a one-to-two-year lag; campus safety depends on many factors beyond reported counts.
About this data
How does PlainCampus work, and why can you trust these numbers?
What this site is
PlainCampus is a plain-language reference for U.S. college campus safety. We turn the U.S. Department of Education's Clery Act campus-safety filings and IPEDS institutional data into a searchable safety profile for every federally funded college and university. The safety score adjusts included reports for enrollment size, but not for time spent on campus or online, commuter, and residential mix. PlainCampus is for informational purposes only and does not constitute safety, security, legal, or enrollment advice; the data describes reported on-campus activity, it is not a complete picture of safety at any campus and cannot predict any individual student's experience.
Editorial process
- Source. Download the annual OPE Campus Safety Survey (Clery Act) filings and IPEDS institutional profiles directly from the U.S. Department of Education.
- Verify. Match institutions across both datasets using OPEID, the shared federal identifier, then join enrollment figures so every incident count can be normalized per 1,000 students.
- Publish. Compile a per-school safety profile with category-level incident counts, the computed safety score (on-campus Criminal Offenses and VAWA reports divided by enrollment, per 1,000 students, no subjective weighting), and a link back to the source filing so readers can check our numbers against the original report.
Editorial independence & corrections
PlainCampus is independent and accepts no payment, sponsorship, or promoted placement from any institution or agency. Found an error or a stale record? File a correction via the contact page, we respond within 72 hours and publish corrections with a visible revision note. See our editorial & corrections policy, methodology, about PlainCampus, privacy policy, and terms of use for full source attribution, refresh cadence, and site policies.
Frequently asked
Where does PlainCampus get its campus crime data?
All data comes from the U.S. Department of Education's OPE Campus Safety and Security Survey, which collects Clery Act-mandated crime statistics from every federally funded college and university.
What crimes are reported under the Clery Act?
The Clery Act requires colleges to report criminal offenses (murder, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, motor vehicle theft, arson), VAWA offenses (dating violence, domestic violence, stalking), arrests, and disciplinary referrals.
Is PlainCampus free?
Yes, PlainCampus is completely free. You can look up safety data for any of our 5,600+ tracked institutions, compare schools, and browse state-level statistics without any account or payment.
How often is PlainCampus data updated?
The Department of Education releases updated campus safety data annually, typically covering a 3-year reporting window. We update our database when new data becomes available.