State profile · WA · Clery Act

Safest Colleges in Washington

Federal Clery Act filings for all 91 tracked Washington campuses, ranked by 2024 on-campus Criminal Offenses and VAWA incidents per 1,000 students. Among nonzero reporters, South Puget Sound Community College currently has the lowest rate.

91
Institutions tracked
2.46
Avg campus rate / 1k (91 of 91 scored)
3.18
Statewide rate / 1k
#43
Rank by avg campus rate
335,184
Students enrolled

Among nonzero Clery reporters, South Puget Sound Community College has the lowest rate in Washington

According to U.S. Department of Education Clery Act filings, across 91 tracked campuses in Washington, 30 reported zero 2024 Criminal Offenses and VAWA incidents used in the rate; among campuses with any in those categories, South Puget Sound Community College has the lowest rate at 0.21 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
91
average campus, per 1,000 (91 of 91 scored)
2.46
lowest nonzero rate - South Puget Sound
0.21
campuses at zero in score categories
30

Data updated August 2026

Clery Act plate

Sheet WA · Washington 2.46/1k campus avg · #43/59

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

  • RATE-MID 2.46/1k
  • RANK-LOWER #43/59
  • PHOTO-FINISH Massachusetts · ±0.03
  • ZERO-MIX 33% zero
  • WT-LARGE-HOT Δ −0.72
  • BOOK-FULL 91/91
  • CONC-MID top5 36%

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

Washington sheet RATE-MID · RANK-LOWER · PHOTO-FINISH · ZERO-MIX · WT-LARGE-HOT · BOOK-FULL · CONC-MID · peer Massachusetts. 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-MID. Nearest unweighted-rate peer is Massachusetts (-0.03/1k). Among nonzero reporters inside the state, South Puget Sound Community College leads at 0.21/1k. Instrument codes from this state's OPE Campus Safety sheet; compare similarly sized campuses before treating any single rate as decisive.

Washington's unweighted average campus rate is higher than most scored U.S. states (only 27% of states report a higher average). Even so, South Puget Sound Community College leads nonzero reporters here at 0.21/1k, with Lake Washington Institute of Technology (0.28/1k); Clark College (0.40/1k) next. The five largest campuses account for 36% of enrollment, weigh large-campus rates separately from small ones.

Campus-rate neighbourhood around Washington

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

per 1,000 students

What this shows Neighbourhood of scored states around Washington's 2.46/1k 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 Washington, ranked by reported rate

Ranked from the lowest 2024 Criminal Offenses and VAWA rate upward, counting only the 61 Washington 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.

