Revealed: The most dangerous college campuses in America

Students planning on attending university may think about avoiding the East Coast, as that's where eight of the 10 most dangerous American campuses are.  

And four of them are in New York state alone, according to a new study. 

The Parrish Law Firm, a Virginia-based personal injury firm, looked at data from the US Department of Education on the number of hate crimes, criminal offenses and violations of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) that occurred at each college campus from 2018 to 2022.

Gallaudet University, a private university in Washington D.C., was the most violent campus on a per capita basis during that four-year period. 

Gallaudet University, pictured, was ranked the most dangerous campus in the US from 2018 to 2022 based on federally compiled data

The college, which had 914 undergraduate students in the fall 2022 semester, had 282 VAWA offenses, which included offenses such as domestic violence and stalking. 

There were also 30 hate crimes, which entail vandalism of property, robbery, and sex offenses.

Dominic Lacy, the chief operating officer for Gallaudet University, said the Parrish Law Firm study was inaccurate and cited its own crime data.

Dominic Lacy, pictured, disagreed with the Parrish Law Firm study on its portrayal of campus crime data 

'Gallaudet and Clerc Center are fortunate to be in the heart of a city as vibrant as Washington, D.C.,' Lacy said in a statement shared with FOX 5 DC.

'As in any urban setting, there are always certain realities that we manage every day to maintain a safe campus community. The story published was misleading and irresponsible and does not provide an accurate picture of our crime statistics. 

Though, in its own report, Gallaudet took note of 730 on-campus criminal violations or referrals from 2020 to 2022. The most common violations were liquor-related, likely referring to underage drinking.

Hobart and William Smith College was the second most dangerous college in America, and the first New York showing on the list.

Hobart and William Smith Colleges recorded 22 rapes during the 2022 school year, more than the 1st and 3rd most dangerous schools combined

St. John's University in Queens, New York, had a wide variety of crimes committed on its property from 2018 to 2022, including aggravated assault, theft, and arson

The private university in Geneva, which is roughly a five-hour car ride from New York City, had many VAWA offenses and 'disciplinary actions.'  

It also recorded 22 rapes in 2022 alone, according to data from Campus Safety and Security, which is more put together than Gallaudet and the third most dangerous Chowan University in North Carolina. 

Keene State College in New Hampshire was the fourth most dangerous college in the US. Wofford College in South Carolina was fifth. 

The other New York colleges that made the list included Union College, St. John's University and St. Bonaventure University. They were the sixth, seventh and eighth most dangerous, respectively.

Rounding out the very bottom of the list was Colorado College in Colorado Springs and Iowa's Central College.

Keene State College in New Hampshire, pictured, was the fourth most dangerous college in the US. Wofford College in South Carolina was the fifth most dangerous

Union College campus on January 18, 2021 in Schenectady, New York. It was ranked the sixth most dangerous university in the US

St. John's, in particular, had a wide variety of crimes committed on its property from 2018 to 2022, including aggravated assault, theft, and arson.

Attorney Jim Parrish, the founder of the Parrish Law Firm, said the levels of violence seen across college campuses was 'shocking' and that action needs to be taken to keep students safe.

'All academic institutions should be taking effective security measures to protect students, such as installing CCTV cameras across campus and employing campus security services,' Parrish said in a statement. 

He added: 'No student should have to feel unsafe during their studies.'

Notably, since this study only had access to the most recent data as of 2022, it wasn't able to determine if there were notable crime spikes during the campus protests over Israel's war in Gaza.