State profile · VA · Clery Act

Safest Colleges in Virginia

Federal Clery Act filings for all 131 tracked Virginia campuses, ranked by 2024 on-campus Criminal Offenses and VAWA incidents per 1,000 students. Among nonzero reporters, ECPI University currently has the lowest rate.

131
Institutions tracked
2.23
Avg campus rate / 1k (131 of 131 scored)
2.60
Statewide rate / 1k
#33
Rank by avg campus rate
577,171
Students enrolled

Among nonzero Clery reporters, ECPI University has the lowest rate in Virginia

According to U.S. Department of Education Clery Act filings, across 131 tracked campuses in Virginia, 80 reported zero 2024 Criminal Offenses and VAWA incidents used in the rate; among campuses with any in those categories, ECPI University has the lowest rate at 0.08 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
131
average campus, per 1,000 (131 of 131 scored)
2.23
lowest nonzero rate - ECPI University
0.08
campuses at zero in score categories
80

Data updated August 2026

Clery Act plate

Sheet VA · Virginia 2.23/1k campus avg · #33/59

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

  • RATE-MID 2.23/1k
  • RANK-MID #33/59
  • PHOTO-FINISH North Carolina · ±0.01
  • ZERO-HEAVY 61% zero
  • WT-LARGE-HOT Δ −0.37
  • BOOK-FULL 131/131
  • CONC-MID top5 46%

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

Virginia sheet RATE-MID · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · ZERO-HEAVY · WT-LARGE-HOT · BOOK-FULL · CONC-MID · peer North Carolina. 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-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · ZERO-HEAVY · WT-LARGE-HOT · BOOK-FULL · CONC-MID. Nearest unweighted-rate peer is North Carolina (-0.01/1k). Among nonzero reporters inside the state, ECPI University leads at 0.08/1k. 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 Virginia (80 of 131) reported zero in the 2024 score categories and stay unranked against each other. Among the nonzero reporters, ECPI University leads at 0.08/1k, then J Sargeant Reynolds Community College (0.12/1k); Regent University (0.19/1k). A high zero share is a filing pattern, not a proof that campuses are safer.

Campus-rate neighbourhood around Virginia

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

per 1,000 students

What this shows Neighbourhood of scored states around Virginia's 2.23/1k 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 Virginia, ranked by reported rate

Ranked from the lowest 2024 Criminal Offenses and VAWA rate upward, counting only the 51 Virginia 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.

