State profile · TN · Clery Act

Safest Colleges in Tennessee

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

134
Institutions tracked
2.31
Avg campus rate / 1k (134 of 134 scored)
2.36
Statewide rate / 1k
#36
Rank by avg campus rate
355,702
Students enrolled

Among nonzero Clery reporters, Nashville State Community College has the lowest rate in Tennessee

According to U.S. Department of Education Clery Act filings, across 134 tracked campuses in Tennessee, 80 reported zero 2024 Criminal Offenses and VAWA incidents used in the rate; among campuses with any in those categories, Nashville State Community College has the lowest rate at 0.13 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 (134 of 134 scored)
2.31
lowest nonzero rate - Nashville State Community
0.13
campuses at zero in score categories
80

Data updated August 2026

Clery Act plate

Sheet TN · Tennessee 2.31/1k campus avg · #36/59

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

  • RATE-MID 2.31/1k
  • RANK-LOWER #36/59
  • PHOTO-FINISH Wyoming · ±0.02
  • ZERO-HEAVY 60% zero
  • WT-LARGE-HOT Δ −0.05
  • BOOK-FULL 134/134
  • CONC-FLAT top5 30%

Nearest campus-rate peer: Wyoming (+0.02/1k)

Tennessee sheet RATE-MID · RANK-LOWER · PHOTO-FINISH · ZERO-HEAVY · WT-LARGE-HOT · BOOK-FULL · CONC-FLAT · peer Wyoming. 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-HEAVY · WT-LARGE-HOT · BOOK-FULL · CONC-FLAT. Nearest unweighted-rate peer is Wyoming (+0.02/1k). Among nonzero reporters inside the state, Nashville State Community College leads at 0.13/1k. 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 Tennessee (80 of 134) reported zero in the 2024 score categories and stay unranked against each other. Among the nonzero reporters, Nashville State Community College leads at 0.13/1k, then Columbia State Community College (0.18/1k); Lipscomb University (0.20/1k). A high zero share is a filing pattern, not a proof that campuses are safer.

Campus-rate neighbourhood around Tennessee

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

per 1,000 students

What this shows Neighbourhood of scored states around Tennessee's 2.31/1k 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 Tennessee, ranked by reported rate

Ranked from the lowest 2024 Criminal Offenses and VAWA rate upward, counting only the 54 Tennessee 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.

