State profile · AR · Clery Act

Safest Colleges in Arkansas

Federal Clery Act filings for all 75 tracked Arkansas campuses, ranked by 2024 on-campus Criminal Offenses and VAWA incidents per 1,000 students. Among nonzero reporters, NorthWest Arkansas Community College currently has the lowest rate.

75
Institutions tracked
1.11
Avg campus rate / 1k (75 of 75 scored)
1.72
Statewide rate / 1k
#12
Rank by avg campus rate
158,912
Students enrolled

Among nonzero Clery reporters, NorthWest Arkansas Community College has the lowest rate in Arkansas

According to U.S. Department of Education Clery Act filings, across 75 tracked campuses in Arkansas, 53 reported zero 2024 Criminal Offenses and VAWA incidents used in the rate; among campuses with any in those categories, NorthWest Arkansas Community College has the lowest rate at 0.12 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
75
average campus, per 1,000 (75 of 75 scored)
1.11
lowest nonzero rate - NorthWest Arkansas Community
0.12
campuses at zero in score categories
53

Data updated August 2026

Clery Act plate

Sheet AR · Arkansas 1.11/1k campus avg · #12/59

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

  • RATE-LOW 1.11/1k
  • RANK-UPPER #12/59
  • PHOTO-FINISH Federated States of Micronesia · ±0.05
  • ZERO-HEAVY 71% zero
  • WT-LARGE-HOT Δ −0.62
  • BOOK-FULL 75/75
  • CONC-MID top5 48%

Nearest campus-rate peer: Federated States of Micronesia (+0.05/1k)

Arkansas sheet RATE-LOW · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · ZERO-HEAVY · WT-LARGE-HOT · BOOK-FULL · CONC-MID · peer Federated States of Micronesia. 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-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · ZERO-HEAVY · WT-LARGE-HOT · BOOK-FULL · CONC-MID. Nearest unweighted-rate peer is Federated States of Micronesia (+0.05/1k). Among nonzero reporters inside the state, NorthWest Arkansas Community College leads at 0.12/1k. Instrument codes from this state's OPE Campus Safety sheet; compare similarly sized campuses before treating any single rate as decisive.

Most scored campuses in Arkansas (53 of 75) reported zero in the 2024 score categories and stay unranked against each other. Among the nonzero reporters, NorthWest Arkansas Community College leads at 0.12/1k, then Black River Technical College (0.59/1k); University of Arkansas at Little Rock (0.97/1k). A high zero share is a filing pattern, not a proof that campuses are safer.

Campus-rate neighbourhood around Arkansas

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

per 1,000 students

What this shows Neighbourhood of scored states around Arkansas's 1.11/1k 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 Arkansas, ranked by reported rate

Ranked from the lowest 2024 Criminal Offenses and VAWA rate upward, counting only the 22 Arkansas 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.

16
Hendrix College Conway · 1,110 students
Enrollment
1,110
Incidents /1k
3.60
21
Lyon College Batesville · 659 students
Enrollment
659
Incidents /1k
15.17
# Campus EnrollmentIncidents /1k
1 NorthWest Arkansas Community College Bentonville · 8,412 students 8,412 0.12 4% of the leader · rank #1
2 Black River Technical College Pocahontas · 1,705 students 1,705 0.59 4% of the leader · rank #2
3 University of Arkansas at Little Rock Little Rock · 8,216 students 8,216 0.97 5% of the leader · rank #3
4 Southern Arkansas University Tech Camden · 991 students 991 1.01 5% of the leader · rank #4
5 Harding University Searcy · 4,696 students 4,696 1.06 5% of the leader · rank #5
6 Southeast Arkansas College Pine Bluff · 916 students 916 1.09 5% of the leader · rank #6
7 University of Arkansas-Fort Smith Fort Smith · 5,496 students 5,496 1.46 7% of the leader · rank #7
8 Arkansas State University Jonesboro · 15,726 students 15,726 1.53 7% of the leader · rank #8
9 John Brown University Siloam Springs · 2,350 students 2,350 1.70 8% of the leader · rank #9
10 University of Arkansas Fayetteville · 33,610 students 33,610 1.79 8% of the leader · rank #10
11 Henderson State University Arkadelphia · 2,055 students 2,055 1.95 9% of the leader · rank #11
12 Arkansas Tech University Russellville · 8,746 students 8,746 2.06 10% of the leader · rank #12
13 University of Arkansas at Monticello Monticello · 2,856 students 2,856 2.10 10% of the leader · rank #13
14 Southern Arkansas University Main Campus Magnolia · 4,732 students 4,732 2.11 10% of the leader · rank #14
15 Ouachita Baptist University Arkadelphia · 1,858 students 1,858 2.15 10% of the leader · rank #15
16 Hendrix College Conway · 1,110 students 1,110 3.60 17% of the leader · rank #16
17 University of Central Arkansas Conway · 10,112 students 10,112 3.66 17% of the leader · rank #17
18 University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Little Rock · 3,485 students 3,485 5.17 24% of the leader · rank #18
19 Arkansas Baptist College Little Rock · 342 students 342 5.85 27% of the leader · rank #19
20 University of the Ozarks Clarksville · 778 students 778 6.43 30% of the leader · rank #20
21 Lyon College Batesville · 659 students 659 15.17 71% of the leader · rank #21
22 University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Pine Bluff · 2,005 students 2,005 21.45 100% of the leader · rank #22

Unranked campuses (53): zero score or no normalized rate

53 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 38 stay out of this HTML table so large states stay crawlable.

