College and University Blog

As high school students approach the “end of the road,” they must make one of the most important decisions of their academic careers—where to go to college. So many things play an important role in choosing the right school! Cost, location, and campus size are three of the biggest factors that come into play, but school safety is another critical factor that should be considered.

Is Your Student Living on a Safe Campus?

Living away from home for the first time is a challenging yet exciting experience. Along with all of the new freedoms comes plenty of responsibility. While harmless challenges like learning how to do laundry or cook the occasional meal should be the worst problems that young adults have to face on campus, there’s no denying that crimes do occur. Even so, overall student safety statistics are often overlooked during the hectic college planning process.

While tragedy can undeniably strike anywhere at any time, some campuses consistently have fewer reported crime incidents each year than others, as seen in StateUniversity.com’s fourth annual college rankings for Highest Safety Rating. Rankings are calculated by analyzing crime statistics for 450 U.S. colleges and universities.

Safest Colleges

According to StateUniversity.com’s analysis of reported data, the top 10 safest schools in the U.S. are:

1. Arkansas State University-Beebe | Beebe, AR

2. Sheridan College | Sheridan, WY

3. Lake Land College | Mattoon, IL

4. Southern University at New Orleans | New Orleans, LA

5. Erskine College and Seminary | Due West, SC

6. Central Texas College | Killee, TX

7. South Plains College | Levelland, TX

8. Virginia Western Community College | Roanoake, VA

9. Northeast State Community College | Blountville, TN

10. Delgado Community College | New Orleans, LA

View the complete list of the Top 450 Ranked Colleges by Highest Safety Rating here. View the Highest Safety Rating by State here.

StateUniversity.com’s college safety rankings are based on crime statistics compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Schools are ranked for safety on a scale that accounts for crime severity as well as frequency. Additional information about the college ranking system can be found here.

Read More:

Violence in College: How Safe Is Your Campus?

Staying Safe at College: 10 Campus Safety Tips

Keep in touch with StateUniversity.com on Twitter @StateU and Facebook.

Posted on 23 Dec

Melissa Rhone+

Melissa Rhone earned her Bachelor of Music in Education from the University of Tampa. She resides in the Tampa Bay area and enjoys writing about college, pop culture, and epilepsy awareness.