Dating safety for college students

Verify before you meet

• Check that they're real. A short video call before meeting is the quickest way to confirm someone is who their photos say.
• Look for shared connections. Mutual friends, classes or clubs are a good sign; a profile with no trace anywhere is worth a closer look.
• Use verification. On DateDish, every profile is verified with a selfie, Verified badges are backed by an ID check matched to the person's face, and nobody can message you without a recent selfie you can see.

More in our guides on verifying a dating profile and spotting a catfish.

Plan a date you can leave anytime

• Meet in public. A campus coffee shop, the student union, a game or a campus event are easy, low-pressure first dates.
• Tell someone. Let a roommate or friend know who you're meeting, where, and when you expect to be back.
• Get yourself there and home. Many campuses offer a safe-ride or walking escort service at night; check your school's public safety website and save the number.
• Lock in the plan. With a DateDish date request, one person picks the venue, day and time and the other accepts or suggests a change. Nothing is set until you both agree.

Party smarter

• Go with friends and agree to leave together.
• Keep your drink with you, and get a new one if you lose sight of it.
• Know your limits, and keep your phone charged.
• If a friend seems far more impaired than they should be, stay with them and get help.

If something goes wrong

• Emergency: call 911.
• Campus police or public safety: save your school's number in your phone today.
• Title IX office: every college that receives federal funding has a Title IX coordinator who handles sexual misconduct and dating violence.
• RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline: call 1-800-656-4673
• love is respect (national dating abuse helpline): call 866-331-9474 or text LOVEIS to 22522
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988

For local hotlines in your state, see dating safety in all 50 states.

Campus towns with local DateDish guides

Local hotlines, late-night transit and first-date neighborhoods near these schools:

• Arlington, VA: George Mason University's Arlington campus, Marymount University
• Atlanta, GA: Georgia Tech, Georgia State, Spelman, Morehouse, Emory, Clark Atlanta
• Austin, TX: UT Austin, St. Edward's, Huston-Tillotson
• Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins, Morgan State, Towson, UMBC
• Boston, MA: Boston University, Northeastern, Harvard, MIT, Emerson
• Chicago, IL: University of Chicago, DePaul, Loyola, UIC
• Columbus, OH: Ohio State, Columbus State
• Dallas, TX: SMU, UT Dallas, Paul Quinn College
• Denver, CO: University of Denver, CU Denver, MSU Denver
• Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Chaminade, Hawaiʻi Pacific University
• Indianapolis, IN: IU Indianapolis, Butler
• Los Angeles, CA: UCLA, USC, Cal State LA, LMU
• Miami, FL: University of Miami, FIU, Miami Dade College
• Nashville, TN: Vanderbilt, Tennessee State, Belmont, Fisk
• New York City: NYU, Columbia, The New School, CUNY campuses, Fordham
• Oklahoma City, OK: Oklahoma City University, University of Central Oklahoma
• Philadelphia, PA: Penn, Temple, Drexel
• Phoenix, AZ: Arizona State University, Grand Canyon University
• Raleigh, NC: NC State, Shaw University, Meredith College
• Richmond, VA: VCU, University of Richmond, Virginia Union
• Sacramento, CA: Sacramento State, UC Davis (nearby)
• Saint Paul, MN: University of Minnesota, Macalester, St. Thomas
• Salt Lake City, UT: University of Utah, Westminster University
• Washington, DC: George Washington University, Georgetown, Howard, American University, Catholic University, Gallaudet