Clery Act · U.S. Department of Education · 5,673+ institutions

Is your campus
actually safe?

On-campus crime statistics, safety rankings, and fire-safety data for 5,673+ U.S. colleges and universities — Clery-Act-mandated reports straight from the U.S. Department of Education, normalized per 1,000 students so big and small schools compare fairly.

Or jump to Safest campuses Most-reported By state Compare two Clery Act guide

The national picture

Across 1,807 mid-to-large U.S. campuses, the median reports just 1.1 on-campus Clery incidents per 1,000 students a year — but motor vehicle theft and burglary drive most of the 32,402 reports filed in 2023.

1.1
median incidents / 1,000 students
1,807
campuses ranked (≥2,000 students)
32,402
on-campus incidents, 2023
Motor Vehicle Theft
most-reported category

Safety scores are reported incidents per 1,000 enrolled students — lower is safer. A score of 0 can mean genuinely few incidents or under-reporting; read it alongside enrollment and reporting culture.

What gets reported on U.S. campuses

Total on-campus Clery Act incidents by category, 2023 reporting year — across all 5,673+ tracked institutions

incidents
Source U.S. Department of Education — Campus Safety & Security Survey (Clery Act) As of 2023

Safest large campuses

All rankings →

Lowest reported incident rate per 1,000 students (≥2,000 enrolled)

  1. 1 University of Maryland Global Campus Adelphi, MD · 60,084 enrolled 0.03
  2. 2 Full Sail University WINTER PARK, FL · 26,421 enrolled 0.04
  3. 3 Palm Beach State College LAKE WORTH, FL · 24,369 enrolled 0.04
  4. 4 Wake Technical Community College RALEIGH, NC · 22,763 enrolled 0.04
  5. 5 Front Range Community College Westminster, CO · 21,096 enrolled 0.05
  6. 6 University of the Cumberlands WILLIAMSBURG, KY · 20,327 enrolled 0.05

Highest-incident large campuses

All rankings →

Highest reported incident rate per 1,000 students (≥2,000 enrolled)

  1. 1 University of California-San Francisco San Francisco, CA · 3,126 enrolled 54.70
  2. 2 Villanova University VILLANOVA, PA · 10,111 enrolled 49.75
  3. 3 Pacific Lutheran University Tacoma, WA · 2,737 enrolled 30.69
  4. 4 Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis INDIANAPOLIS, IN · 25,497 enrolled 28.24
  5. 5 Carleton College NORTHFIELD, MN · 2,069 enrolled 24.65
  6. 6 Oregon Health & Science University Portland, OR · 2,877 enrolled 22.25

Browse by state

All 51 states + DC →
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Campus safety guides

Understand the Clery Act, compare campus vs. city crime, and learn how to research safety before choosing a college.

Research Campus Safety

Before choosing a college

Understanding Clery Act

What the numbers mean

Safest Campuses in America

Data-driven rankings

Campus vs. City Crime

What the data shows

Original research

All research →

Clery Act crime category distribution

How reported incidents split across the Clery Act categories.

Largest tracked institutions by enrollment

The biggest campuses in the dataset, by enrolled students.

Top states by tracked institutions

Where the tracked colleges and universities are concentrated.

About this data

PlainCampus turns the U.S. Department of Education's Clery Act campus-safety filings into a searchable, comparable safety profile for every federally funded college. Every number is reported on-campus incidents normalized per 1,000 enrolled students, so a 40,000-student university and a 3,000-student college can be compared fairly.

Primary source: U.S. Dept. of Education — Campus Safety & Security Survey (2023 reporting year) · Full methodology

Frequently Asked Questions

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 6,000+ 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.