NY
Columbia University in the City of New York
5.12 incidents / 1,000 students
New York, NY · Clery Act 2024 · Private Nonprofit
Columbia University in the City of New York
Across 2022–2024, Columbia University in the City of New York reported 276 incidents in the Clery Criminal Offenses section, and the yearly count rose over that span (largest filed category: Burglary). Nearby same-state same-level comparison: University at Buffalo.
- 5.12
- Incidents / 1k students
- #1,623
- Rank of 2,072
- #171
- NY rank
- 35,173
- Enrolled students
5.12 reported score-category incidents per 1,000 students
Columbia University in the City of New York reports 5.12 2024 score-category incidents per 1,000 - 57% above Georgia State University. Similar-enrollment scored peers: Georgia State University (1.55/1k); University of Kentucky (8.53/1k); University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus (2.44/1k); The University of Texas at San Antonio (1.98/1k); Brigham Young University (1.76/1k). Same-state same-level set also includes University at Buffalo (1.88/1k); Cornell University (4.22/1k); Stony Brook University (2.62/1k); Syracuse University (4.60/1k); CUNY Hunter College (0.80/1k); CUNY Bernard M Baruch College (0.05/1k); St. John's University-New York (1.50/1k); Binghamton University (8.93/1k). Largest Criminal Offenses total across filed years: Burglary.
Data source U.S. Department of Education, OPE Campus Safety and Security Survey
- incidents / 1,000 students
- 5.12
- of 2,072 ranked nationally
- #1,623
- report fewer incidents than this campus
- 78%
- Criminal Offenses, 2024
- 129
Source: U.S. Department of Education OPE Campus Safety and Security Survey
Data updated August 2026
Clery Act plate
Sheet 190150 · Columbia University in the 5.12/1k score rate · #1,623/2,072
RATE-HIGH · RANK-BOTTOM · ST-MID · ABOVE-PEER · ZERO-NONE · TREND-UP · CAT-LEAD · ENR-LARGE · FIRE-REPORT
- RATE-HIGH 5.12/1k
- RANK-BOTTOM #1,623/2,072
- ST-MID #171 in state
- ABOVE-PEER University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus · +2.68
- ZERO-NONE Scored
- TREND-UP ↑ 65%
- CAT-LEAD Burglary
- ENR-LARGE 35,173
- FIRE-REPORT 6 fires
Nearest enrollment peer: University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus (-2.68/1k)
Columbia University in the City of New York sheet RATE-HIGH · RANK-BOTTOM · ST-MID · ABOVE-PEER · ZERO-NONE · TREND-UP · CAT-LEAD · ENR-LARGE · FIRE-REPORT · peer University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus. Codes from this campus OPE filing: score-category rate, national/state rank, named enrollment peer, zero posture, Criminal Offenses trend, lead category, enrollment band, fire filing. Not a moving recommendation.
Clery plate RATE-HIGH · RANK-BOTTOM · ST-MID · ABOVE-PEER · ZERO-NONE · TREND-UP · CAT-LEAD · ENR-LARGE · FIRE-REPORT. Nearest similar-enrollment peer is University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus (-2.68/1k). National rank #1,623 of 2,072 scored campuses. Instrument codes from this campus OPE sheet; compare similarly sized peers before treating any single rate as decisive.
Columbia University in the City of New York reports 5.12 2024 score-category incidents per 1,000 - 57% above Georgia State University. Similar-enrollment scored peers: Georgia State University (1.55/1k); University of Kentucky (8.53/1k); University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus (2.44/1k); The University of Texas at San Antonio (1.98/1k); Brigham Young University (1.76/1k). Same-state same-level set also includes University at Buffalo (1.88/1k); Cornell University (4.22/1k); Stony Brook University (2.62/1k); Syracuse University (4.60/1k); CUNY Hunter College (0.80/1k); CUNY Bernard M Baruch College (0.05/1k); St. John's University-New York (1.50/1k); Binghamton University (8.93/1k). Largest Criminal Offenses total across filed years: Burglary.
Peer-rate neighbourhood around Columbia University in
Lowest/highest enrollment peers plus campuses nearest Columbia on score-category rate. Full ladder: /rankings/safest-campuses.
- Georgia State University · lowest peer 1.55
Georgia State University — lowest peer
1.55 per 1,000 students
- Brigham Young University · near 1.76
Brigham Young University — near
1.76 per 1,000 students
- The University of Texas · near 1.98
The University of Texas at San Antonio — near
1.98 per 1,000 students
- University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus · near 2.44
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus — near
2.44 per 1,000 students
- Columbia University in the · this campus
Columbia University in the City of New York — this campus
5.12 per 1,000 students
- University of Kentucky · highest peer
University of Kentucky — highest peer
8.53 per 1,000 students
What this shows Neighbourhood of similar-enrollment peers around Columbia University in the City of New York's 5.12/1k rate, not a full-corpus distribution reprint.
