One of the hardest things parents have to do is start to let go of their children, and usually one of the first steps is sending them off to college. As a big step in being out on their own, parents hope they've instilled the things their child needs to "make it on their own", but as we know sometimes it can be out of their control.

Degree Choices, a team of education researchers working together to provide valuable financial advice and guide prospective students to find schools and careers that best work for them, released their 2024 list of The 27 Most Dangerous College Campuses. Of those 27, two Michigan universities made the list, with one ranking number one.

Now before we go any further, keep in mind that this is NOT the views or opinions of Townsquare Media, but those based on Degree Choices and their methodology which you can view here.  While this might sound alarming initially, it’s essential to understand what this ranking means, how it was determined, and what steps are being taken to address these concerns.

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
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What Michigan University is Ranked Most Dangerous College Campus in America?

The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor has been ranked as America's most dangerous college campus. According to Degree Choices, there were 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.

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. Both university’s commitment to addressing these issues head-on and fostering a safer environment for everyone is a positive step forward.

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.

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