State profile · MA · Clery Act

Safest Colleges in Massachusetts

Federal Clery Act filings for all 134 tracked Massachusetts campuses, ranked by 2024 on-campus Criminal Offenses and VAWA incidents per 1,000 students. Among nonzero reporters, Bunker Hill Community College currently has the lowest rate.

134
Institutions tracked
2.43
Avg campus rate / 1k (133 of 134 scored)
2.63
Statewide rate / 1k
#42
Rank by avg campus rate
477,934
Students enrolled

Among nonzero Clery reporters, Bunker Hill Community College has the lowest rate in Massachusetts

According to U.S. Department of Education Clery Act filings, across 134 tracked campuses in Massachusetts, 60 reported zero 2024 Criminal Offenses and VAWA incidents used in the rate; among campuses with any in those categories, Bunker Hill Community College has the lowest rate at 0.10 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
134
average campus, per 1,000 (133 of 134 scored)
2.43
lowest nonzero rate - Bunker Hill Community
0.10
campuses at zero in score categories
60

Data updated August 2026

Clery Act plate

Sheet MA · Massachusetts 2.43/1k campus avg · #42/59

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

  • RATE-MID 2.43/1k
  • RANK-LOWER #42/59
  • PHOTO-FINISH Nebraska · ±0.01
  • ZERO-MIX 45% zero
  • WT-LARGE-HOT Δ −0.20
  • BOOK-FULL 133/134
  • CONC-FLAT top5 31%

Nearest campus-rate peer: Nebraska (-0.01/1k)

Massachusetts sheet RATE-MID · RANK-LOWER · PHOTO-FINISH · ZERO-MIX · WT-LARGE-HOT · BOOK-FULL · CONC-FLAT · peer Nebraska. 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-MID · RANK-LOWER · PHOTO-FINISH · ZERO-MIX · WT-LARGE-HOT · BOOK-FULL · CONC-FLAT. Nearest unweighted-rate peer is Nebraska (-0.01/1k). Among nonzero reporters inside the state, Bunker Hill Community College leads at 0.10/1k. Instrument codes from this state's OPE Campus Safety sheet; compare similarly sized campuses before treating any single rate as decisive.

Massachusetts's unweighted average campus rate is higher than most scored U.S. states (only 29% of states report a higher average). Even so, Bunker Hill Community College leads nonzero reporters here at 0.10/1k, with MCPHS University (0.17/1k); Massasoit Community College (0.18/1k) next. The five largest campuses account for 31% of enrollment, weigh large-campus rates separately from small ones.

Campus-rate neighbourhood around Massachusetts

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

per 1,000 students

What this shows Neighbourhood of scored states around Massachusetts's 2.43/1k 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 Massachusetts, ranked by reported rate

Ranked from the lowest 2024 Criminal Offenses and VAWA rate upward, counting only the 73 Massachusetts campuses with at least one incident in those score categories. Showing the top 50 here so the page stays crawlable; positions are numbered within the full nonzero group.