1
ECPI UniversityVirginia Beach · 12,572 students
Enrollment
12,572
Incidents /1k
0.08
22
William & MaryWilliamsburg · 9,818 students
Enrollment
9,818
Incidents /1k
3.16
#CampusEnrollmentIncidents /1k
1ECPI UniversityVirginia Beach · 12,572 students12,5720.084% of the leader · rank #1
2J Sargeant Reynolds Community CollegeRichmond · 8,681 students8,6810.124% of the leader · rank #2
3Regent UniversityVirginia Beach · 10,657 students10,6570.194% of the leader · rank #3
4Central Virginia Community CollegeLynchburg · 3,481 students3,4810.294% of the leader · rank #4
5Southside Virginia Community CollegeAlberta · 3,306 students3,3060.304% of the leader · rank #5
6Northern Virginia Community CollegeAnnandale · 56,457 students56,4570.434% of the leader · rank #6
7Virginia Western Community CollegeRoanoke · 6,332 students6,3320.474% of the leader · rank #7
8Patrick & Henry Community CollegeMartinsville · 1,908 students1,9080.524% of the leader · rank #8
9Piedmont Virginia Community CollegeCharlottesville · 5,263 students5,2630.574% of the leader · rank #9
10Shenandoah UniversityWinchester · 4,454 students4,4540.674% of the leader · rank #10
11James Madison UniversityHarrisonburg · 22,740 students22,7400.974% of the leader · rank #11
12Marymount UniversityArlington · 4,060 students4,0600.994% of the leader · rank #12
13Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityBlacksburg · 38,857 students38,8571.164% of the leader · rank #13
14Liberty UniversityLynchburg · 104,327 students104,3271.424% of the leader · rank #14
15University of RichmondUniversity of Richmond · 3,722 students3,7221.614% of the leader · rank #15
16Richard Bland CollegeSouth Prince George · 2,788 students2,7881.795% of the leader · rank #16
17Chamberlain University-VirginiaVienna · 557 students5571.805% of the leader · rank #17
18Bluefield UniversityBluefield · 959 students9592.096% of the leader · rank #18
19Virginia Wesleyan UniversityVirginia Beach · 1,853 students1,8532.166% of the leader · rank #19
20Hampton UniversityHampton · 4,244 students4,2442.838% of the leader · rank #20
21George Mason UniversityFairfax · 39,766 students39,7663.129% of the leader · rank #21
22William & MaryWilliamsburg · 9,818 students9,8183.169% of the leader · rank #22
23University of Mary WashingtonFredericksburg · 3,826 students3,8263.409% of the leader · rank #23
24Radford UniversityRadford · 7,812 students7,8123.5810% of the leader · rank #24
25Virginia Union UniversityRichmond · 1,646 students1,6463.6510% of the leader · rank #25
26Old Dominion UniversityNorfolk · 23,743 students23,7433.9211% of the leader · rank #26
27Ferrum CollegeFerrum · 763 students7633.9311% of the leader · rank #27
28Mary Baldwin UniversityStaunton · 1,772 students1,7723.9511% of the leader · rank #28
29Southern Virginia UniversityBuena Vista · 936 students9364.2712% of the leader · rank #29
30Longwood UniversityFarmville · 4,612 students4,6124.3412% of the leader · rank #30
31Roanoke CollegeSalem · 1,804 students1,8044.4312% of the leader · rank #31
32Eastern Virginia Medical SchoolNorfolk · 1,216 students1,2164.9314% of the leader · rank #32
33Eastern Mennonite UniversityHarrisonburg · 1,154 students1,1545.2014% of the leader · rank #33
34Hampden-Sydney CollegeHampden-Sydney · 946 students9465.2915% of the leader · rank #34
35Emory & Henry UniversityEmory · 1,311 students1,3115.3415% of the leader · rank #35
36Norfolk State UniversityNorfolk · 6,053 students6,0535.9516% of the leader · rank #36
37Union Presbyterian SeminaryRichmond · 159 students1596.2917% of the leader · rank #37
38Virginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmond · 28,464 students28,4646.9919% of the leader · rank #38
39Washington and Lee UniversityLexington · 2,241 students2,2417.1420% of the leader · rank #39
40Virginia Military InstituteLexington · 1,527 students1,5277.2020% of the leader · rank #40
41University of LynchburgLynchburg · 2,316 students2,3167.3420% of the leader · rank #41
42Averett UniversityDanville · 1,476 students1,4767.4521% of the leader · rank #42
43Randolph-Macon CollegeAshland · 1,687 students1,6879.4826% of the leader · rank #43
44Virginia State UniversityPetersburg · 5,605 students5,6059.6327% of the leader · rank #44
45Christopher Newport UniversityNewport News · 4,454 students4,4549.6527% of the leader · rank #45
46Randolph CollegeLynchburg · 816 students81612.2534% of the leader · rank #46
47Bridgewater CollegeBridgewater · 1,448 students1,44812.4334% of the leader · rank #47
48University of Virginia-Main CampusCharlottesville · 26,409 students26,40913.7538% of the leader · rank #48
49University of Virginia's College at WiseWise · 2,167 students2,16724.0066% of the leader · rank #49
50Sovah School of Health ProfessionsDanville · 30 students3033.3392% of the leader · rank #50

1 additional nonzero-reporting campus 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
Advanced Technology InstituteVirginia Beach · 415 students4150.00
American National UniversitySalem · 770 students7700.00
Another Level Barbering and Cosmetology SchoolPetersburg · 70 students700.00
Appalachian College of PharmacyOakwood · 113 students1130.00
Appalachian School of LawGrundy · 154 students1540.00
Arizona College of Nursing - ChesapeakeChesapeake · 149 students1490.00
Arizona College of Nursing-Falls ChurchFalls Church · 348 students3480.00
Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute Lafayette-ArlingtonArlington · 166 students1660.00
Avi Career TrainingGreat Falls · 22 students220.00
Aviation Institute of Maintenance-ManassasManassas · 272 students2720.00
Aviation Institute of Maintenance-NorfolkNorfolk · 270 students2700.00
Blue Ridge Community CollegeWeyers Cave · 3,790 students3,7900.00
Bon Secours Memorial College of NursingRichmond · 591 students5910.00
Bon Secours St Mary's Hospital School of Medical ImagingRichmond · 35 students350.00
Brightpoint Community CollegeChester · 9,380 students9,3800.00