26
Lee UniversityCleveland · 3,714 students
Enrollment
3,714
Incidents /1k
2.42
48
Rhodes CollegeMemphis · 1,861 students
Enrollment
1,861
Incidents /1k
9.13
50
Fisk UniversityNashville · 1,059 students
Enrollment
1,059
Incidents /1k
10.39
#CampusEnrollmentIncidents /1k
1Nashville State Community CollegeNashville · 7,533 students7,5330.134% of the leader · rank #1
2Columbia State Community CollegeColumbia · 5,712 students5,7120.184% of the leader · rank #2
3Lipscomb UniversityNashville · 5,017 students5,0170.204% of the leader · rank #3
4Chattanooga State Community CollegeChattanooga · 7,623 students7,6230.264% of the leader · rank #4
5Jackson State Community CollegeJackson · 3,518 students3,5180.284% of the leader · rank #5
6Pellissippi State Community CollegeKnoxville · 9,399 students9,3990.534% of the leader · rank #6
7Southwest Tennessee Community CollegeMemphis · 7,004 students7,0040.574% of the leader · rank #7
8Volunteer State Community CollegeGallatin · 6,963 students6,9630.574% of the leader · rank #8
9SAE Institute of Technology-NashvilleNashville · 1,712 students1,7120.584% of the leader · rank #9
10Roane State Community CollegeHarriman · 5,002 students5,0020.604% of the leader · rank #10
11Cleveland State Community CollegeCleveland · 3,282 students3,2820.614% of the leader · rank #11
12Trevecca Nazarene UniversityNashville · 3,195 students3,1950.634% of the leader · rank #12
13Tennessee College of Applied Technology-MemphisMemphis · 1,960 students1,9601.024% of the leader · rank #13
14Tennessee College of Applied Technology-KnoxvilleKnoxville · 1,581 students1,5811.264% of the leader · rank #14
15Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Upper CumberlandCrossville · 768 students7681.304% of the leader · rank #15
16Carson-Newman UniversityJefferson City · 2,669 students2,6691.504% of the leader · rank #16
17Milligan UniversityMilligan · 1,240 students1,2401.614% of the leader · rank #17
18Freed-Hardeman UniversityHenderson · 2,306 students2,3061.734% of the leader · rank #18
19Bryan College-DaytonDayton · 1,701 students1,7011.764% of the leader · rank #19
20Lincoln Memorial UniversityHarrogate · 6,081 students6,0811.814% of the leader · rank #20
21East Tennessee State UniversityJohnson City · 13,728 students13,7281.894% of the leader · rank #21
22Tennessee State UniversityNashville · 6,310 students6,3101.904% of the leader · rank #22
23Middle Tennessee State UniversityMurfreesboro · 20,488 students20,4881.904% of the leader · rank #23
24The University of Tennessee-MartinMartin · 7,499 students7,4992.134% of the leader · rank #24
25University of MemphisMemphis · 20,276 students20,2762.374% of the leader · rank #25
26Lee UniversityCleveland · 3,714 students3,7142.424% of the leader · rank #26
27The University of Tennessee Health Science CenterMemphis · 3,101 students3,1012.584% of the leader · rank #27
28Union UniversityJackson · 2,713 students2,7132.584% of the leader · rank #28
29Southern Adventist UniversityCollegedale · 3,229 students3,2292.794% of the leader · rank #29
30Lincoln College of Technology-NashvilleNashville · 967 students9673.104% of the leader · rank #30
31Meharry Medical CollegeNashville · 1,226 students1,2263.264% of the leader · rank #31
32Tennessee Technological UniversityCookeville · 10,511 students10,5113.334% of the leader · rank #32
33The University of Tennessee-KnoxvilleKnoxville · 38,728 students38,7283.414% of the leader · rank #33
34Tusculum UniversityGreeneville · 1,103 students1,1033.634% of the leader · rank #34
35Austin Peay State UniversityClarksville · 10,439 students10,4393.644% of the leader · rank #35
36Southern College of OptometryMemphis · 530 students5303.774% of the leader · rank #36
37Belmont UniversityNashville · 8,803 students8,8033.864% of the leader · rank #37
38Christian Brothers UniversityMemphis · 1,772 students1,7723.954% of the leader · rank #38
39Nossi College of Art and DesignNashville · 247 students2474.055% of the leader · rank #39
40Johnson UniversityKnoxville · 978 students9784.095% of the leader · rank #40
41The University of Tennessee SouthernPulaski · 1,046 students1,0464.785% of the leader · rank #41
42The University of Tennessee-ChattanoogaChattanooga · 11,775 students11,7755.016% of the leader · rank #42
43King UniversityBristol · 1,157 students1,1575.196% of the leader · rank #43
44The University of the SouthSewanee · 1,724 students1,7245.226% of the leader · rank #44
45Concorde Career College-MemphisMemphis · 517 students5175.806% of the leader · rank #45
46Le Moyne-Owen CollegeMemphis · 659 students6597.598% of the leader · rank #46
47Maryville CollegeMaryville · 1,136 students1,1368.8010% of the leader · rank #47
48Rhodes CollegeMemphis · 1,861 students1,8619.1310% of the leader · rank #48
49Bethel UniversityMckenzie · 2,936 students2,9369.2010% of the leader · rank #49
50Fisk UniversityNashville · 1,059 students1,05910.3912% of the leader · rank #50

4 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 (80): zero score or no normalized rate

80 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 65 stay out of this HTML table so large states stay crawlable.

