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College crime

Question:
What information do you have on college crime?

Response:

The Clery Act requires postsecondary degree-granting institutions to report data for several types of crimes,1, 2 including the following seven against persons and property on their campuses: murder, sex offenses (forcible and nonforcible), robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, motor vehicle theft, and arson.3 In calendar year 2020—when many postsecondary institutions shifted instruction from in-person classes to online-only or hybrid education during the coronavirus pandemic—a total of 21,200 criminal incidents of these types were reported.4 This translates to 15.0 on-campus crimes reported per 10,000 full-time-equivalent (FTE) students enrolled.5 Among the various types of on-campus crimes reported in 2020, there were

These estimates translate to 6.6 forcible sex offenses, 4.8 burglaries, 1.8 motor vehicle thefts, 1.1 aggravated assaults, 0.3 robberies, and 0.3 arson incidents per 10,000 FTE students.


Number of on-campus crimes reported and number per 10,000 full-time-equivalent (FTE) students in degree-granting postsecondary institutions, by selected type of crime: 2010 through 2020

The data in this figure is described in the surrounding text.

1 Includes other reported crimes not separately shown.
2 Unlawful entry of a structure to commit a felony or theft.
3 Theft or attempted theft of a motor vehicle.
4 Any sexual act directed against another person forcibly and/or against that person's will. Reporting guidelines for forcible sex offenses changed in 2014. In years prior to 2014, schools reported a total number of forcible sex offenses, with no breakouts for specific types of offenses. Beginning in 2014, schools were asked to report the numbers of two different types of forcible sex offenses: rape and fondling. These two types were added together to calculate the total number of reported forcible sex offenses.

NOTE: Data are for degree-granting institutions, which are institutions that grant associate’s or higher degrees and participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs. Some institutions that report Clery Act data—specifically, non-degree-granting institutions and institutions outside of the 50 states and the District of Columbia—are excluded from this figure. Includes on-campus incidents involving students, staff, and on-campus guests. Excludes off-campus incidents even if they involve students or staff. Caution should be used when comparing on-campus data for 2020 with those of earlier years due to the switch to online learning in many postsecondary institutions in fall 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Some data have been revised from previously published figures.


Between 2010 and 2020, the overall number of reported on-campus crimes decreased by 34 percent (from 32,100 to 21,200), but most of this decrease occurred between 2019 and 2020, during the first year of the pandemic.12 Specifically, the overall number of reported on-campus crimes

When examined by the specific type of crime, the numbers of on-campus crimes reported in both 2019 and 2020 were lower than the number reported in 2010 for five categories: burglary, motor vehicle theft, aggravated assault, robbery, and arson.13 For forcible and nonforcible sex offenses, the numbers of on-campus crimes reported in 2019 and 2020 were both higher than in 2010. Specifically, 74 nonforcible sex offenses were reported in both 2019 and 2020, while 33 were reported in 2010. The number of reported forcible sex offenses on campus increased by 220 percent from 2010 to 2020 (2,900 to 9,400). Inflection points in this trend include


1 As of October 9, 2020, the Department of Education has rescinded and archived the Handbook for Campus Safety and Security Reporting, which in previous years was provided to assist institutions, in a step-by-step manner, in understanding and meeting the various Clery Act requirements. The Department now provides a Clery-related Appendix to the Federal Student Aid Handbook. For more information about the rescission and replacement of the previous Handbook, see: https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/library/electronic-announcements/2020-10-09/rescission-and-replacement-2016-handbook-campus-safety-and-security-reporting-updated-jan-19-2021. Due to this change, readers should exercise caution when comparing 2020 data to those from previous years.
2 In addition to the seven crimes against persons and property reported in this Fast Fact, degree-granting institutions are also required to report data on manslaughter. Manslaughter is not reported in this Fast Fact because of its relatively rare occurrence, with an average of 2 manslaughter incidents reported annually across all institutions since 2010. A ninth category of crime is arrests or persons referred for campus disciplinary action for liquor law violations, drug-related violations, and weapons possession. The Clery Act requires additional reporting for hate crimes (for more information, see Hate Crime Incidents at Postsecondary Institutions).
3 Data reported throughout this section are based on these seven types of crimes.
4 According to the 2019–20 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:20), 84 percent of undergraduate students reported having some or all classes moved to online-only instruction in spring 2020 due to the pandemic. For more information, see the First Look at the Impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic on Undergraduate Student Enrollment, Housing, and Finances (Preliminary Data) (NCES 2021-456).
5 The base of 10,000 full-time-equivalent students includes students who are enrolled exclusively in distance learning courses and who may not be physically present on campus. The number of students exclusively enrolled in distance education courses was higher in fall 2020 than in fall 2019 (see Undergraduate Enrollment and Postbaccalaureate Enrollment).
6 Any sexual act directed against another person forcibly and/or against that person's will.
7 Unlawful entry of a structure to commit a felony or theft.
8 Theft or attempted theft of a motor vehicle.
9 Attack upon a person for the purpose of inflicting severe or aggravated bodily injury.
10 Taking or attempting to take anything of value using actual or threatened force or violence.
11 Willful or malicious burning or attempt to burn a dwelling house, public building, motor vehicle, or personal property of another.
12 Although rounded numbers are presented, calculations throughout the Fast Fact are based on unrounded values.
13 The number of murders reported on campus ranged from 11 to 28 between 2010 and 2020. The number of negligent manslaughters reported on campus ranged from 0 to 5 between 2010 and 2020.
14 Reporting guidelines for forcible sex offenses changed in 2014. In years prior to 2014, schools reported a total number of forcible sex offenses, with no breakouts for specific types of offenses. Beginning in 2014, schools were asked to report the numbers of two different types of forcible sex offenses: rape and fondling. These two types were added together to calculate the total number of reported forcible sex offenses. For instance, 5,200 rapes and 4,200 fondling incidents were reported in 2020, for a total of 9,400 incidents of forcible sex offenses.

SOURCE: National Center for Education Statistics. (2023). Criminal Incidents at Postsecondary Institutions. Condition of Education. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved September 13, 2023, from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/a21.

In 2020, of the reported criminal incidents that occurred on the campuses of postsecondary institutions, 571 incidents were classified as hate crimes.1 This translates to an average of 0.4 hate crime incidents occurring per 10,000 full-time-equivalent students enrolled.2 The reported on-campus hate crimes included

There were no reported incidents of motor vehicle theft, murder, nonforcible sex offenses, or robbery classified as on-campus hate crimes in 2020.


1 Data are for degree-granting institutions, which are institutions that grant associate’s or higher degrees and participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs.
2 The base of 10,000 full-time-equivalent students includes students who are enrolled exclusively in distance learning courses and who may not be physically present on campus. The number of students exclusively enrolled in distance education courses was higher in fall 2020 than in fall 2019 (see Undergraduate Enrollment and Postbaccalaureate Enrollment).
3 Referred to as “vandalism” in this Fast Fact.

SOURCE: National Center for Education Statistics. (2023). Hate Crime Incidents at Postsecondary Institutions. Condition of Education. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved September 13, 2023, from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/a22.

Related Tables and Figures:  (Listed by Release Date)

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