Choosing where to study
How safe is your city?
Feeling safe and secure is crucial for enjoying university. See how safe university towns and cities are to help you finalise where to study.
Sophie Rogers
19 Feb 2025
CONTENTS
City crime stats methodology
The tables below show the crime rates against the general public in UK towns and cities with two or more universities, with a three-year rolling average of crime per population of 1,000.
Each town or city has three categories of crime measured – domestic burglary, robbery of personal property and violence against the person with injury – and a total score and ranking. The data can help you decide if a university is right for you.
We also list crime rates specific to where students live during term time.
England and Wales 2024
| Town/City | *Domestic burglary | Robbery of personal property | **Violence against the person – with injury | Total | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guildford | 1.8 | 0.4 | 6.9 | 9.2 | 1 |
| Chichester | 1.9 | 0.3 | 6.9 | 9.2 | 2 |
| Bath and North East Somerset | 2.1 | 0.6 | 6.5 | 9.2 | 3 |
| Winchester | 2.4 | 0.2 | 6.8 | 9.4 | 4 |
| Cambridge | 2.5 | 1.3 | 7.0 | 10.8 | 5 |
| Bournemouth | 2.2 | 0.7 | 8.1 | 11.0 | 6 |
| Swansea | 1.5 | 0.3 | 9.3 | 11.1 | 7 |
| York | 1.7 | 0.4 | 9.0 | 11.2 | 8 |
| Exeter | 1.0 | 0.6 | 10.7 | 12.3 | 9 |
| Oxford | 2.9 | 0.6 | 9.2 | 12.7 | 10 |
| Cardiff | 2.5 | 0.7 | 9.7 | 12.9 | 11 |
| Colchester | 2.0 | 0.8 | 10.3 | 13.0 | 12 |
| Lancaster | 2.8 | 0.5 | 9.8 | 13.2 | 13 |
| Canterbury | 2.1 | 0.8 | 10.5 | 13.4 | 14 |
| Brighton and Hove | 2.0 | 1.1 | 10.5 | 13.6 | 15 |
| Reading | 2.7 | 1.0 | 10.7 | 14.5 | 16 |
| Newport | 3.1 | 1.0 | 11.7 | 15.7 | 17 |
| Plymouth | 1.5 | 0.7 | 13.6 | 15.8 | 18 |
| Bristol, City of | 3.5 | 2.0 | 10.5 | 16.0 | 19 |
| Salford | 4.8 | 1.2 | 10.3 | 16.4 | 20 |
| Derby | 2.9 | 1.4 | 12.3 | 16.6 | 21 |
| Preston | 3.7 | 1.2 | 12.7 | 17.6 | 22 |
| Northampton | 3.8 | 1.3 | 12.6 | 17.8 | 23 |
| Sheffield | 5.5 | 1.3 | 11.1 | 18.0 | 24 |
| Norwich | 2.2 | 1.3 | 14.8 | 18.3 | 25 |
| Bradford | 4.0 | 1.3 | 13.1 | 18.4 | 26 |
| Nottingham | 3.2 | 1.6 | 13.7 | 18.5 | 27 |
| Liverpool | 3.8 | 1.4 | 13.5 | 18.7 | 28 |
| Leeds | 4.7 | 1.6 | 12.4 | 18.7 | 29 |
| Coventry | 4.5 | 2.3 | 11.9 | 18.7 | 30 |
| Lincoln | 3.5 | 1.2 | 15.1 | 19.8 | 31 |
| Stoke-on-Trent | 3.8 | 1.3 | 14.8 | 19.9 | 32 |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 3.3 | 1.3 | 15.4 | 20.1 | 33 |
| Wolverhampton | 3.9 | 2.1 | 14.2 | 20.2 | 34 |
| Portsmouth | 2.8 | 1.4 | 16.7 | 20.9 | 35 |
| Leicester | 3.4 | 1.4 | 17.6 | 22.4 | 36 |
| Southampton | 4.4 | 1.3 | 16.8 | 22.5 | 37 |
| Manchester | 5.9 | 3.4 | 13.7 | 23.0 | 38 |
| Kingston upon Hull, City of | 5.9 | 1.3 | 15.9 | 23.2 | 39 |
| Birmingham | 5.4 | 3.7 | 15.2 | 24.3 | 40 |
| Middlesbrough | 6.9 | 2.4 | 17.1 | 26.4 | 41 |
Northern Ireland 2024
| Town/City | *Domestic burglary | Robbery of personal property | **Violence against the person – with injury | Total | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belfast | 3.8 | 0.7 | 13.6 | 18.1 | 1 |
Scotland 2024
| Town/City | *Domestic burglary | Robbery of personal property | **Violence against the person – with injury | Total | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stirling | 1.4 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 2.1 | 1 |
| Aberdeen City | 1.6 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 3.0 | 2 |
| Glasgow City | 1.9 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 3.6 | 3 |
| City of Edinburgh | 2.9 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 3.9 | 4 |
| Dundee City | 2.9 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 4.9 | 5 |
Data sources and notes
| Metric | England and Wales definition | Latest data |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic burglary | Residential burglary | ons.gov.uk |
| Violence against the person – with Injury | Violence with injury | ons.gov.uk |
| Robbery of personal property | Robbery | ons.gov.uk |
| Population | ons.gov.uk |
| Metric | Northern Ireland definition | Latest data |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic burglary | Burglary | psni.police.uk |
| Violence against the person – with injury | Violence with injury | psni.police.uk |
| Robbery of personal property | Robbery of personal property | psni.police.uk |
| Population | psni.police.uk |
| Metric | Scotland definition | Latest data |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic burglary | Housebreaking | statistics.gov.scot |
| Violence against the person – with injury | Serious assault and attempted murder | statistics.gov.scot |
| Robbery of personal property | Robbery | statistics.gov.scot |
| Population | statistics.gov.scot |
Notes
Our data is based on a three-year rolling average.
- Exeter and Plymouth: Following the implementation of a new IT system in November 2022, Devon and Cornwall Police have been unable to supply data for the quarters October 2022 to June 2023: 2022 data used.
- Northampton: Data not available for Northampton for 2023: 2022 data used.
Last updated February 2025
Related articles
How to become a chartered legal executive
Read our quick career guide about chartered legal executives and how to become a CILEX...
Cost of living in London as a student
The cost of living in London can be significantly higher than the rest of the UK. This...