What is the Clery Act?
The Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act (commonly known as the Clery Act) is a federal law in the United States. It requires every college and university that participates in federal student aid programs to keep and share information about safety policies and crimes that occur on and near their campuses.
A major requirement of this law is the Annual Security Report (ASR). Every year, schools must publish this report and make it available to all current and prospective students and employees. The goal of the report is to give everyone clear, transparent information so they can make informed decisions about their personal safety and the safety of others.
Required Security Policy Statements
Every school covered by the Clery Act must address these 16 topics in its Annual Security Report. The list below explains each one in simple terms.
- Preparation and Disclosure of Annual Crime Statistics The school must explain how it prepares and shares its yearly crime statistics. This statement can appear right next to the actual numbers.
- Reporting Crimes and Emergencies The school must describe how students, employees, and others can report crimes or emergencies on campus. It must list the people or offices (called campus security authorities) who should receive these reports. It must also mention any way to report crimes privately for use in the yearly statistics.
- Encouraging Accurate and Prompt Reporting of Crimes The school must encourage everyone to report crimes quickly and correctly to the campus police and to the appropriate local or state police agencies. This is especially important when the victim chooses to report or is unable to report the crime themselves. It must also explain any rules for counselors who may help students report crimes privately.
- Security of and Access to Campus Facilities (Including Residences) The school must describe how it keeps campus buildings safe and who can enter them. This includes residence halls and any rules used to maintain safe facilities.
- Law Enforcement Authority of Campus Security Personnel The school must explain whether campus officers can make arrests and where they can enforce the law.
- Working Relationship with State and Local Law Enforcement The school must describe how campus security works with city or state police. It must mention any written agreements for handling crimes.
- Security Awareness Programming The school must describe the programs it offers to teach students and employees about safety rules and how to protect themselves and others.
- Crime Prevention Programming The school must describe programs that teach students and employees how to prevent crimes.
- Monitoring Criminal Activity at Non-Campus Locations The school must explain how it tracks crimes that happen at off-campus housing run by recognized student groups.
- Alcohol and Other Drug Policies and Education Programs The school must state its rules about alcohol and illegal drugs, how it enforces underage drinking and drug laws, and what education programs it offers to prevent abuse.
- Timely Warning Procedures The school must explain how it sends out warnings to the campus community about serious crimes that could threaten others. Warnings must protect the victim’s identity and help prevent more crimes.
- Emergency Response and Evacuation Procedures The school must describe how it will quickly tell everyone about a major emergency or danger. It must explain how it confirms the problem, decides who gets the message, writes the message, and sends it out. It must also describe how it tests these plans at least once a year with drills or exercises, shares the plans during a test, and keeps records of each test.
- Missing Student Notification Procedures (only if the school has on-campus housing) The school must explain what to do if a student living in campus housing is missing for 24 hours. This includes who to report to, how to contact people the student named, how parents are told (for students under 18), and how police get involved.
- Registered Sex Offender Information The school must tell the campus community where to find public information about registered sex offenders.
- Hazing Policies and Prevention Programs The school must describe its rules about hazing (as the school defines it), how to report hazing, how it investigates reports, and any local, state, or tribal laws on hazing. It must also describe campus-wide programs that teach people about hazing prevention, including ways bystanders can help, ideas for ethical leadership, and ways to build strong groups without hazing. Note: Starting with the 2026 report, schools must also include statistics on reported hazing incidents in the crime statistics section.
- Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Policies The school must have a detailed statement about preventing and responding to dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. This includes:
- Programs that teach new students and employees about these crimes, what “consent” means, how bystanders can help safely, and ways to lower risk.
- What to do if one of these crimes happens (how to save evidence, who to tell, options with police, protection orders, and keeping victims’ information private).
- How the school helps victims with counseling, housing changes, class changes, or other support.
- Fair rules for school disciplinary hearings, including training for staff, equal rights for both sides, and written notice of results.
Why These Policy Statements Matter
These required statements help students, employees, and families understand how to stay safe, report problems, and get help. They make campus safety information easy to find and encourage everyone to take part in keeping the community safe.
Schools may arrange these topics in any order that works best for their readers, as long as every required detail is included and easy to understand. This information comes directly from federal law (34 CFR §668.46 and 20 U.S.C. §1092(f)) as updated in 2025.