Many college officials nationwide criticized the report because it focused on the college's neighborhood rather than the actual campus--where violent crimes are rare. A school in a violent neighborhood could be ranked at high risk for crime, even if the actual campus was safe.

Karon Daniel, the interim director of public relations at Morris Brown, wrote that the report "paint[s] a misleading picture and unduly alarms parents."

Myra R.H. Kodner, the program coordinator for the crime-prevention group Security on Campus, criticized the report for not looking more closely at the nature of colleges.

"There are schools that are in less than desirable areas that make a good effort at safety," she said.

Much of campus crime is related to substance abuse, Kodner said, and the report is "not telling you what happens when you put people from different experiences and emotional needs in the same areas."

Alan Stone, the Vice President for Public Affairs at Columbia, called the report "at odds with reality."

Some schools have criticized the fact that CAP Index refused to release the 11 factors that went in to the computations.

Port said the consulting firm would not release proprietary company information, but he said he believed the scale was accurate. CAP Index has been 70 percent to 90 percent accurate in predicting levels of actual crime, he said.