Reporting-period change
What changed in 2024
Columbia University in the City of New York increased from 69 to 129 reported on-campus incidents between the 2023 and 2024 reporting years in the U.S. Department of Education OPE Campus Safety Survey.
This is a change in reported incidents, not a measure of individual safety. Enrollment, reporting practice, and category coverage can affect the count.
See national reporting-year changesSignature insight · size does not equal danger
Campus size vs reported safety rate
Among 37 NY 4-year peers in this comparison, Columbia University in the City of New York is larger than 97% and safer-reporting than 8% - the larger, higher-reporting quadrant. Axes are within-sample percentiles so outliers share the same frame; a higher safety percentile means a lower Clery incidents-per-1,000 rate.
Read the chart as text
- Point 1: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 94, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 36
- Point 2: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 92, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 19
- Point 3: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 89, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 25
- Point 4: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 86, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 17
- Point 5: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 83, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 69
- Point 6: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 81, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 92
- Point 7: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 78, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 44
- Point 8: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 75, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 0
- Point 9: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 72, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 6
- Point 10: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 69, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 22
- Point 11: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 67, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 72
- Point 12: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 64, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 33
- Point 13: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 61, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 61
- Point 14: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 58, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 47
- Point 15: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 56, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 81
- Point 16: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 53, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 94
- Point 17: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 50, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 39
- Point 18: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 47, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 58
- Point 19: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 100, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 50
- Point 20: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 44, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 83
- Point 21: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 42, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 94
- Point 22: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 39, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 11
- Point 23: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 36, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 86
- Point 24: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 33, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 67
- Point 25: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 31, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 31
- Point 26: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 28, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 94
- Point 27: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 25, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 78
- Point 28: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 22, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 89
- Point 29: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 19, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 64
- Point 30: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 17, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 56
- Point 31: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 14, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 75
- Point 32: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 11, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 53
- Point 33: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 8, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 28
- Point 34: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 6, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 14
- Point 35: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 3, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 3
- Point 36: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 0, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 42
- Columbia University in the…: Enrollment size, percentile in sample 97, Safer-reporting percentile (lower rate) 8
Read the chart as a table
| Campus | Enrollment | Rate / 1k | Size pct | Safety pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 7,040 | 1.56 | 0 | 42 |
| SUNY Brockport | 7,482 | 5.48 | 3 | 3 |
| Adelphi University | 7,603 | 4.74 | 6 | 14 |
| State University of New York at New Paltz | 7,898 | 2.41 | 8 | 28 |
| Monroe University | 8,141 | 1.35 | 11 | 53 |
| Fashion Institute of Technology | 8,206 | 0.73 | 14 | 75 |
| Mercy University | 8,991 | 1.22 | 17 | 56 |
| The New School | 9,068 | 0.99 | 19 | 64 |
| CUNY Graduate School and University Center | 9,536 | 0.10 | 22 | 89 |
| Farmingdale State College | 10,039 | 0.70 | 25 | 78 |
| Empire State University | 10,469 | 0.00 | 28 | 94 |
| Columbia University in the City of New York (this campus) | 35,173 | 5.12 | 97 | 8 |
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.
Enrollment scale
How campus size shapes the safety figures
With 35,173 enrolled students, Columbia University in the City of New York is the 79th largest of the 5,585 institutions in this dataset with a reported enrollment, ahead of 5,506 of them. Closest same-state same-level scored peers by enrollment: University at Buffalo (1.88/1k); Cornell University (4.22/1k); Stony Brook University (2.62/1k); Syracuse University (4.60/1k); CUNY Hunter College (0.80/1k); CUNY Bernard M Baruch College (0.05/1k); St. John's University-New York (1.50/1k); Binghamton University (8.93/1k). The score above normalizes 2024 Criminal Offenses and VAWA incidents per 1,000 students, so compare it with similarly sized campuses instead of treating a higher raw count as evidence that a campus is less safe (Georgia State University is the nearest similar-enrollment comparison on this profile).
What changed between 2023 and 2024
Reported on-campus incidents at Columbia University in the City of New York rose from 69 to 129 (+87%). The increase shows up in Burglary (37 to 90), Rape (11 to 21) and Aggravated Assault (5 to 9). Falling over the same period: Fondling (10 to 6) and Motor Vehicle Theft (4 to 0).