2
MCPHS University Boston · 5,945 students
Enrollment
5,945
Incidents /1k
0.17
8
Regis College Weston · 2,517 students
Enrollment
2,517
Incidents /1k
0.40
14
Quincy College Quincy · 3,022 students
Enrollment
3,022
Incidents /1k
0.99
19
Boston University Boston · 37,737 students
Enrollment
37,737
Incidents /1k
1.67
20
Emerson College Boston · 5,263 students
Enrollment
5,263
Incidents /1k
1.71
23
Merrimack College North Andover · 5,862 students
Enrollment
5,862
Incidents /1k
1.88
26
Boston College Chestnut Hill · 15,432 students
Enrollment
15,432
Incidents /1k
1.94
27
Lesley University Cambridge · 2,557 students
Enrollment
2,557
Incidents /1k
1.96
31
Fisher College Boston · 1,652 students
Enrollment
1,652
Incidents /1k
2.42
34
Wellesley College Wellesley · 2,407 students
Enrollment
2,407
Incidents /1k
2.49
35
Emmanuel College Boston · 1,983 students
Enrollment
1,983
Incidents /1k
2.52
38
Tufts University Medford · 13,599 students
Enrollment
13,599
Incidents /1k
2.94
40
Gordon College Wenham · 1,595 students
Enrollment
1,595
Incidents /1k
3.13
41
Endicott College Beverly · 4,394 students
Enrollment
4,394
Incidents /1k
3.19
46
Clark University Worcester · 3,925 students
Enrollment
3,925
Incidents /1k
3.82
# Campus EnrollmentIncidents /1k
1 Bunker Hill Community College Boston · 9,876 students 9,876 0.10 4% of the leader · rank #1
2 MCPHS University Boston · 5,945 students 5,945 0.17 4% of the leader · rank #2
3 Massasoit Community College Brockton · 5,574 students 5,574 0.18 4% of the leader · rank #3
4 Massachusetts Bay Community College Wellesley Hills · 4,578 students 4,578 0.22 4% of the leader · rank #4
5 Holyoke Community College Holyoke · 4,200 students 4,200 0.24 4% of the leader · rank #5
6 Mount Wachusett Community College Gardner · 3,694 students 3,694 0.27 4% of the leader · rank #6
7 Cape Cod Community College West Barnstable · 3,260 students 3,260 0.31 4% of the leader · rank #7
8 Regis College Weston · 2,517 students 2,517 0.40 4% of the leader · rank #8
9 Northern Essex Community College Haverhill · 4,721 students 4,721 0.42 4% of the leader · rank #9
10 Springfield Technical Community College Springfield · 5,447 students 5,447 0.55 4% of the leader · rank #10
11 North Shore Community College Danvers · 5,743 students 5,743 0.87 4% of the leader · rank #11
12 Westfield State University Westfield · 4,588 students 4,588 0.87 4% of the leader · rank #12
13 University of Massachusetts-Boston Boston · 15,575 students 15,575 0.96 4% of the leader · rank #13
14 Quincy College Quincy · 3,022 students 3,022 0.99 4% of the leader · rank #14
15 Western New England University Springfield · 3,674 students 3,674 1.09 4% of the leader · rank #15
16 Northeastern University Boston · 32,553 students 32,553 1.38 4% of the leader · rank #16
17 Suffolk University Boston · 6,356 students 6,356 1.42 4% of the leader · rank #17
18 University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth North Dartmouth · 7,968 students 7,968 1.51 4% of the leader · rank #18
19 Boston University Boston · 37,737 students 37,737 1.67 4% of the leader · rank #19
20 Emerson College Boston · 5,263 students 5,263 1.71 4% of the leader · rank #20
21 Mount Holyoke College South Hadley · 2,275 students 2,275 1.76 4% of the leader · rank #21
22 Fitchburg State University Fitchburg · 5,892 students 5,892 1.87 4% of the leader · rank #22
23 Merrimack College North Andover · 5,862 students 5,862 1.88 4% of the leader · rank #23
24 Worcester State University Worcester · 5,745 students 5,745 1.91 4% of the leader · rank #24
25 New England College of Optometry Boston · 515 students 515 1.94 4% of the leader · rank #25
26 Boston College Chestnut Hill · 15,432 students 15,432 1.94 4% of the leader · rank #26
27 Lesley University Cambridge · 2,557 students 2,557 1.96 4% of the leader · rank #27
28 Framingham State University Framingham · 4,002 students 4,002 2.25 5% of the leader · rank #28
29 Brandeis University Waltham · 5,205 students 5,205 2.31 5% of the leader · rank #29
30 Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester · 7,584 students 7,584 2.37 5% of the leader · rank #30
31 Fisher College Boston · 1,652 students 1,652 2.42 6% of the leader · rank #31
32 Bentley University Waltham · 5,333 students 5,333 2.44 6% of the leader · rank #32
33 Franklin W Olin College of Engineering Needham · 405 students 405 2.47 6% of the leader · rank #33
34 Wellesley College Wellesley · 2,407 students 2,407 2.49 6% of the leader · rank #34
35 Emmanuel College Boston · 1,983 students 1,983 2.52 6% of the leader · rank #35
36 University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst · 31,726 students 31,726 2.74 6% of the leader · rank #36
37 University of Massachusetts-Lowell Lowell · 16,598 students 16,598 2.77 6% of the leader · rank #37
38 Tufts University Medford · 13,599 students 13,599 2.94 7% of the leader · rank #38
39 Massachusetts College of Art and Design Boston · 1,989 students 1,989 3.02 7% of the leader · rank #39
40 Gordon College Wenham · 1,595 students 1,595 3.13 7% of the leader · rank #40
41 Endicott College Beverly · 4,394 students 4,394 3.19 7% of the leader · rank #41
42 Bridgewater State University Bridgewater · 9,727 students 9,727 3.29 8% of the leader · rank #42
43 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge · 11,886 students 11,886 3.53 8% of the leader · rank #43
44 Lasell University Newton · 1,668 students 1,668 3.60 8% of the leader · rank #44
45 Simmons University Boston · 4,666 students 4,666 3.64 8% of the leader · rank #45
46 Clark University Worcester · 3,925 students 3,925 3.82 9% of the leader · rank #46
47 Hult International Business School Cambridge · 2,008 students 2,008 3.98 9% of the leader · rank #47
48 Berklee College of Music Boston · 8,369 students 8,369 4.06 9% of the leader · rank #48
49 National Aviation Academy of New England Concord · 241 students 241 4.15 10% of the leader · rank #49
50 Anna Maria College Paxton · 1,202 students 1,202 4.16 10% of the leader · rank #50

23 additional nonzero-reporting campuses rank below this top-50 list in the same rate order.

Look up any campus via the Campus Safety Incident Tool or browse all schools.

Unranked campuses (61): zero score or no normalized rate

60 filed zero 2024 Criminal Offenses and VAWA incidents in the score categories; other Clery tables can still contain reports. 1 lack a normalized rate because no positive enrollment denominator is available. Neither group supports a safety ordering, so these campuses are listed alphabetically without positions. Showing 15 alphabetically; the remaining 46 stay out of this HTML table so large states stay crawlable.

