We just returned from visiting SCAD and from what I’ve seen, that school IS Savannah. Or, rather, Savannah is SCAD. SCAD has actively worked to restore and improve the city - its students are everywhere (our tour of the Sorrel-Weed House was conducted by a SCAD Historic Preservation Major), its buildings are everywhere (81 at last count), its name is everywhere. Our waiter told us that SCAD runs the city - he was joking but could there be a kernel of truth? There is no doubt that SCAD is a major institution in Savannah. If you stick to the SCAD and DOT busses you should be fine for getting around the historic district at any time.
As for safety, my daughter and I (both females) walked all over the historic district both during the day and evening hours (9 or 10 pm) and were perfectly fine. We saw tourists, other families visiting SCAD, and some locals but nothing dangerous or threatening at all. In fact, those “locals” that we did meet were friendly and genuinely helpful - hopping off the DOT shuttle to return a sweater I had left, etc. So the historic district seems to be fine. We stayed near the bus depot which is right next to a bunch of SCAD dorms. I was told that the area used to be pretty seedy but had improved immensely. We were located in the funky and economical T-Bird Inn; however, there was an Embassy Suites and a very nice Hampton Inn right next door.
We took a night “ghost” tour for fun and there our guide was very helpful in giving us “the scoop” on safety (he was not only an amateur historian and criminologist, but he claims to have been mugged a few times!). So from him we learned that not all of Savannah is safe - when you start to wander outside the Historic District you have to know where you are going and it’s probably best to travel in groups. There have been major acts of violence in and around Savannah. In fact, the night we arrived a student was shot and killed at Savannah State College (this appears to have been the result of an altercation and not a random act . . . . ). There was a 3 AM shooting in Ellis Square (Historic District) in early August that left three people injured, and there has been an uptick in shootings across the city throughout the summer. However, to put everything in perspective, violent crime has been WAY down in Savannah the last several years (since 2009 or so) and has only upticked this year. By the way, a LOT of cities across the US have seen this uptick. There is no doubt - in my mind at least - that tensions between city governments and the police have resulted in more opportunistic crime and perhaps more cautious policing methods. This unfortunate tension will affect many cities - some we have already read about in the news, others we haven’t (or haven’t yet).
To what extent Savannah is impacted by general trends vs. specific issues I don’t yet know but will be doing some research to find out. Our guide told us that tourism was down this year and I wonder to what extent the violence is a factor. Savannah depends heavily not just on SCAD enrollment but on tourism and if the city is known for crime then the tourists simply won’t visit. That, hopefully, will be a source of concern and appropriate action for the local government and the major institutions of the city.
I would agree with the general advice that one should travel with a group at night, stick to the areas you know, and use college-provided or city transportation that you already know is safe. By the way, this advice was pretty much the same for me when I attended my small liberal arts college in a beautiful but high-crime urban area back in the 80’s (and back then the incidence of violent crime was MUCH worse, statistically, than it is today). To the tried-and-true advice of yesteryear I’d add the following: do NOT to go around with earbuds or headphones plugged into (or onto) your ears - it really makes you look pretty unattentive. Being aware of your surroundings and who else is there is probably going to be your best safety practice.
For research I’d recommend perusing the campus crime report that the college is required to produce every year (you can google it directly or get the stats on College Navigator) as well as searching the internet for articles and commentary on crime at SCAD and in Savannah in general.
Finally, just a quick comment about my overall impressions of Savannah: it’s a beautiful, interesting, quirky, gracious, deep-south gothic city rich in history and folklore. And the food - especially the southern dishes done up in a “foodie” sort of way - is beyond delicious. If all that appeals to you, then it’ll be worth your time for a look-see.