The Top 20 Safest Campuses in the US in 2017

In Orange County, the University of California, Irvine continues to rank among the safest campuses in the US, with only two arrests in student housing and no incidents of crime, despite a large increase in enrolment numbers at the college this year.

Montclair State University which also featured in our list of the most LGBT-friendly US universities, is also a very safe space for all students. The New Jersey-based university has a low rate of violence against women in student housing of about 0.9%.

There are many reasons why the University of Central Oklahoma is generally awesome, not least because actor Ed Harris is an alumni. The fact it’s one of the American universities with the smallest number of attacks against women, with 14 alleged incidents (which is about 0.3%), is another. Go Bronchos!

The second Michigan-based university to make its way into the top 10, Michigan State has been the scene of 1,288 alleged incidents, a fairly low number when the university’s large population of 50,538 is considered. Indeed, it has a crime rate in student housing of 1.8%.

Since the shootings of unarmed college students protesting the Vietnam War in 1970 by members of the Ohio National Guard, Kent State University has transformed its reputation to become one of the safest US universities. Only 469 incidents occurred on campus last year, with a low campus crime rate of 0.6%.

Located just outside Washington DC, George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, has seen 49 crimes on campus and 30 in campus housing, making it one of the safest universities nationwide.

Despite what you may think about the state of Utah’s permissive gun laws, Utah State University is actually quite safe, with only 18 alleged crimes on campus and in campus housing. Meanwhile, there have only been 27 incidents of violence against women on campus or in student housing.

Based in West Lafayette, Indiana, Purdue University has seen 33 alleged crimes in campus housing and 60 on campus, as well as 21 incidents of violence against women on campus and 25 in student housing.

Tucked away among the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, has seen 11 alleged crimes in campus housing and 17 on campus and only eight alleged incidents of violence against women, a remarkably low number for such a big university.

Meanwhile in Manhattan, CUNY Bernard M Baruch College ranks among the safest campuses in New York City, with only one alleged incident of violence against women no alleged crimes on campus and in student housing, and just two arrests on campus for things like illegal weapons possessions, drug law violation and underage drinking.

The second safest university in New York City, CUNY Hunter College has only seen three arrests on campus, four alleged criminal incidents on campus and only 10 alleged crimes in total.

Meanwhile in Ames, Iowa State University’s fairly big population of 35,714 staff and students has seen 558 alleged incidents in total, including 104 directed against women, 69 of a criminal nature and 356 arrests for underage drinking, illegal weapons possessions or drug violations.

Just around the corner from Columbia University in Harlem, CUNY City College ranks among the safest colleges in the city of New York, with only 23 arrests on campus and in student housing for things like illegal weapons possession, drugs and underage drinking.

Finally in 20th place, there have been no arrests on campus or in student housing at New York University, while there have been just 12 alleged crimes and 14 incidents of violence against women.