# Campus EnrollmentIncidents /1k
Alexander Academy Lunenburg · 39 students 39 0.00
Assabet Valley Regional Technical School Marlborough · 47 students 47 0.00
Bay Path University Longmeadow · 2,605 students 2,605 0.00
Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology Boston · 744 students 744 0.00
Berkshire Community College Pittsfield · 1,694 students 1,694 0.00
Blackstone Valley Vocational Regional School District Upton · 42 students 42 0.00
Blue Hills Regional Technical School Canton 0 -
Boston Architectural College Boston · 853 students 853 0.00
Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis Inc Brookline · 169 students 169 0.00
Bristol Community College Fall River · 6,950 students 6,950 0.00
Cambridge College Boston · 1,835 students 1,835 0.00
Catherine Hinds Institute of Esthetics Woburn · 174 students 174 0.00
Charles H McCann Technical School North Adams · 41 students 41 0.00
COLLECTIV Academy-Worcester Worcester · 192 students 192 0.00
College of Our Lady of the Elms Chicopee · 1,268 students 1,268 0.00

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

The largest universities in Massachusetts by enrollment

Enrollment leaders: Boston University (37,737); Northeastern University (32,553); University of Massachusetts-Amherst (31,726), then 130 more. The 15 biggest Massachusetts 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 31% of the 477,934 students enrolled across all 133 tracked Massachusetts institutions. Mid-pack by size sits near Lasell University (1,668 students, 3.60/1k).

7
Boston College Chestnut Hill · 15,432 students
Enrollment
15,432
Incidents /1k
1.94
8
Tufts University Medford · 13,599 students
Enrollment
13,599
Incidents /1k
2.94
# Institution EnrollmentIncidents /1k
1 Boston University Boston · 37,737 students 37,737 100% of the leader · rank #1 1.67
2 Northeastern University Boston · 32,553 students 32,553 86% of the leader · rank #2 1.38
3 University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst · 31,726 students 31,726 84% of the leader · rank #3 2.74
4 Harvard University Cambridge · 30,259 students 30,259 80% of the leader · rank #4 7.63
5 University of Massachusetts-Lowell Lowell · 16,598 students 16,598 44% of the leader · rank #5 2.77
6 University of Massachusetts-Boston Boston · 15,575 students 15,575 41% of the leader · rank #6 0.96
7 Boston College Chestnut Hill · 15,432 students 15,432 41% of the leader · rank #7 1.94
8 Tufts University Medford · 13,599 students 13,599 36% of the leader · rank #8 2.94
9 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge · 11,886 students 11,886 31% of the leader · rank #9 3.53
10 Bunker Hill Community College Boston · 9,876 students 9,876 26% of the leader · rank #10 0.10
11 Bridgewater State University Bridgewater · 9,727 students 9,727 26% of the leader · rank #11 3.29
12 Middlesex Community College Bedford · 9,374 students 9,374 25% of the leader · rank #12 0.00
13 Berklee College of Music Boston · 8,369 students 8,369 22% of the leader · rank #13 4.06
14 University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth North Dartmouth · 7,968 students 7,968 21% of the leader · rank #14 1.51
15 Quinsigamond Community College Worcester · 7,811 students 7,811 21% 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 Massachusetts: closest on tracked campus count (134 here) and closest on unweighted average 2024 Clery rate (2.43/1k 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: Nebraska sits nearest on unweighted campus average (-0.01/1k). Inside Massachusetts, open Bunker Hill Community College's campus sheet next.

Bunker Hill Community College profile → | All states → | Massachusetts net price → | Incident tool → | Methodology →

Massachusetts campus safety FAQ

What are the safest colleges in Massachusetts?

Among Massachusetts campuses that reported at least one 2024 Criminal Offense or VAWA incident in the Clery categories used here, Bunker Hill Community College has the lowest rate (0.10 per 1,000 students). Next among nonzero reporters: MCPHS University (0.17/1k); Massasoit Community College (0.18/1k). 60 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 Massachusetts?

In Massachusetts, campuses with any 2024 Criminal Offenses or VAWA incidents in the score categories are ordered by incidents per 1,000 students - Bunker Hill Community College currently leads that nonzero list at 0.10/1k. Zero-report and unscored campuses stay unranked and alphabetical. See /methodology for the full rate definition.

How many colleges in Massachusetts are compared?

This page covers 134 tracked higher-education institutions in Massachusetts, serving about 477,934 enrolled students combined across 72 cities. 73 carry a ranked nonzero rate; 61 are listed without a safety ordinal. By enrollment the largest are Boston University (37,737); Northeastern University (32,553); University of Massachusetts-Amherst (31,726). Nearby state averages for context: Nebraska (2.42/1k); Alaska (2.41/1k); Washington (2.46/1k); North Dakota (2.38/1k); American Samoa (2.37/1k); Oregon (2.52/1k).

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.