How to Research Campus Safety Before Choosing a College

Why Campus Safety Research Matters

Every year, tens of thousands of crimes are reported on U.S. college campuses under the Clery Act. While academic programs, cost, and location typically dominate the college selection conversation, campus safety deserves serious attention. Understanding safety data can help you make a more informed decision, and knowing how to interpret it correctly prevents misleading conclusions.

Step 1: Start with the Safety Score

PlainCampus calculates a safety score for eligible institutions: on-campus Criminal Offenses and VAWA reports divided by enrollment per 1,000 students. Arrests, disciplinary referrals, fire records, and off-campus reports are excluded. A lower score means fewer included reports relative to enrollment. Use the search bar on our homepage or browse the school listings to find an institution.

The score is a useful first comparison because it adjusts for enrollment size. It is not exposure-adjusted: a predominantly online institution and a residential campus with the same enrollment do not create the same amount of on-campus exposure.

Step 2: Examine Crime Categories

The Clery Act requires institutions to report specific crime categories. Not all incidents are equally serious, and the mix of crime types tells you a lot about a campus:

• Criminal offenses - Murder, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, motor vehicle theft, arson. These are the most serious categories.
• VAWA offenses - Domestic violence, dating violence, stalking. Added to Clery reporting in 2013.
• Arrests and disciplinary referrals - Weapons, drug, and liquor law violations. High numbers may reflect active enforcement rather than a dangerous campus.

Pay attention to the type of crime, not just the total. A campus with many drug-related disciplinary actions may actually have a proactive safety culture that catches problems early.

On-Campus Offense Categories Ranked by Total (2024)

The table below ranks every Clery Act offense category by total on-campus incidents reported nationwide in 2024. Numbers render directly from our database of federal filings.

Motor Vehicle Theft: up 69% since 2022

Nationally reported on-campus motor vehicle theft moved from 7,433 in 2022 to 12,588 in 2024, a 69% rise across 2 years of Clery Act filings. Among campuses enrolling 1,000 or more students, Pomona College (CA) reported the highest per-1,000-student rate for this category in 2024 at 22.94 per 1,000 -- a useful reference point for reading any single school's number in context, not a judgment about that campus's overall safety culture.

Stalking: up 18% since 2022

Nationally reported on-campus stalking moved from 8,236 in 2022 to 9,678 in 2024, a 18% rise across 2 years of Clery Act filings. Among campuses enrolling 1,000 or more students, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science (MN) reported the highest per-1,000-student rate for this category in 2024 at 41.70 per 1,000 -- a useful reference point for reading any single school's number in context, not a judgment about that campus's overall safety culture.

Burglary: down 11% since 2022

Nationally reported on-campus burglary moved from 7,502 in 2022 to 6,673 in 2024, a 11% decline across 2 years of Clery Act filings. Among campuses enrolling 1,000 or more students, Reed College (OR) reported the highest per-1,000-student rate for this category in 2024 at 12.52 per 1,000 -- a useful reference point for reading any single school's number in context, not a judgment about that campus's overall safety culture.

Step 3: Look at Multi-Year Trends

Single-year snapshots can be misleading. A spike in one year might reflect a single unusual incident or improved reporting rather than a systemic problem. Look at the three-year trend on each school's profile page. Consistency matters more than any single year's data.

Step 4: Consider Campus Size and Geography

A large university with 50,000 students will often report more incidents than a small college with 2,000 students even if its per-enrolled-student rate is lower. Read the safety score beside raw totals, institution modality, reporting culture, and geography. Urban campuses face different challenges than rural ones, and campus crime rates can differ from surrounding city crime rates.

Step 5: Read the Annual Security Report

Every federally funded college must publish an Annual Security Report (ASR) by October 1st each year. The ASR includes campus security policies, emergency notification procedures, crime statistics for the past three years, and programs for preventing sexual assault and domestic violence. You can request the ASR directly from the school's security office or find it on their website.

A national median of 1.58 incidents per 1,000 students means most schools cluster near that line -- an outlier score deserves a second look, not a snap judgment.

Step 6: Visit Campus in Person

Statistics cannot capture everything. When you visit a campus, walk around at night and assess lighting. Talk to current students about their safety experiences. Ask campus security staff about their response times and programs. Check whether blue-light emergency stations are maintained and visible. These qualitative observations complement the data you find on PlainCampus.

Step 7: Research the Surrounding Area

Campus crime and city crime are different datasets. A campus in a high-crime city may still be internally safe if it has strong security measures, controlled access points, and a visible security presence. Understanding both the campus environment and the surrounding community gives you the fullest picture.

Bottom Line

No campus is perfectly safe, but data helps you compare. Use PlainCampus to identify outliers, track trends, and ask better questions during campus visits. The goal is not to find a school with zero incidents, it is to find a school that takes safety seriously, reports transparently, and demonstrates consistent improvement.