State profile · MT · Clery Act

Safest Colleges in Montana

Federal Clery Act filings for all 26 tracked Montana campuses, ranked by 2024 on-campus Criminal Offenses and VAWA incidents per 1,000 students. Among nonzero reporters, Great Falls College Montana State University currently has the lowest rate.

26
Institutions tracked
1.57
Avg campus rate / 1k (26 of 26 scored)
2.94
Statewide rate / 1k
#19
Rank by avg campus rate
48,645
Students enrolled

Among nonzero Clery reporters, Great Falls College Montana State University has the lowest rate in Montana

According to U.S. Department of Education Clery Act filings, across 26 tracked campuses in Montana, 13 reported zero 2024 Criminal Offenses and VAWA incidents used in the rate; among campuses with any in those categories, Great Falls College Montana State University has the lowest rate at 0.67 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
26
average campus, per 1,000 (26 of 26 scored)
1.57
lowest nonzero rate - Great Falls College
0.67
campuses at zero in score categories
13

Data updated August 2026

Clery Act plate

Sheet MT · Montana 1.57/1k campus avg · #19/59

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

  • RATE-LOW 1.57/1k
  • RANK-UPPER #19/59
  • PHOTO-FINISH Maine · ±0.03
  • ZERO-MIX 50% zero
  • WT-LARGE-HOT Δ −1.37
  • BOOK-FULL 26/26
  • CONC-HEAVY top5 74%

Nearest campus-rate peer: Maine (+0.03/1k)

Montana sheet RATE-LOW · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · ZERO-MIX · WT-LARGE-HOT · BOOK-FULL · CONC-HEAVY · peer Maine. 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-MIX · WT-LARGE-HOT · BOOK-FULL · CONC-HEAVY. Nearest unweighted-rate peer is Maine (+0.03/1k). Among nonzero reporters inside the state, Great Falls College Montana State University leads at 0.67/1k. Instrument codes from this state's OPE Campus Safety sheet; compare similarly sized campuses before treating any single rate as decisive.

Montana's unweighted average campus rate sits better than 68% of scored U.S. states; inside the state, Great Falls College Montana State University has the lowest nonzero rate at 0.67/1k, ahead of Montana Technological University (1.18/1k); Miles Community College (1.41/1k). The five largest campuses still hold 74% of enrolled students, so enrollment weight and campus-average rank can diverge.

Campus-rate neighbourhood around Montana

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

per 1,000 students

What this shows Neighbourhood of scored states around Montana's 1.57/1k 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 Montana, ranked by reported rate

Ranked from the lowest 2024 Criminal Offenses and VAWA rate upward, counting only the 13 Montana 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.

9
Carroll College Helena · 1,156 students
Enrollment
1,156
Incidents /1k
3.46
# Campus EnrollmentIncidents /1k
1 Great Falls College Montana State University Great Falls · 1,502 students 1,502 0.67 11% of the leader · rank #1
2 Montana Technological University Butte · 1,702 students 1,702 1.18 20% of the leader · rank #2
3 Miles Community College Miles City · 710 students 710 1.41 24% of the leader · rank #3
4 Flathead Valley Community College Kalispell · 2,234 students 2,234 1.79 30% of the leader · rank #4
5 Highlands College of Montana Tech Butte · 727 students 727 2.75 46% of the leader · rank #5
6 Montana State University Bozeman · 17,135 students 17,135 2.98 50% of the leader · rank #6
7 Montana State University Billings Billings · 4,129 students 4,129 3.15 53% of the leader · rank #7
8 Stone Child College Box Elder · 292 students 292 3.42 57% of the leader · rank #8
9 Carroll College Helena · 1,156 students 1,156 3.46 58% of the leader · rank #9
10 The University of Montana-Western Dillon · 1,358 students 1,358 3.68 62% of the leader · rank #10
11 The University of Montana Missoula · 10,811 students 10,811 4.53 76% of the leader · rank #11
12 Rocky Mountain College Billings · 1,032 students 1,032 5.81 98% of the leader · rank #12
13 Salish Kootenai College Pablo · 671 students 671 5.96 100% of the leader · rank #13

Unranked campuses (13): zero score or no normalized rate

13 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.

