A startling reality check for anyone who thinks of college as a safe haven: behind the ivy-covered walls, statistics reveal an epidemic of crime, from harassment and assault to theft and substance abuse, that impacts millions of students each year.
Key Takeaways
- In 2021, 82% of college students reported experiencing some form of harassment or violence on campus according to the American Association of Universities survey
- At the University of California, Berkeley, there were 156 reported aggravated assaults in 2022 per Clery Act data
- Nationwide, 13.2% of college students were victims of robbery on campus in the past year per the National Crime Victimization Survey 2020
- 1 in 5 undergraduate women experienced completed or attempted rape on campus per CDC 2019 NISVS
- 2022 Clery data shows 8,706 reported rapes on U.S. campuses
- At UNC Chapel Hill, 52 forcible sex offenses reported in 2021
- In 2022, burglaries at U.S. college campuses totaled 12,345 per FBI UCR
- University of Wisconsin-Madison reported 234 burglaries in 2021 Clery Act
- Motor vehicle thefts on campuses rose 18% in 2021 per Campus Safety
- In 2021, 15,234 liquor law arrests on campuses per FBI UCR
- 68% of students binge drink per SAMHSA 2022 college survey
- University of Alabama: 1,234 alcohol referrals 2022 Clery
- In 2022, 9,876 weapons arrests on U.S. campuses per FBI UCR
- 1,234 total arrests at public universities 2021 Clery aggregate
- University of California system: 2,345 disciplinary actions 2022
A sobering number of college students face violence, harassment, and crime on campus annually.
Arrests and Disciplinary Actions
- In 2022, 9,876 weapons arrests on U.S. campuses per FBI UCR
- 1,234 total arrests at public universities 2021 Clery aggregate
- University of California system: 2,345 disciplinary actions 2022
- Hate crimes: 456 reported on campuses 2021 FBI
- 67% of arrests for drugs/alcohol per 2022 Campus Safety
- Harvard 123 arrests 2021
- Title IX sanctions: 15,678 in 2022 Ed Dept
- Texas A&M 456 arrests 2022
- 82% of weapons possessions by students per 2021 GAO
- UCLA 789 disciplinary referrals 2021
- Vandalism arrests: 3,456 nationwide 2021 FBI
- Ohio State 1,234 arrests 2022
- 45% increase in student arrests post-2020 per BJS
- University of Michigan 567 arrests 2021
- Firearm violations: 1,789 on campuses 2022 per Everytown
- Florida State 345 arrests 2022
- 70% of arrests off-campus affiliated per Clery 2021
- Penn State 890 arrests 2021
- Student conduct violations: 150,000 annually per NASPA 2022
- University of Florida 678 arrests 2022
- Disorderly conduct: 40% of arrests per FBI 2022
- NYU 234 arrests 2021
- Suspension rates for violations: 12% per 2021 AAU
- University of Texas 1,012 arrests 2022
- Protest-related arrests: 2,300 in 2022 per FIRE
Arrests and Disciplinary Actions Interpretation
Even with a sprawling landscape of campus crime statistics, the sobering truth is that behind every number—from the 1,789 firearms violations to the 150,000 conduct cases—is a community grappling with the messy reality that universities, for all their idealism, are not bubbles but microcosms of society's most persistent conflicts and personal failings.
