Using campus safety and crime statistics collected by the federal government, a Washington Post analysis found more than 100 colleges and universities in the United States had at least 10 reported rapes on their main campuses in 2014. Brown University and the University of Connecticut had the most reported rapes at 43. Dartmouth ranked third with 42 reported rapes.
The fact that the most reported rapes is on a particular campus does not necessarily mean that the campus is particularly unsafe for women. For example, the size of the student body and campus community must be taken into account. Reed College in Portland, Oregon had 12.9 reported rapes per 1,000 students in 2014, the highest of any educational institution in the analysis. The University of Connecticut, which had the most reported rapes overall, had 1.6 reported rapes per 1,000 students.
Also, a large number of reported rapes may simply mean that the particular college or universities have done a good job in encouraging victims to report the crimes and have put in place services to support victims. Brian E. Clark, a Brown University spokesperson told the Washington Post “the fact that 43 incidents were reported indicates that we are building trust among our campus community members in how the university responds to reported incidents of sexual and gender-based violence.”
Baylor University, which fired its president and head football coach for failure to address issues of sexual assault and rape, had four reported rapes in the Washington Post analysis.
The Washington Post report, “These Colleges Have the Most Reports of Rape,” can be viewed here.