2 Michigan Colleges Ranked Most Dangerous Campuses In America

The University of Michigan has grabbed the spotlight, but this time it's not for reason anyone will celebrate. The University of Michigan has been named the most dangerous college campus in America and they aren't the only Michigan university to make the list.

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In a sobering report released by Degree Choices,  the unsettling reality of safety concerns on campus has landed U of M on a list many may be surprised by. With its picturesque setting and esteemed academic programs, it would appear to be one of the most unlikely places to make the list, especially the top spot, but it has.

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The ranking, compiled by Degree Choices, is based on various factors, and DC analyzed data from the U.S. Department of Education to create a list of the "27 Most Dangerous College Campuses".

"We used Campus Safety and Security data reported to and published by the U.S. Department of Education to analyze violent crimes on campus at public, private, and non-profit universities. We selected colleges with a minimum institution size of 500 students with or without on-campus housing. The colleges listed have the highest numbers of violent crimes on campus between 2019-2021 (3 years)", they said. 

Degree Choices indicated that the following constituted a violent crime according to the FBI:

• Rape (Rape accounts for 60% of the total violent crimes in our analysis (2019-2021).
• Murder/manslaughter
• Aggravated assault
• Robbery

U of M took the top position on the list of "The 27 Most Dangerous College Campuses in America" with a reported 1,468 incidents of violent crimes from the studied time frame. It's important to remember that safety concerns are not unique to one institution, and many universities across the nation face similar challenges.

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It's important to note that Degree Choices states, "Both the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and Ohio State University have the highest rates of violent crime because of historic sexual abuse at the hands of university physicians. Although these egregious acts happened decades ago, they were only properly investigated and reported in the past few years. In both cases, there is evidence that university personnel had been informed of the abuse and had failed to act at the time".

"At UMich, we spoke to Melissa Overton, University Deputy Chief of Police and Public Information Officer, who pointed us to the school’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report. According to the report, of the 199 rape numbers recorded on campus in 2021, 182 were attributed to Robert E. Anderson; of the 1,212 rape numbers recorded in 2020, 1,194 were attributed to Anderson", they said. 

 

The University of Michigan was not the only school in the state to make the list. Michigan State University was ranked 23rd with a total of 56 incidents of violent crimes.

While this report may be unsettling, it's always best to stay informed and work together to keep our college campuses safe. You can view the complete list here.