 Many visitors to BYU , and Utah Valley as a whole , report being surprised by the culturally conservative environment . Brigham Young University 's Honor Code , which all BYU students agree to follow as a condition of studying at BYU , prohibits the consumption of alcoholic beverages , tobacco , etc . As mentioned earlier , The Princeton Review has rated BYU the " # 1 stone cold sober school " in the nation for several years running , an honor which the late LDS Church president Gordon B. Hinckley had commented on with pride . BYU 's 2014 " # 1 stone cold " sober rating marked the 17th year in a row that the school had earned that rating . BYU has used this and other honors awarded to the school to advertise itself to prospective students , showing that BYU is proud of the rating . According to the Uniform Crime Reports , incidents of crime in Provo are lower than the national average . Murder is rare , and robberies are about 1 / 10 the national average . Business Insider rated BYU as the # 1 safest college campus in the nation . 