This describes reported incidents, not crime. Clery counts move with reporting policy, awareness campaigns and how a campus staffs its security authorities, so a rise can reflect better capture of reports and a fall can reflect worse capture. One year of movement at a single campus is not a trend.
What actually gets reported at Columbia University in the City of New York
Across 3 reporting years, on-campus incidents were recorded in 7 Clery Act categories here: Burglary, Rape, Fondling, Aggravated Assault, Motor Vehicle Theft, Arson and Robbery. Burglary accounts for most of them.
The remaining 4 categories were reported with no on-campus incidents, Incest, Murder / Non-Negligent Manslaughter, Negligent Manslaughter and Statutory Rape. Under the Clery Act that zero is an affirmative report that nothing in the category occurred, not an absence of data, which is why the table below lists those rows rather than dropping them.
Counts describe incidents reported under the Clery Act for the on-campus geography. Reporting practice varies between institutions, so counts are not a direct measure of relative safety.
Crime Statistics by Year
11 categories 3 reporting years on-campus onlyColumbia University in the City of New York: Criminal Offenses by year
Rising 65% (78 → 129 incidents)
Read the chart as text
| Period | On-campus incidents |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 78 |
| 2023 | 69 |
| 2024 | 129 |
| Crime Type | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burglary | 90 | 37 | 55 |
| Rape | 21 | 11 | 13 |
| Fondling | 6 | 10 | 7 |
| Aggravated Assault | 9 | 5 | 2 |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Arson | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Robbery | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Incest | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Murder / Non-Negligent Manslaughter | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Negligent Manslaughter | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Statutory Rape | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Source: US Dept of Education OPE Campus Safety Survey. Table figures show the Criminal Offenses section; other Clery tables are separate
Fire Safety
| Year | Fires | Inj. | Deaths | Cat I | Cat II |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Arrests & Disciplinary Actions
63 category-year records| Category | Year | Arrests | Discipline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drugs | 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| Drugs | 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| Drugs | 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| Drugs | 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| Drugs | 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| Drugs | 2024 | 0 | 1 |
| Drugs | 2024 | 1 | 10 |
| Liquor | 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| Liquor | 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| Liquor | 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| Liquor | 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| Liquor | 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| Liquor | 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| Liquor | 2024 | 0 | 30 |
| Weapons | 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| Weapons | 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| Weapons | 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| Weapons | 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| Weapons | 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| Weapons | 2024 | 0 | 0 |
Columbia University in the City of New York vs peer institutions
Side-by-side safety scores for 3 peers of similar enrollment
Scores are $2024 Criminal Offenses and VAWA incidents per 1,000 enrolled students (lower is fewer in those categories).
GA
Georgia State University
1.55 incidents / 1,000 students
KY
University of Kentucky
8.53 incidents / 1,000 students
Cost context
Where Columbia University in the City of New York sits on price and outcomes
At $21,590, Columbia University in the City of New York's reported average net price is cheaper than 62% among 326 New York colleges with a reported figure. The state median is $17,940.
- $21,590
- average net price
- $17,940
- New York median
- 4.1×
- six-year earnings to median debt
- $46,051
- reported income-bracket spread
Aid here is steeply income-scaled. Families reporting under $30,000 of income record a net price of $4,570, while those above $110,000 record $50,621 - roughly 11.1 times as much. A published average of $21,590 therefore describes very few families well; the bracket nearest your own income is the more useful figure.
Six years after enrolling, the median former student who received federal aid reports $88,535 - about 4.1 times one year of the reported net price here. On that ratio the cost is recovered quickly.
Average net price reflects grant and scholarship aid for aided students, not a personal offer. Earnings cover former students who received federal aid; neither measure predicts an individual's outcome.
Academic & Financial Profile
Tuition & Costs
- In-State Tuition
- $71,845
- Out-of-State Tuition
- $71,845
- Avg Net Price
- $21,590
- Median Debt
- $21,500
- Pell Grant Recipients
- 23%
Admissions
- Acceptance Rate
- 4%
- SAT Average
- 1553
- SAT Math Range
- 770-800
- ACT Average
- 35
- ACT Range
- 34-35
Outcomes
- 4-Year Graduation Rate
- 96%
- Retention Rate
- 98%
- Median Earnings (6yr)
- $88,535
- Median Earnings (10yr)
- $102,491
- Loan Repayment (3yr)
- 84%
Source: IPEDS & College Scorecard. Methodology.
