State profile · AL · Clery Act

Safest Colleges in Alabama

Federal Clery Act filings for all 72 tracked Alabama campuses, ranked by 2024 on-campus Criminal Offenses and VAWA incidents per 1,000 students. Among nonzero reporters, Jefferson State Community College currently has the lowest rate.

72
Institutions tracked
1.70
Avg campus rate / 1k (72 of 72 scored)
2.40
Statewide rate / 1k
#24
Rank by avg campus rate
313,719
Students enrolled

Among nonzero Clery reporters, Jefferson State Community College has the lowest rate in Alabama

According to U.S. Department of Education Clery Act filings, across 72 tracked campuses in Alabama, 39 reported zero 2024 Criminal Offenses and VAWA incidents used in the rate; among campuses with any in those categories, Jefferson State Community College has the lowest rate at 0.11 per 1,000 students. This comparison excludes other Clery tables and unreported harm, so review the details before drawing a safety conclusion.

Data source U.S. Department of Education, OPE Campus Safety and Security Survey

campuses tracked
72
average campus, per 1,000 (72 of 72 scored)
1.70
lowest nonzero rate - Jefferson State Community
0.11
campuses at zero in score categories
39

Data updated August 2026

Clery Act plate

Sheet AL · Alabama 1.70/1k campus avg · #24/59

RATE-LOW · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · ZERO-MIX · WT-LARGE-HOT · BOOK-FULL · CONC-MID

  • RATE-LOW 1.70/1k
  • RANK-MID #24/59
  • PHOTO-FINISH U.S. Virgin Islands · ±0.03
  • ZERO-MIX 54% zero
  • WT-LARGE-HOT Δ −0.70
  • BOOK-FULL 72/72
  • CONC-MID top5 41%

Nearest campus-rate peer: U.S. Virgin Islands (-0.03/1k)

Alabama sheet RATE-LOW · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · ZERO-MIX · WT-LARGE-HOT · BOOK-FULL · CONC-MID · peer U.S. Virgin Islands. Codes from this state’s OPE Campus Safety filing: unweighted campus rate, corpus rank (low = safer), photo-finish peer state, zero-report share, campus-vs-weighted gap, scored book, top-five enrollment concentration. Not a moving recommendation.

Clery plate RATE-LOW · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · ZERO-MIX · WT-LARGE-HOT · BOOK-FULL · CONC-MID. Nearest unweighted-rate peer is U.S. Virgin Islands (-0.03/1k). Among nonzero reporters inside the state, Jefferson State Community College leads at 0.11/1k. Instrument codes from this state's OPE Campus Safety sheet; compare similarly sized campuses before treating any single rate as decisive.

Alabama's unweighted average campus rate sits better than 59% of scored U.S. states; inside the state, Jefferson State Community College has the lowest nonzero rate at 0.11/1k, ahead of Southern Union State Community College (0.20/1k); Bevill State Community College (0.23/1k). The five largest campuses still hold 41% of enrolled students, so enrollment weight and campus-average rank can diverge.

Campus-rate neighbourhood around Alabama

Lowest/highest poles plus states nearest Alabama on unweighted average campus Clery rate. Full ladder: /rankings/.

per 1,000 students

What this shows Neighbourhood of scored states around Alabama's 1.70/1k unweighted campus average, not a full 50-state board reprint.

Source U.S. Department of Education, OPE Campus Safety and Security Survey (Clery Act) As of 2024

Safest colleges in Alabama, ranked by reported rate

Ranked from the lowest 2024 Criminal Offenses and VAWA rate upward, counting only the 33 Alabama campuses with at least one incident in those score categories. Positions are numbered within that group, because a rank counted through the zero-score campuses below would order them by nothing.

