The No. 1 Safest School In The Country Is Located In The Midwest, New Ranking List Shows

The safest college in the United States is a private university located in the Midwest.

When it comes to choosing a place to seek higher education, many factors come into mind: the cost, the location, the degree you’re pursuing, and in times like we’re in now, safety is a top priority for students.

According to Niche, which is a website that provides reviews of U.S. schools and universities, Concordia University in St. Paul, Minnesota, is the safest school in the nation. NBC Chicago reports the schools’ level of safety was based on a variety of details, including campus crime rates, alcohol and drug-related arrests, campus violence and insight from students.

“Top-ranked colleges offer a safe and healthy environment with little or no campus crime, drugs, or alcohol usage,” the company wrote, NBC Chicago reports. Other schools that made the list were Ohio Christian University in Circleville, Ohio, and UMass Global in Irvine, California. The schools that followed behind Concordia were Bay Path University in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania and Penn State Lehigh Valley in Center Valley, Pennsylvania.