Similar Institutions
Showing 5 of 238 similar institutions by enrollment size.
Georgia State University
Atlanta, GA · 34,944 enrolled
Safety Score 1.55
University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY · 34,709 enrolled
Safety Score 8.53
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus
Pittsburgh, PA · 35,724 enrolled
Safety Score 2.44
The University of Texas at San Antonio
San Antonio, TX · 35,770 enrolled
Safety Score 1.98
Brigham Young University
Provo, UT · 35,873 enrolled
Safety Score 1.76
Closest by National Rank
Columbia University in the City of New York (national rank #1623) sits near St Olaf College (#1624) and Western Oregon University (#1622) on the scored national list, nearest by rank, not by size or state.
Nationwide campuses with similar scale or Clery rate
Two Clery-derived peer sets for Columbia University in the City of New York, both outside NY so the neighborhoods are not state containment (Similar Institutions and national-rank neighbors above stay enrollment- or rank-based).
Similar enrollment (nationwide)
Georgia State University
Atlanta, GA · 34,944 enrolled
Safety score 1.55
University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY · 34,709 enrolled
Safety score 8.53
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus
Pittsburgh, PA · 35,724 enrolled
Safety score 2.44
The University of Texas at San Antonio
San Antonio, TX · 35,770 enrolled
Safety score 1.98
Brigham Young University
Provo, UT · 35,873 enrolled
Safety score 1.76
Auburn University
Auburn, AL · 34,145 enrolled
Safety score 4.04
Colorado State University-Fort Collins
Fort Collins, CO · 34,096 enrolled
Safety score 3.23
University of Illinois Chicago
Chicago, IL · 33,906 enrolled
Safety score 6.87
Similar 2024 Clery rate (nationwide)
St Olaf College
Northfield, MN · 3,124 enrolled
Safety score 5.12
Whitman College
Walla Walla, WA · 1,561 enrolled
Safety score 5.12
North Carolina Central University
Durham, NC · 8,579 enrolled
Safety score 5.13
Western Oregon University
Monmouth, OR · 3,722 enrolled
Safety score 5.10
Brown University
Providence, RI · 11,956 enrolled
Safety score 5.10
Alabama State University
Montgomery, AL · 4,081 enrolled
Safety score 5.15
Spalding University
Louisville, KY · 1,553 enrolled
Safety score 5.15
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Mont Alto
Mont Alto, PA · 582 enrolled
Safety score 5.15
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Columbia University in the City of New York safe?
Columbia University in the City of New York has a safety score of 5.12 (2024 on-campus Criminal Offenses and VAWA incidents per 1,000 enrolled students) and ranks #1,623 nationally out of 2,072 ranked institutions - nearest similar-enrollment comparison: Georgia State University (1.55/1k). Same-state same-level set: University at Buffalo (1.88/1k); Cornell University (4.22/1k); Stony Brook University (2.62/1k); Syracuse University (4.60/1k); CUNY Hunter College (0.80/1k); CUNY Bernard M Baruch College (0.05/1k); St. John's University-New York (1.50/1k); Binghamton University (8.93/1k).
What crimes are reported at Columbia University in the City of New York?
For calendar year 2024, Columbia University in the City of New York reported Burglary (90), Rape (21), Aggravated Assault (9), Fondling (6) and Arson (2), and 1 further category in the Criminal Offenses section. Every other category in that section was reported at zero; other Clery tables are separate.
How does Columbia University in the City of New York compare to similar schools?
Columbia University in the City of New York reports 57% more 2024 score-category incidents per 1,000 than Georgia State University. Scored similar-enrollment peers on this page: Georgia State University (1.55/1k); University of Kentucky (8.53/1k); University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus (2.44/1k); The University of Texas at San Antonio (1.98/1k); Brigham Young University (1.76/1k). Same-state same-level set: University at Buffalo (1.88/1k); Cornell University (4.22/1k); Stony Brook University (2.62/1k); Syracuse University (4.60/1k); CUNY Hunter College (0.80/1k); CUNY Bernard M Baruch College (0.05/1k); St. John's University-New York (1.50/1k); Binghamton University (8.93/1k).
Does Columbia University in the City of New York have fire safety data?
Yes. Columbia University in the City of New York reports fire safety data for on-campus residential facilities, including total fires, injuries, deaths, and fire damage categories. 6 fires were reported in the most recent year.
Every figure on PlainCampus is rendered directly from federal Clery Act source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on federal Clery Act source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.
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. See our appropriate use guidance.
PlainCampus is for informational purposes only and does not constitute safety, security, legal, or enrollment advice.