La Verne Takes Top Ranking in Safe College Campuses Report

The University of La Verne is considered one of the safest college campuses across the nation, placing in the top 11 percent of institutions, according to a ranking by the organization, Niche.

Niche, which ranks colleges, school districts, and cities, included 1,713 colleges and universities in their 2016 Safest College Campuses report, which is based on crime statistics, student surveys and other factors.

The organization placed La Verne in the top 20 percent of California institutions, ranking La Verne at No. 16 out of 80 colleges and universities.

“The safety of our students, faculty, and staff is a very high priority for us,” said Clive Houston-Brown, Vice President for Facilities and Technology and Chief Information Officer at the University of La Verne. “Over the last few years, we have invested in an expansion of our Campus Safety staff, video surveillance systems, and blue light emergency systems.  We have also introduced a mobile app for easy access to emergency information and to provide SafeWalk features, where students can request an escort or have friends follow their physical progress to and from locations. We are pleased to see the University’s initiatives recognized in this rating report.”

The criteria for La Verne’s ranking included 132 students who filled out surveys about the institution’s safety. Students gave La Verne an average of a 4.2 out of 5 rating. Other factors included La Verne’s ratio of zero crimes per 1,000 students and its 88 percent freshman retention rate.