7
Troy University Troy · 13,658 students
Enrollment
13,658
Incidents /1k
0.37
25
Auburn University Auburn · 34,145 students
Enrollment
34,145
Incidents /1k
4.04
31
Miles College Fairfield · 1,180 students
Enrollment
1,180
Incidents /1k
13.56
32
Stillman College Tuscaloosa · 731 students
Enrollment
731
Incidents /1k
13.68
# Campus EnrollmentIncidents /1k
1 Jefferson State Community College Birmingham · 9,240 students 9,240 0.11 4% of the leader · rank #1
2 Southern Union State Community College Wadley · 5,063 students 5,063 0.20 4% of the leader · rank #2
3 Bevill State Community College Jasper · 4,378 students 4,378 0.23 4% of the leader · rank #3
4 George C Wallace State Community College-Hanceville Hanceville · 6,424 students 6,424 0.31 4% of the leader · rank #4
5 Northeast Alabama Community College Rainsville · 3,208 students 3,208 0.31 4% of the leader · rank #5
6 University of Montevallo Montevallo · 3,088 students 3,088 0.32 4% of the leader · rank #6
7 Troy University Troy · 13,658 students 13,658 0.37 4% of the leader · rank #7
8 Enterprise State Community College Enterprise · 2,699 students 2,699 0.37 4% of the leader · rank #8
9 H Councill Trenholm State Community College Montgomery · 2,046 students 2,046 0.49 4% of the leader · rank #9
10 Coastal Alabama Community College Bay Minette · 7,553 students 7,553 0.79 4% of the leader · rank #10
11 Lawson State Community College Birmingham · 3,453 students 3,453 0.87 5% of the leader · rank #11
12 Lurleen B Wallace Community College Andalusia · 2,062 students 2,062 0.97 5% of the leader · rank #12
13 Samford University Birmingham · 6,097 students 6,097 0.98 5% of the leader · rank #13
14 Huntingdon College Montgomery · 892 students 892 1.12 6% of the leader · rank #14
15 University of West Alabama Livingston · 6,820 students 6,820 1.17 6% of the leader · rank #15
16 University of Alabama in Huntsville Huntsville · 8,564 students 8,564 1.87 10% of the leader · rank #16
17 Auburn University at Montgomery Montgomery · 5,217 students 5,217 2.11 12% of the leader · rank #17
18 Jacksonville State University Jacksonville · 9,955 students 9,955 2.61 14% of the leader · rank #18
19 Fortis College-Montgomery Montgomery · 359 students 359 2.79 15% of the leader · rank #19
20 Tuskegee University Tuskegee · 3,121 students 3,121 2.88 16% of the leader · rank #20
21 The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa · 40,846 students 40,846 2.91 16% of the leader · rank #21
22 University of North Alabama Florence · 10,204 students 10,204 3.04 17% of the leader · rank #22
23 University of South Alabama Mobile · 14,003 students 14,003 3.21 18% of the leader · rank #23
24 Oakwood University Huntsville · 1,226 students 1,226 3.26 18% of the leader · rank #24
25 Auburn University Auburn · 34,145 students 34,145 4.04 22% of the leader · rank #25
26 Alabama State University Montgomery · 4,081 students 4,081 5.15 28% of the leader · rank #26
27 Alabama A & M University Normal · 7,295 students 7,295 5.62 31% of the leader · rank #27
28 Talladega College Talladega · 760 students 760 6.58 36% of the leader · rank #28
29 University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham · 20,905 students 20,905 9.66 53% of the leader · rank #29
30 Spring Hill College Mobile · 919 students 919 13.06 72% of the leader · rank #30
31 Miles College Fairfield · 1,180 students 1,180 13.56 75% of the leader · rank #31
32 Stillman College Tuscaloosa · 731 students 731 13.68 76% of the leader · rank #32
33 Marion Military Institute Marion · 332 students 332 18.07 100% of the leader · rank #33

Unranked campuses (39): zero score or no normalized rate

39 filed zero 2024 Criminal Offenses and VAWA incidents in the score categories; other Clery tables can still contain reports. Neither group supports a safety ordering, so these campuses are listed alphabetically without positions. Showing 15 alphabetically; the remaining 24 stay out of this HTML table so large states stay crawlable.

Fortis College Mobile · 315 students
Enrollment
315
Incidents /1k
0.00
# Campus EnrollmentIncidents /1k
Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine Dothan · 778 students 778 0.00
Alabama School of Nail Technology & Cosmetology Jackson · 97 students 97 0.00
Athens State University Athens · 2,986 students 2,986 0.00
Bishop State Community College Mobile · 4,001 students 4,001 0.00
Blue Cliff Career College Mobile · 107 students 107 0.00
Brown Beauty Barber School Bessemer · 54 students 54 0.00
Cardiac and Vascular Institute of Ultrasound Mobile · 56 students 56 0.00
Central Alabama Community College Alexander City · 2,140 students 2,140 0.00
Chattahoochee Valley Community College Phenix City · 1,705 students 1,705 0.00
Columbia Southern University Orange Beach · 17,763 students 17,763 0.00
Faulkner University Montgomery · 3,086 students 3,086 0.00
Fortis College Mobile · 315 students 315 0.00
Fortis College-Dothan Dothan · 177 students 177 0.00
Fortis Institute-Birmingham Birmingham · 613 students 613 0.00
Gadsden State Community College Gadsden · 5,071 students 5,071 0.00

Open any remaining campus from the school directory or the incident tool.

