To provide a national perspective on college campus safety policies, Education Commission of the States researched state statute in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to create this comprehensive resource. This resource does not include postsecondary board or institutional policies. Education Commission of the States does not provide legal advice on specific circumstances. The information here gives an overview of relevant laws in each state and does not reflect how these laws may interact with other state or federal policies.
Click on the campus safety topic below for 50-State Comparisons showing how all states approach policies in that area. View a specific state’s approach by going to the individual state profiles.
50-State Comparisons
- Campus Sexual Assault policies provide institutions additional guidance regarding interactions with victims of sexual assault and accused students. This resource only reviews state statutes that explicitly address sexual misconduct on college campuses or off-campus incidents that involve at least one student.
- Guns on College Campuses includes state statutes that explicitly allow or prohibit guns on college campuses and those states in which statute allows guns in locked vehicles on college campuses. In some states, court cases have overturned or altered statewide or systemwide policies related to guns on campus. For the purposes of this 50-State Comparison, Education Commission of the States only looked at policies in state statute or regulations and did not provide legal interpretation of specific circumstances in states with court rulings.
Key Takeaways
- Twenty-two states have codified a campus sexual assault policy.
- Five states have defined affirmative consent.
- Twenty-two states have written into statute a prohibition for individuals to carry firearms on public college or university campuses.
Related Resources
View enacted and vetoed legislation related to postsecondary campus safety on our State Education Policy Tracking resource and pending legislation on our State Education Policy Watchlist.