# Campus EnrollmentIncidents /1k
Aaniiih Nakoda College Harlem · 120 students 120 0.00
Academy of Cosmetology Inc Bozeman · 39 students 39 0.00
Aveda Institute Montana Billings · 80 students 80 0.00
Blackfeet Community College Browning · 318 students 318 0.00
Chief Dull Knife College Lame Deer · 185 students 185 0.00
Crevier's Academy of Cosmetology Arts Kalispell · 79 students 79 0.00
Dawson Community College Glendive · 332 students 332 0.00
Fort Peck Community College Poplar · 362 students 362 0.00
Helena College University of Montana Helena · 1,554 students 1,554 0.00
Little Big Horn College Crow Agency · 262 students 262 0.00
Montana Academy of Salons Great Falls · 126 students 126 0.00
Montana State University-Northern Havre · 966 students 966 0.00
University of Providence Great Falls · 763 students 763 0.00

The largest universities in Montana by enrollment

Enrollment leaders: Montana State University (17,135); The University of Montana (10,811); Montana State University Billings (4,129), then 23 more. The 15 biggest Montana 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 74% of the 48,645 students enrolled across all 26 tracked Montana institutions. Mid-pack by size sits near Miles Community College (710 students, 1.41/1k).

9
Carroll College Helena · 1,156 students
Enrollment
1,156
Incidents /1k
3.46
# Institution EnrollmentIncidents /1k
1 Montana State University Bozeman · 17,135 students 17,135 100% of the leader · rank #1 2.98
2 The University of Montana Missoula · 10,811 students 10,811 63% of the leader · rank #2 4.53
3 Montana State University Billings Billings · 4,129 students 4,129 24% of the leader · rank #3 3.15
4 Flathead Valley Community College Kalispell · 2,234 students 2,234 13% of the leader · rank #4 1.79
5 Montana Technological University Butte · 1,702 students 1,702 10% of the leader · rank #5 1.18
6 Helena College University of Montana Helena · 1,554 students 1,554 9% of the leader · rank #6 0.00
7 Great Falls College Montana State University Great Falls · 1,502 students 1,502 9% of the leader · rank #7 0.67
8 The University of Montana-Western Dillon · 1,358 students 1,358 8% of the leader · rank #8 3.68
9 Carroll College Helena · 1,156 students 1,156 7% of the leader · rank #9 3.46
10 Rocky Mountain College Billings · 1,032 students 1,032 6% of the leader · rank #10 5.81
11 Montana State University-Northern Havre · 966 students 966 6% of the leader · rank #11 0.00
12 University of Providence Great Falls · 763 students 763 4% of the leader · rank #12 0.00
13 Highlands College of Montana Tech Butte · 727 students 727 4% of the leader · rank #13 2.75
14 Miles Community College Miles City · 710 students 710 4% of the leader · rank #14 1.41
15 Salish Kootenai College Pablo · 671 students 671 4% of the leader · rank #15 5.96

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 Montana: closest on tracked campus count (26 here) and closest on unweighted average 2024 Clery rate (1.57/1k 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: Maine sits nearest on unweighted campus average (+0.03/1k). Inside Montana, open Great Falls College Montana State University's campus sheet next.

Great Falls College Montana State University profile → | All states → | Montana net price → | Incident tool → | Methodology →

Montana campus safety FAQ

What are the safest colleges in Montana?

Among Montana campuses that reported at least one 2024 Criminal Offense or VAWA incident in the Clery categories used here, Great Falls College Montana State University has the lowest rate (0.67 per 1,000 students). Next among nonzero reporters: Montana Technological University (1.18/1k); Miles Community College (1.41/1k). 13 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 Montana?

In Montana, campuses with any 2024 Criminal Offenses or VAWA incidents in the score categories are ordered by incidents per 1,000 students - Great Falls College Montana State University currently leads that nonzero list at 0.67/1k. Zero-report and unscored campuses stay unranked and alphabetical. See /methodology for the full rate definition.

How many colleges in Montana are compared?

This page covers 26 tracked higher-education institutions in Montana, serving about 48,645 enrolled students combined across 18 cities. 13 carry a ranked nonzero rate; 13 are listed without a safety ordinal. By enrollment the largest are Montana State University (17,135); The University of Montana (10,811); Montana State University Billings (4,129). Nearby state averages for context: Maine (1.60/1k); Oklahoma (1.64/1k); Connecticut (1.48/1k); Georgia (1.66/1k); U.S. Virgin Islands (1.67/1k); Alabama (1.70/1k).

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.