Data gathered by The Baltimore Sun indicates that 22 higher education institutions in Maryland documented 465 rapes and 169 fondling occurrences between 2023 and 2025.
Federal Crime Reports Miss Unreported Assaults
The numbers collected from 2023 through 2025 present an incomplete picture of campus safety, as advocates for survivors of sexual abuse point out. Federal crime reports under the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act count only offenses within designated geographic areas and leave out assaults that survivors never report to authorities. At least 256 on-campus rapes appeared in the data covering main campuses of four-year public or nonprofit institutions that enroll at least 1,000 students and require substantial in-person instruction. The remaining 209 reported rapes occurred in other locations covered by the federal law.
Raw totals vary across the 22 accredited institutions analyzed by The Baltimore Sun, reflecting differences in student enrollment as well as reported incidents. The state’s 55 accredited colleges and universities include 33 institutions that did not meet the enrollment or in-person instruction criteria.
| Institution | Fall Enrollment | Reported Rapes (2023–2025) | Fondling Incidents |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Maryland, College Park | 41,725 | 52 | 34 |
| Towson University | 19,401 | 33 | 17 |
| University of Maryland, Baltimore County | 13,906 | 36 | Not specified |
| Johns Hopkins University | 30,210 | Not specified | 23 |
Governor Orders Commission to Recommend Policy Improvements
The release of these campus safety figures coincides with state-level administrative action. Gov. Wes Moore issued a directive instructing the Maryland Higher Education Commission to propose enhancements to campus sexual assault guidelines no later than 90 days following his Oct. 14 order.
The Baltimore Sun asked the evaluated institutions how they compiled their sexual assault data and what they thought of Moore’s directive. Moore did not respond to The Sun’s request for comment.