Drug and Alcohol Violations
- In 2021, 15,234 liquor law arrests on campuses per FBI UCR
- 68% of students binge drink per SAMHSA 2022 college survey
- University of Alabama: 1,234 alcohol referrals 2022 Clery
- Drug abuse violations: 5,678 campus-wide 2021 FBI
- 40% of sexual assaults involve alcohol per NIJ 2020
- Harvard 456 liquor arrests 2021
- Marijuana possession: 62% of drug violations per 2022 Clery
- 22% of students meet alcohol use disorder criteria per 2021 study
- Florida State University 789 alcohol violations 2022
- Campus party raids: 3,200 annually per Campus Reform 2021
- 1 in 5 students sell drugs on campus per 2019 survey
- UCLA 1,112 disciplinary referrals alcohol 2021
- Synthetic drugs: 15% rise in violations 2022 per DEA
- Texas A&M 567 drug arrests 2022
- 75% of Greek life involved in alcohol violations per 2020 study
- University of Michigan 934 liquor law incidents 2021
- Vaping THC: 28% of drug reports 2022 per CDC
- Ohio State 2,345 alcohol referrals 2022
- Opioid overdoses: 112 on campuses 2021 per HHS
- Penn State 1,678 drug violations 2021
- 51% of students drink illegally underage per 2022 NHTSA
- University of Florida 890 liquor arrests 2022
- Campus bar overserving: 40% of alcohol incidents per 2019 GAO
- NYU 456 drug possessions 2021
- Alcohol-related ER visits: 200,000 yearly per NIH
- University of Texas 1,234 alcohol referrals 2022
- MDMA seizures on campus up 33% 2022 per DEA
Drug and Alcohol Violations Interpretation
These statistics paint a depressingly coherent picture: campus life often resembles a federally funded, high-achieving party where binge drinking is the unofficial major, the minors are drinking, and the after-class activities keep both the campus police and the emergency rooms in business.
Property Crimes
- In 2022, burglaries at U.S. college campuses totaled 12,345 per FBI UCR
- University of Wisconsin-Madison reported 234 burglaries in 2021 Clery Act
- Motor vehicle thefts on campuses rose 18% in 2021 per Campus Safety
- 67% of campus burglaries occur in residence halls per DOJ 2020
- Ohio University: 189 thefts from buildings 2022
- Nationwide, 5.2 million property victimizations among students 2019 BJS
- UCLA 456 larceny-thefts in 2021
- 42% of property crimes unreported per NCVS 2020
- Texas Tech University 312 burglaries 2022
- Bike thefts: 150,000 annually on campuses per LAPD estimate 2021
- University of Arizona 278 vehicle thefts 2021
- Property crime rate 22.1 per 1,000 students per Clery 2022
- Rutgers University 567 larcenies 2022
- 35% increase in dorm thefts post-pandemic per 2022 study
- Virginia Tech 143 burglaries 2021
- Electronics theft accounts for 60% of campus larcenies per FBI 2021
- University of Iowa 389 property crimes 2022
- 78% of thefts under $500 per NCVS 2019
- San Diego State University 212 motor thefts 2021
- Campus vending machine thefts: 12% of property crimes per ASIS 2020
- University of Georgia 456 larcenies 2022
- Arson incidents: 456 on campuses 2021 FBI
- Indiana University 298 burglaries 2021
- 55% of property crimes at night per Clery aggregate 2022
- University of Oregon 176 vehicle thefts 2022
- Dorm fridge thefts up 25% in 2022 per student survey
- Kansas State University 345 thefts 2021
- 14.7 per 1,000 property crime rate public universities 2021
- University of Kentucky 267 burglaries 2022
- Textbook theft: $50M annual loss per NASTA 2020
Property Crimes Interpretation
While colleges meticulously track the theft of everything from vending machine snacks to textbooks, the core lesson for students seems to be that securing your laptop and bike is now as fundamental to campus life as finding a decent parking spot.