#CampusEnrollmentIncidents /1k
Academy of Allied Health CareersChattanooga · 194 students1940.00
American Baptist CollegeNashville · 46 students460.00
Arnolds Beauty SchoolMilan · 63 students630.00
Austin's Beauty College IncClarksville · 101 students1010.00
Baptist Health Sciences UniversityMemphis · 891 students8910.00
Brillare Beauty InstituteCleveland · 265 students2650.00
Chattanooga College Medical Dental and & Technical CareersChattanooga · 252 students2520.00
Cumberland UniversityLebanon · 3,457 students3,4570.00
Dyersburg State Community CollegeDyersburg · 3,296 students3,2960.00
Elite College of CosmetologyLexington · 53 students530.00
Empire Beauty School-E MemphisMemphis · 156 students1560.00
Empire Beauty School-JacksonJackson · 73 students730.00
Empire Beauty School-NashvilleBrentwood · 111 students1110.00
Fortis Institute-CookevilleCookeville · 334 students3340.00
Fortis Institute-NashvilleNashville · 393 students3930.00

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

The largest universities in Tennessee by enrollment

Enrollment leaders: The University of Tennessee-Knoxville (38,728); Middle Tennessee State University (20,488); University of Memphis (20,276), then 131 more. The 15 biggest Tennessee 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 30% of the 355,702 students enrolled across all 134 tracked Tennessee institutions. Mid-pack by size sits near Tennessee College of Applied Technology-McMinnville (812 students, 0.00/1k).

7
South CollegeKnoxville · 11,557 students
Enrollment
11,557
Incidents /1k
0.00
#InstitutionEnrollmentIncidents /1k
1The University of Tennessee-KnoxvilleKnoxville · 38,728 students38,728100% of the leader · rank #13.41
2Middle Tennessee State UniversityMurfreesboro · 20,488 students20,48853% of the leader · rank #21.90
3University of MemphisMemphis · 20,276 students20,27652% of the leader · rank #32.37
4East Tennessee State UniversityJohnson City · 13,728 students13,72835% of the leader · rank #41.89
5Vanderbilt UniversityNashville · 13,575 students13,57535% of the leader · rank #512.08
6The University of Tennessee-ChattanoogaChattanooga · 11,775 students11,77530% of the leader · rank #65.01
7South CollegeKnoxville · 11,557 students11,55730% of the leader · rank #70.00
8Tennessee Technological UniversityCookeville · 10,511 students10,51127% of the leader · rank #83.33
9Austin Peay State UniversityClarksville · 10,439 students10,43927% of the leader · rank #93.64
10Pellissippi State Community CollegeKnoxville · 9,399 students9,39924% of the leader · rank #100.53
11Belmont UniversityNashville · 8,803 students8,80323% of the leader · rank #113.86
12Chattanooga State Community CollegeChattanooga · 7,623 students7,62320% of the leader · rank #120.26
13Nashville State Community CollegeNashville · 7,533 students7,53319% of the leader · rank #130.13
14The University of Tennessee-MartinMartin · 7,499 students7,49919% of the leader · rank #142.13
15Southwest Tennessee Community CollegeMemphis · 7,004 students7,00418% of the leader · rank #150.57

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 Tennessee: closest on tracked campus count (134 here) and closest on unweighted average 2024 Clery rate (2.31/1k 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: Wyoming sits nearest on unweighted campus average (+0.02/1k). Inside Tennessee, open Nashville State Community College's campus sheet next.

Nashville State Community College profile → | All states → | Tennessee net price → | Incident tool → | Methodology →

Tennessee campus safety FAQ

What are the safest colleges in Tennessee?

Among Tennessee campuses that reported at least one 2024 Criminal Offense or VAWA incident in the Clery categories used here, Nashville State Community College has the lowest rate (0.13 per 1,000 students). Next among nonzero reporters: Columbia State Community College (0.18/1k); Lipscomb University (0.20/1k). 80 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 Tennessee?

In Tennessee, campuses with any 2024 Criminal Offenses or VAWA incidents in the score categories are ordered by incidents per 1,000 students - Nashville State Community College currently leads that nonzero list at 0.13/1k. Zero-report and unscored campuses stay unranked and alphabetical. See /methodology for the full rate definition.

How many colleges in Tennessee are compared?

This page covers 134 tracked higher-education institutions in Tennessee, serving about 355,702 enrolled students combined across 58 cities. 54 carry a ranked nonzero rate; 80 are listed without a safety ordinal. By enrollment the largest are The University of Tennessee-Knoxville (38,728); Middle Tennessee State University (20,488); University of Memphis (20,276). Nearby state averages for context: Wyoming (2.32/1k); New Hampshire (2.27/1k); American Samoa (2.37/1k); Indiana (2.24/1k); North Dakota (2.38/1k); Virginia (2.23/1k).

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.