3
Clark College Vancouver · 7,463 students
Enrollment
7,463
Incidents /1k
0.40
11
Edmonds College Lynnwood · 6,549 students
Enrollment
6,549
Incidents /1k
0.92
20
Bellevue College Bellevue · 12,485 students
Enrollment
12,485
Incidents /1k
1.28
21
Peninsula College Port Angeles · 2,153 students
Enrollment
2,153
Incidents /1k
1.39
25
Olympic College Bremerton · 5,784 students
Enrollment
5,784
Incidents /1k
1.56
37
Cascadia College Bothell · 2,380 students
Enrollment
2,380
Incidents /1k
2.52
38
Highline College Des Moines · 5,592 students
Enrollment
5,592
Incidents /1k
2.68
47
Whitman College Walla Walla · 1,561 students
Enrollment
1,561
Incidents /1k
5.12
49
Centralia College Centralia · 2,244 students
Enrollment
2,244
Incidents /1k
5.79
# Campus EnrollmentIncidents /1k
1 South Puget Sound Community College Olympia · 4,871 students 4,871 0.21 4% of the leader · rank #1
2 Lake Washington Institute of Technology Kirkland · 3,564 students 3,564 0.28 4% of the leader · rank #2
3 Clark College Vancouver · 7,463 students 7,463 0.40 4% of the leader · rank #3
4 Clover Park Technical College Lakewood · 3,408 students 3,408 0.59 4% of the leader · rank #4
5 Spokane Community College Spokane · 6,813 students 6,813 0.59 4% of the leader · rank #5
6 Renton Technical College Renton · 2,824 students 2,824 0.71 4% of the leader · rank #6
7 North Seattle College Seattle · 5,569 students 5,569 0.72 4% of the leader · rank #7
8 Lower Columbia College Longview · 2,724 students 2,724 0.73 4% of the leader · rank #8
9 University of Washington-Tacoma Campus Tacoma · 4,965 students 4,965 0.81 4% of the leader · rank #9
10 Evergreen Beauty and Barber College-Everett Everett · 1,172 students 1,172 0.85 4% of the leader · rank #10
11 Edmonds College Lynnwood · 6,549 students 6,549 0.92 4% of the leader · rank #11
12 DigiPen Institute of Technology Redmond · 1,084 students 1,084 0.92 4% of the leader · rank #12
13 Wenatchee Valley College Wenatchee · 3,067 students 3,067 0.98 4% of the leader · rank #13
14 Pierce College District Lakewood · 8,137 students 8,137 0.98 4% of the leader · rank #14
15 University of Washington-Bothell Campus Bothell · 6,058 students 6,058 0.99 4% of the leader · rank #15
16 City University of Seattle Seattle · 2,007 students 2,007 1.00 4% of the leader · rank #16
17 Yakima Valley College Yakima · 3,809 students 3,809 1.05 5% of the leader · rank #17
18 Big Bend Community College Moses Lake · 1,857 students 1,857 1.08 5% of the leader · rank #18
19 South Seattle College Seattle · 5,210 students 5,210 1.15 5% of the leader · rank #19
20 Bellevue College Bellevue · 12,485 students 12,485 1.28 6% of the leader · rank #20
21 Peninsula College Port Angeles · 2,153 students 2,153 1.39 6% of the leader · rank #21
22 Saint Martin's University Lacey · 1,390 students 1,390 1.44 6% of the leader · rank #22
23 Bellingham Technical College Bellingham · 2,047 students 2,047 1.47 6% of the leader · rank #23
24 Northwest University-Center for Online and Extended Education Kirkland · 1,352 students 1,352 1.48 6% of the leader · rank #24
25 Olympic College Bremerton · 5,784 students 5,784 1.56 7% of the leader · rank #25
26 Columbia Basin College Pasco · 7,510 students 7,510 1.60 7% of the leader · rank #26
27 Bates Technical College Tacoma · 4,083 students 4,083 1.71 7% of the leader · rank #27
28 Skagit Valley College Mount Vernon · 4,028 students 4,028 1.74 7% of the leader · rank #28
29 Perry Technical Institute Yakima · 1,072 students 1,072 1.87 8% of the leader · rank #29
30 Northwest University Kirkland · 1,053 students 1,053 1.90 8% of the leader · rank #30
31 Tacoma Community College Tacoma · 6,199 students 6,199 1.94 8% of the leader · rank #31
32 Everett Community College Everett · 6,698 students 6,698 1.94 8% of the leader · rank #32
33 Shoreline Community College Shoreline · 4,477 students 4,477 2.01 9% of the leader · rank #33
34 Eastern Washington University Cheney · 10,492 students 10,492 2.19 9% of the leader · rank #34
35 Green River College Auburn · 7,967 students 7,967 2.38 10% of the leader · rank #35
36 Washington State University Pullman · 25,685 students 25,685 2.41 10% of the leader · rank #36
37 Cascadia College Bothell · 2,380 students 2,380 2.52 11% of the leader · rank #37
38 Highline College Des Moines · 5,592 students 5,592 2.68 12% of the leader · rank #38
39 Western Washington University Bellingham · 14,710 students 14,710 2.86 12% of the leader · rank #39
40 Walla Walla Community College Walla Walla · 2,967 students 2,967 3.03 13% of the leader · rank #40
41 Central Washington University Ellensburg · 10,811 students 10,811 3.33 14% of the leader · rank #41
42 Whatcom Community College Bellingham · 3,674 students 3,674 4.08 18% of the leader · rank #42
43 Gonzaga University Spokane · 7,470 students 7,470 4.15 18% of the leader · rank #43
44 UEI College-Tacoma Tacoma · 689 students 689 4.35 19% of the leader · rank #44
45 Northwest Indian College Bellingham · 636 students 636 4.72 20% of the leader · rank #45
46 Divers Institute of Technology Seattle · 198 students 198 5.05 22% of the leader · rank #46
47 Whitman College Walla Walla · 1,561 students 1,561 5.12 22% of the leader · rank #47
48 University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle · 56,997 students 56,997 5.51 24% of the leader · rank #48
49 Centralia College Centralia · 2,244 students 2,244 5.79 25% of the leader · rank #49
50 Seattle Central College Seattle · 5,396 students 5,396 6.12 26% of the leader · rank #50

11 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 (30): zero score or no normalized rate

30 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 15 stay out of this HTML table so large states stay crawlable.