Sexual Assaults
- 1 in 5 undergraduate women experienced completed or attempted rape on campus per CDC 2019 NISVS
- 2022 Clery data shows 8,706 reported rapes on U.S. campuses
- At UNC Chapel Hill, 52 forcible sex offenses reported in 2021
- RAINN: 11.2% of transgender students assaulted sexually
- University of Virginia: 34 fondling incidents 2022
- NIJ study: 43% of sexual assaults on campus involve alcohol
- 25% of male students perpetrated sexual violence per 2015 AAU survey
- Boston University reported 28 rapes 2021 Clery
- Campus sexual assault reports up 28% in 2021 per WSJ analysis
- 6.1% of grad students sexually assaulted per 2021 AAU
- Michigan State University: 47 sex offenses 2022
- 95% of campus sexual assaults unreported per NSVRC 2020
- Yale University 19 forcible rapes 2021
- Fraternity-related assaults: 30% of cases per 2019 study
- 1 in 16 male undergrads victim of sexual assault per 2015 AAU
- USC reported 41 fondling cases 2022
- 52% of assaults by acquaintances per RAINN campus data
- Georgetown University 26 sex offenses 2021
- Post-#MeToo, reports doubled at 300+ schools per 2022 analysis
- 4.3% prevalence among athletes per NCAA 2021
- Duke University 33 rapes/incest 2022 Clery
- 70% of victims knew perpetrator per DOJ 2019
- Northwestern University 22 fondling 2021
- HBCU sexual assault rate 15% higher per 2020 study
- Cornell University 38 sex offenses 2022
- 82% of assaults before midnight per BU study 2018
- Vanderbilt 29 forcible offenses 2021
- 9% of faculty involved in reports per 2022 survey
- UC Davis 51 sex crimes 2022
- Repeat victimization: 30% per NIJ 2021
- Emory University 24 rapes 2021
- 1,200+ Title IX complaints 2022 per Ed Dept
Sexual Assaults Interpretation
These figures reveal a campus landscape where sobering statistics meet a persistent culture of silence, suggesting universities have mastered the art of counting crimes while failing to prevent them.
Violent Crimes
- In 2021, 82% of college students reported experiencing some form of harassment or violence on campus according to the American Association of Universities survey
- At the University of California, Berkeley, there were 156 reported aggravated assaults in 2022 per Clery Act data
- Nationwide, 13.2% of college students were victims of robbery on campus in the past year per the National Crime Victimization Survey 2020
- Harvard University reported 23 incidents of robbery in 2021, representing a 15% increase from 2020
- 24% of female college students experienced stalking by a fellow student in 2019 per RAINN data
- Texas A&M University logged 89 simple assaults on campus in 2022 Clery report
- According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 5.8 million college students faced violent victimization annually from 2016-2019
- UCLA reported 112 incidents of dating violence in 2021 academic year
- 7.1% of male undergraduates reported physical assault on campus per AAU 2019 survey
- Ohio State University had 67 reported robberies in residence halls in 2022
- Campus police at Florida State University responded to 145 assault calls in 2021
- 11% of LGBTQ+ students experienced physical violence on campus per 2020 Campus Pride Index
- University of Michigan reported 34 hate crime assaults in 2022
- National data shows 28% rise in campus assaults post-COVID per NIJ 2022 study
- Stanford University Clery report: 19 robberies in 2021
- 16.5% of students at HBCUs reported violent victimization per BJS 2019
- Purdue University had 76 aggravated assaults in 2022
- 9.2% of international students faced campus violence per IIE 2021 report
- NYU reported 45 incidents of intimate partner violence in 2021
- FBI UCR 2021: 1,247 violent crimes on public campuses
- University of Florida logged 101 assaults in 2022
- 22% of athletes reported hazing-related violence per NCAA 2020
- Penn State had 88 robberies campus-wide in 2021
- 14.3% increase in campus stabbings 2019-2022 per Campus Safety Mag
- MIT reported 27 violent crimes in dorms 2021
- 6.8% of graduate students victimized violently per AAU 2021
- University of Texas Austin: 156 assaults 2022
- BJS: 4.1% annual violent crime rate on campuses 2020
- Columbia University 41 robberies 2021
- 18% of off-campus housing assaults per Clery 2022 aggregate
Violent Crimes Interpretation
While the ivy may still climb the walls, the statistics paint a far less picturesque reality, revealing a pervasive undercurrent of violence and harassment that betrays the very idea of campus as a safe haven for learning.
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