# Campus EnrollmentIncidents /1k
Academy of Professional Cosmetology Rogers · 115 students 115 0.00
Academy of Salon and Spa Fort Smith · 52 students 52 0.00
Arkansas Beauty College Russellville · 61 students 61 0.00
Arkansas Beauty School-Little Rock Little Rock · 106 students 106 0.00
Arkansas Colleges of Health Education Fort Smith · 870 students 870 0.00
Arkansas Northeastern College Blytheville · 1,461 students 1,461 0.00
Arkansas State University Mid-South West Memphis · 1,022 students 1,022 0.00
Arkansas State University Three Rivers Malvern · 1,983 students 1,983 0.00
Arkansas State University-Beebe Beebe · 3,277 students 3,277 0.00
Arkansas State University-Mountain Home Mountain Home · 1,315 students 1,315 0.00
Arkansas State University-Newport Newport · 1,868 students 1,868 0.00
Arkansas Technical School North Little Rock · 123 students 123 0.00
Arkansas Welding Academy Jacksonville · 73 students 73 0.00
Arthur's Beauty College Jacksonville · 29 students 29 0.00
Arthur's Beauty College Conway · 66 students 66 0.00

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

The largest universities in Arkansas by enrollment

Enrollment leaders: University of Arkansas (33,610); Arkansas State University (15,726); University of Central Arkansas (10,112), then 72 more. The 15 biggest Arkansas 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 48% of the 158,912 students enrolled across all 75 tracked Arkansas institutions. Mid-pack by size sits near University of Arkansas Community College Rich Mountain (786 students, 0.00/1k).

# Institution EnrollmentIncidents /1k
1 University of Arkansas Fayetteville · 33,610 students 33,610 100% of the leader · rank #1 1.79
2 Arkansas State University Jonesboro · 15,726 students 15,726 47% of the leader · rank #2 1.53
3 University of Central Arkansas Conway · 10,112 students 10,112 30% of the leader · rank #3 3.66
4 Arkansas Tech University Russellville · 8,746 students 8,746 26% of the leader · rank #4 2.06
5 NorthWest Arkansas Community College Bentonville · 8,412 students 8,412 25% of the leader · rank #5 0.12
6 University of Arkansas at Little Rock Little Rock · 8,216 students 8,216 24% of the leader · rank #6 0.97
7 University of Arkansas-Fort Smith Fort Smith · 5,496 students 5,496 16% of the leader · rank #7 1.46
8 Southern Arkansas University Main Campus Magnolia · 4,732 students 4,732 14% of the leader · rank #8 2.11
9 Harding University Searcy · 4,696 students 4,696 14% of the leader · rank #9 1.06
10 University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College North Little Rock · 4,478 students 4,478 13% of the leader · rank #10 0.00
11 University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Little Rock · 3,485 students 3,485 10% of the leader · rank #11 5.17
12 Arkansas State University-Beebe Beebe · 3,277 students 3,277 10% of the leader · rank #12 0.00
13 University of Arkansas at Monticello Monticello · 2,856 students 2,856 8% of the leader · rank #13 2.10
14 John Brown University Siloam Springs · 2,350 students 2,350 7% of the leader · rank #14 1.70
15 University of Arkansas Community College-Morrilton Morrilton · 2,248 students 2,248 7% of the leader · rank #15 0.00

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 Arkansas: closest on tracked campus count (75 here) and closest on unweighted average 2024 Clery rate (1.11/1k 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: Federated States of Micronesia sits nearest on unweighted campus average (+0.05/1k). Inside Arkansas, open NorthWest Arkansas Community College's campus sheet next.

NorthWest Arkansas Community College profile → | All states → | Arkansas net price → | Incident tool → | Methodology →

Arkansas campus safety FAQ

What are the safest colleges in Arkansas?

Among Arkansas campuses that reported at least one 2024 Criminal Offense or VAWA incident in the Clery categories used here, NorthWest Arkansas Community College has the lowest rate (0.12 per 1,000 students). Next among nonzero reporters: Black River Technical College (0.59/1k); University of Arkansas at Little Rock (0.97/1k). 53 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 Arkansas?

In Arkansas, campuses with any 2024 Criminal Offenses or VAWA incidents in the score categories are ordered by incidents per 1,000 students - NorthWest Arkansas Community College currently leads that nonzero list at 0.12/1k. Zero-report and unscored campuses stay unranked and alphabetical. See /methodology for the full rate definition.

How many colleges in Arkansas are compared?

This page covers 75 tracked higher-education institutions in Arkansas, serving about 158,912 enrolled students combined across 41 cities. 22 carry a ranked nonzero rate; 53 are listed without a safety ordinal. By enrollment the largest are University of Arkansas (33,610); Arkansas State University (15,726); University of Central Arkansas (10,112). Nearby state averages for context: Federated States of Micronesia (1.16/1k); South Dakota (1.17/1k); Michigan (1.18/1k); Louisiana (1.20/1k); Utah (0.91/1k); Ohio (1.34/1k).

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.