This is a guide. Sections marked Our advice are guidance from our editors; every fact is cited and linked to its source. Informational, not legal or financial advice.

Part of our guide: Liftoff: A guide for families and young adults.

Colleges covered by the U.S. Department of Education's Clery Act rules have to publish a yearly safety report. Families touring campuses can use it to ask better questions. Here's what the federal rules require colleges to share, and how to use it.

The annual security report

Under U.S. Department of Education regulations, a college must prepare an annual security report with its crime statistics and its current safety policies (34 CFR 668.46(b)). By Oct. 1 each year, it must distribute the report to all enrolled students and current employees, for example by email or by posting it online. A college with on-campus housing must also send an annual fire safety report (34 CFR 668.41(e)(1)).

For families who aren't enrolled yet: a college must give prospective students a notice saying the report is available, describing what's in it and offering a copy. It must provide the report on request. If it posts the report online, the notice has to include the exact web address (34 CFR 668.41(e)(4)).

What the numbers cover

The report must show statistics for the three most recent calendar years (34 CFR 668.46(c)(1)) for:

  • Criminal homicide, sex offenses (rape, fondling, incest and statutory rape), robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson.
  • Arrests and disciplinary referrals for liquor law violations, drug law violations and illegal weapons possession.
  • Hate crimes, and dating violence, domestic violence and stalking.

Crimes are broken out by where they happened: on campus, in or on a noncampus building or property, or on public property. Of the on-campus crimes, the college must also say how many took place in student housing (34 CFR 668.46(c)(5)). A college may not drop a reported crime because of a decision by a court or prosecutor. Only sworn or commissioned law enforcement can mark a report "unfounded," and the college must disclose how many reports were removed that way (34 CFR 668.46(c)(2)).

The daily crime log

A college with a campus police or security department must keep a written daily crime log. It records the nature, date, time and general location of each reported crime and its disposition, if known. Entries are generally due within two business days. The most recent 60 days of the log must be open to the public during normal business hours, and older entries must be provided within two business days of a request (34 CFR 668.46(f)).

Alerts and emergencies

Colleges must issue timely warnings about reported crimes they consider a threat to students and employees (34 CFR 668.46(e)). They must also have procedures to "immediately notify the campus community" when a significant emergency or dangerous situation is confirmed, and they must test those procedures at least once a year (34 CFR 668.46(g)).

If a student goes missing

A college with on-campus housing must let each resident name a confidential contact. If campus police or local law enforcement determine that a student has been missing for 24 hours, the college must notify that contact within 24 hours. For a student under 18 who isn't emancipated, it must also notify a custodial parent or guardian. In every case, it must inform local law enforcement within 24 hours unless that agency made the determination itself (34 CFR 668.46(h)).

Our advice

  • Ask for the report on the tour. Search the college's website for "annual security report," or ask admissions for a copy.
  • Compare like with like. Look at the residence-hall numbers and at trends across all three years, not one total.
  • Register a missing-student contact as soon as housing opens, and tell that person they're on the list.
  • Sign up for alerts on day one. Our Who to talk to guide lists other campus offices worth knowing.

Sources: U.S. Department of Education regulations, 34 CFR 668.46 (Institutional security policies and crime statistics, eCFR) and 34 CFR 668.41 (Reporting and disclosure of information, via Cornell LII).

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