The largest universities in Alabama by enrollment

Enrollment leaders: The University of Alabama (40,846); Auburn University (34,145); University of Alabama at Birmingham (20,905), then 69 more. The 15 biggest Alabama institutions by total enrolled students, from the same federal IPEDS collection, each shown with its 2024 Criminal Offenses and VAWA rate. The five largest alone account for 41% of the 313,719 students enrolled across all 72 tracked Alabama institutions. Mid-pack by size sits near George C Wallace State Community College-Selma (1,925 students, 0.00/1k).

6
Troy University Troy · 13,658 students
Enrollment
13,658
Incidents /1k
0.37
# Institution EnrollmentIncidents /1k
1 The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa · 40,846 students 40,846 100% of the leader · rank #1 2.91
2 Auburn University Auburn · 34,145 students 34,145 84% of the leader · rank #2 4.04
3 University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham · 20,905 students 20,905 51% of the leader · rank #3 9.66
4 Columbia Southern University Orange Beach · 17,763 students 17,763 43% of the leader · rank #4 0.00
5 University of South Alabama Mobile · 14,003 students 14,003 34% of the leader · rank #5 3.21
6 Troy University Troy · 13,658 students 13,658 33% of the leader · rank #6 0.37
7 University of North Alabama Florence · 10,204 students 10,204 25% of the leader · rank #7 3.04
8 Jacksonville State University Jacksonville · 9,955 students 9,955 24% of the leader · rank #8 2.61
9 Jefferson State Community College Birmingham · 9,240 students 9,240 23% of the leader · rank #9 0.11
10 John C Calhoun State Community College Tanner · 9,119 students 9,119 22% of the leader · rank #10 0.00
11 University of Alabama in Huntsville Huntsville · 8,564 students 8,564 21% of the leader · rank #11 1.87
12 Coastal Alabama Community College Bay Minette · 7,553 students 7,553 18% of the leader · rank #12 0.79
13 Alabama A & M University Normal · 7,295 students 7,295 18% of the leader · rank #13 5.62
14 University of West Alabama Livingston · 6,820 students 6,820 17% of the leader · rank #14 1.17
15 George C Wallace State Community College-Hanceville Hanceville · 6,424 students 6,424 16% of the leader · rank #15 0.31

Enrollment is total reported students, not full-time equivalent, and a branch campus is reported separately from its parent institution. A larger campus is not a less safe one: the incident rate beside it is already per 1,000 students.

Nationwide states with similar campus scale or Clery rate

Two nationwide peer sets for Alabama: closest on tracked campus count (72 here) and closest on unweighted average 2024 Clery rate (1.70/1k here). The rate-neighbourhood and keep-peer blocks above stay geo-adjacent; these columns are cross-state ABS comparisons with deduped link sets.

Similar campus count

Nearest other states by number of tracked postsecondary institutions (≥5 scored campuses in corpus).

Similar campus Clery rate

Nearest other states by unweighted average on-campus Clery rate. Campus-count peers above are excluded.

Read with this state

Keep-peer handoff: U.S. Virgin Islands sits nearest on unweighted campus average (-0.03/1k). Inside Alabama, open Jefferson State Community College's campus sheet next.

Jefferson State Community College profile → | All states → | Alabama net price → | Incident tool → | Methodology →

Alabama campus safety FAQ

What are the safest colleges in Alabama?

Among Alabama campuses that reported at least one 2024 Criminal Offense or VAWA incident in the Clery categories used here, Jefferson State Community College has the lowest rate (0.11 per 1,000 students). Next among nonzero reporters: Southern Union State Community College (0.20/1k); Bevill State Community College (0.23/1k). 39 campuses reported zero in those score categories and are listed separately without a safety ordinal, because a zero report is not the same as a proven safer campus.

How does PlainCampus rank campus safety in Alabama?

In Alabama, campuses with any 2024 Criminal Offenses or VAWA incidents in the score categories are ordered by incidents per 1,000 students - Jefferson State Community College currently leads that nonzero list at 0.11/1k. Zero-report and unscored campuses stay unranked and alphabetical. See /methodology for the full rate definition.

How many colleges in Alabama are compared?

This page covers 72 tracked higher-education institutions in Alabama, serving about 313,719 enrolled students combined across 41 cities. 33 carry a ranked nonzero rate; 39 are listed without a safety ordinal. By enrollment the largest are The University of Alabama (40,846); Auburn University (34,145); University of Alabama at Birmingham (20,905). Nearby state averages for context: U.S. Virgin Islands (1.67/1k); Georgia (1.66/1k); Wisconsin (1.75/1k); Oklahoma (1.64/1k); Maine (1.60/1k); South Carolina (1.82/1k).

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.