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

The largest universities in Virginia by enrollment

Enrollment leaders: Liberty University (104,327); Northern Virginia Community College (56,457); George Mason University (39,766), then 128 more. The 15 biggest Virginia 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 46% of the 577,171 students enrolled across all 131 tracked Virginia institutions. Mid-pack by size sits near Randolph College (816 students, 12.25/1k).

10
ECPI UniversityVirginia Beach · 12,572 students
Enrollment
12,572
Incidents /1k
0.08
11
Regent UniversityVirginia Beach · 10,657 students
Enrollment
10,657
Incidents /1k
0.19
12
William & MaryWilliamsburg · 9,818 students
Enrollment
9,818
Incidents /1k
3.16
#InstitutionEnrollmentIncidents /1k
1Liberty UniversityLynchburg · 104,327 students104,327100% of the leader · rank #11.42
2Northern Virginia Community CollegeAnnandale · 56,457 students56,45754% of the leader · rank #20.43
3George Mason UniversityFairfax · 39,766 students39,76638% of the leader · rank #33.12
4Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityBlacksburg · 38,857 students38,85737% of the leader · rank #41.16
5Virginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmond · 28,464 students28,46427% of the leader · rank #56.99
6University of Virginia-Main CampusCharlottesville · 26,409 students26,40925% of the leader · rank #613.75
7Old Dominion UniversityNorfolk · 23,743 students23,74323% of the leader · rank #73.92
8James Madison UniversityHarrisonburg · 22,740 students22,74022% of the leader · rank #80.97
9Tidewater Community CollegeNorfolk · 16,884 students16,88416% of the leader · rank #90.00
10ECPI UniversityVirginia Beach · 12,572 students12,57212% of the leader · rank #100.08
11Regent UniversityVirginia Beach · 10,657 students10,65710% of the leader · rank #110.19
12William & MaryWilliamsburg · 9,818 students9,8189% of the leader · rank #123.16
13Brightpoint Community CollegeChester · 9,380 students9,3809% of the leader · rank #130.00
14J Sargeant Reynolds Community CollegeRichmond · 8,681 students8,6818% of the leader · rank #140.12
15Germanna Community CollegeLocust Grove · 8,544 students8,5448% of the leader · rank #150.00

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 Virginia: closest on tracked campus count (131 here) and closest on unweighted average 2024 Clery rate (2.23/1k 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: North Carolina sits nearest on unweighted campus average (-0.01/1k). Inside Virginia, open ECPI University's campus sheet next.

ECPI University profile → | All states → | Virginia net price → | Incident tool → | Methodology →

Virginia campus safety FAQ

What are the safest colleges in Virginia?

Among Virginia campuses that reported at least one 2024 Criminal Offense or VAWA incident in the Clery categories used here, ECPI University has the lowest rate (0.08 per 1,000 students). Next among nonzero reporters: J Sargeant Reynolds Community College (0.12/1k); Regent University (0.19/1k). 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 Virginia?

In Virginia, campuses with any 2024 Criminal Offenses or VAWA incidents in the score categories are ordered by incidents per 1,000 students - ECPI University currently leads that nonzero list at 0.08/1k. Zero-report and unscored campuses stay unranked and alphabetical. See /methodology for the full rate definition.

How many colleges in Virginia are compared?

This page covers 131 tracked higher-education institutions in Virginia, serving about 577,171 enrolled students combined across 63 cities. 51 carry a ranked nonzero rate; 80 are listed without a safety ordinal. By enrollment the largest are Liberty University (104,327); Northern Virginia Community College (56,457); George Mason University (39,766). Nearby state averages for context: North Carolina (2.22/1k); Indiana (2.24/1k); New Hampshire (2.27/1k); Tennessee (2.31/1k); Wyoming (2.32/1k); California (2.11/1k).

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.