# Campus EnrollmentIncidents /1k
Academy of Interactive Entertainment Seattle · 47 students 47 0.00
Antioch University-Seattle Seattle · 771 students 771 0.00
Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute Seattle Seattle · 154 students 154 0.00
Bastyr University Kenmore · 734 students 734 0.00
Carrington College-Spokane Spokane · 353 students 353 0.00
Centralia Beauty College Centralia · 90 students 90 0.00
Elite Cosmetology, Barber & Spa Academy Yakima · 118 students 118 0.00
Faith International University Tacoma · 464 students 464 0.00
Grays Harbor College Aberdeen · 1,577 students 1,577 0.00
Great Northern University Spokane · 48 students 48 0.00
Heritage University Toppenish · 937 students 937 0.00
International Beauty Education Center Airway Heights · 146 students 146 0.00
Northwest HVAC/R Training Center Spokane · 50 students 50 0.00
Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building Port Hadlock · 50 students 50 0.00
Pacific Northwest Christian College Kennewick · 130 students 130 0.00

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

The largest universities in Washington by enrollment

Enrollment leaders: University of Washington-Seattle Campus (56,997); Washington State University (25,685); Western Washington University (14,710), then 88 more. The 15 biggest Washington 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 36% of the 335,184 students enrolled across all 91 tracked Washington institutions. Mid-pack by size sits near University of Puget Sound (1,864 students, 15.02/1k).

4
Bellevue College Bellevue · 12,485 students
Enrollment
12,485
Incidents /1k
1.28
11
Clark College Vancouver · 7,463 students
Enrollment
7,463
Incidents /1k
0.40
15
Edmonds College Lynnwood · 6,549 students
Enrollment
6,549
Incidents /1k
0.92
# Institution EnrollmentIncidents /1k
1 University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle · 56,997 students 56,997 100% of the leader · rank #1 5.51
2 Washington State University Pullman · 25,685 students 25,685 45% of the leader · rank #2 2.41
3 Western Washington University Bellingham · 14,710 students 14,710 26% of the leader · rank #3 2.86
4 Bellevue College Bellevue · 12,485 students 12,485 22% of the leader · rank #4 1.28
5 Central Washington University Ellensburg · 10,811 students 10,811 19% of the leader · rank #5 3.33
6 Eastern Washington University Cheney · 10,492 students 10,492 18% of the leader · rank #6 2.19
7 Pierce College District Lakewood · 8,137 students 8,137 14% of the leader · rank #7 0.98
8 Green River College Auburn · 7,967 students 7,967 14% of the leader · rank #8 2.38
9 Columbia Basin College Pasco · 7,510 students 7,510 13% of the leader · rank #9 1.60
10 Gonzaga University Spokane · 7,470 students 7,470 13% of the leader · rank #10 4.15
11 Clark College Vancouver · 7,463 students 7,463 13% of the leader · rank #11 0.40
12 Seattle University Seattle · 7,189 students 7,189 13% of the leader · rank #12 7.79
13 Spokane Community College Spokane · 6,813 students 6,813 12% of the leader · rank #13 0.59
14 Everett Community College Everett · 6,698 students 6,698 12% of the leader · rank #14 1.94
15 Edmonds College Lynnwood · 6,549 students 6,549 11% of the leader · rank #15 0.92

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 Washington: closest on tracked campus count (91 here) and closest on unweighted average 2024 Clery rate (2.46/1k 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: Massachusetts sits nearest on unweighted campus average (-0.03/1k). Inside Washington, open South Puget Sound Community College's campus sheet next.

South Puget Sound Community College profile → | All states → | Washington net price → | Incident tool → | Methodology →

Washington campus safety FAQ

What are the safest colleges in Washington?

Among Washington campuses that reported at least one 2024 Criminal Offense or VAWA incident in the Clery categories used here, South Puget Sound Community College has the lowest rate (0.21 per 1,000 students). Next among nonzero reporters: Lake Washington Institute of Technology (0.28/1k); Clark College (0.40/1k). 30 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 Washington?

In Washington, campuses with any 2024 Criminal Offenses or VAWA incidents in the score categories are ordered by incidents per 1,000 students - South Puget Sound Community College currently leads that nonzero list at 0.21/1k. Zero-report and unscored campuses stay unranked and alphabetical. See /methodology for the full rate definition.

How many colleges in Washington are compared?

This page covers 91 tracked higher-education institutions in Washington, serving about 335,184 enrolled students combined across 41 cities. 61 carry a ranked nonzero rate; 30 are listed without a safety ordinal. By enrollment the largest are University of Washington-Seattle Campus (56,997); Washington State University (25,685); Western Washington University (14,710). Nearby state averages for context: Massachusetts (2.43/1k); Nebraska (2.42/1k); Alaska (2.41/1k); Oregon (2.52/1k); North Dakota (2.38/1k); American Samoa (2.37/1k).

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.