How many students list campus safety as a number one priority when they start the application process at the end of their senior year? Not that many, but this is a huge mistake.
Students spend between three and four years at college, and perhaps longer if they decide to study a post-grad qualification. The campus will be their home from home during this period, so it’s important they are safe at all times.
College is meant to be fun. For many students, college is the first time they have lived away from home. They have to get used to taking care of themselves and navigating the perils of adult life, so the last thing they need is to get caught up in any kind of criminal activity, whether by accident or design.
Research has consistently shown that smaller colleges are safer than larger campuses. There are fewer students, so it makes sense that crime rates will be lower. Many small colleges are in quiet, rural locations, away from local crime hot spots.
If you want your kids to be safe while they study, it’s important that you help them choose a safe college campus for their studies. Nuwber research has analyzed campus crime statistics from the US Department of Education and data provided by the Handbook for Campus Safety and Security Reporting. All colleges on the list have at least 2,000 students.
The top three safest colleges in Oregon are as follows:
Oregon Institute of Technology
The Oregon Institute of Technology in Klamath Falls is the safest college campus in Oregon. This public polytechnic university has no recorded hate crimes or sexual offenses. It also scores very low on violence against women and non-sexual crimes. There is a campus security department to watch out for students on campus. They take care of all law enforcement activities and emergency/non-emergency responses.
Concordia University-Portland
Concordia University is a non-profit Lutheran liberal arts college in Portland. It can’t boast quite the same low crime rates as the Oregon Institute of Technology, but it came in as a close runner-up on the Nuwber list. It has a small campus with around 2,000 undergraduate and post-grad students.
George Fox University
George Fox University is the second runner-up in safe schools in Oregon. This Christian liberal arts university has around 4,000 students on campus. It is also ranked as one of the top Christian colleges in the US.
If you want to venture out of Oregon, you don’t need to travel too far to find another safe college campus.
Peninsula College in Washington has a student population of 2,000 and zero recorded cases of sexual and non-sexual crimes, hate crimes, and violence against women. Campus security is affiliated with the local police department and student safety is taken very seriously.
Brigham Young University just over the state border in Idaho is another great choice. Brigham-Young reported no hate crimes and a very small number of sexual-related crimes. The campus is a safe, secure environment for young people, so you can relax if your son or daughter applies to this college.
Always talk to your kids about campus safety before they apply to college. Make sure they are aware of common-sense safety measures, such as monitoring their alcohol intake and not walking home alone late at night. Use the Nuwber list of safe colleges if they have plans to apply to other colleges in the US.
