College is freedom. Freedom from house rules, freedom to purchase all the candy and junk food desired, freedom to choose classes and study what you are passionate for, freedom to be you. With this freedom presented to a wide range of people, most specifically 18 year olds fresh out of high school, there can be a large danger that is additionally not often presented. Below, we have included some of the top rated colleges for safety and list some colleges that may hold a bigger safety threat due to not allowing safety products.
Colleges & Concealed Firearm Carry
Many colleges across the United States of America do not have the option to conceal or open carry on campus. Only 16 states give their Universities the option to choose whether or not they would like to allow students and faculty to carry. We recommend looking into your desired university’s policy prior to applying if you do prefer to carry a firearm with you as a means of protection.
Colleges & Pepper Spray or Stun Devices
Some of the most common schools that do not allow pepper spray are Boston University, Tufts University, Northeastern University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Additionally, colleges in no-pepper areas such as Massachusetts and the Virgin Islands would most likely not allow pepper spray as well.
Stun devices are a bit more regulated, with Connecticut, two counties in Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Rhode Island, Virgin Islands, Washington, Washington D.C., and Wisconsin all not allowing stun devices either in their state borders or with heavy regulation. That being said, while we do not recommend completely ruling out the colleges in these states, we certainly recommend looking at their other safety policies and their crime report prior to committing!
Top 5 Safest Colleges in the United States
After significant research, here are the top 5 safest college campuses based on location as well as allowing personal protection. Of course, we do always recommend researching on your own the school’s specific area, rules, and regulations about self protection products. These are in a non-specific order.
- Nelson University/formerly SAGU
- Rated #4 safest campuses on Niche.com
- Valley City State University
- Rated #11 safest campuses on Niche.com
- Purdue University
- Rated #1 on Academic Influence
- University of Idaho
- Rated #2 on Academic Influence
- Brigham Young University – Idaho
- Rated #3 on Academic Influence
Wanting to prep your college student even further? Check out our College Safety and Red Zone Awareness training and the subsequent bundles. Don’t forget to use your local Damsel Safety Educator’s code for a discount as well!
