Abstract: Fear significantly shapes mobility, learning, and social interaction on university campuses, yet it is rarely analysed as a spatial phenomenon within Nigerian higher-education environments. This study examines the fear-scape of the University of Benin’s Ugbowo Campus, focusing on how environmental design, residential context, and temporal conditions interact to structure students’ perceptions of insecurity. A mixed-method embedded research design was employed. Quantitative data were collected through structured surveys and analysed using Student’s t-tests, MANOVA, correlation and regression analyses, and Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) in ArcGIS to model the spatial distribution of fear. Qualitative narratives were used to contextualise and explain observed spatial and statistical patterns. Results reveal temporal and spatial variation in fear perception. Mean fear levels are significantly higher at night (p < .001), with KDE mapping identifying persistent night-time hotspots around hostels (Halls 1–5), the ICT, Life Sciences corridor, and the Faculty of Agriculture areas which are characterised by weak lighting, limited natural surveillance, and ambiguous territorial cues. Correlation analysis shows a strong inverse relationship between fear and perceived security (night-time r = −.401), while regression results indicate that environmental and locational factors explain fear more effectively than demographic characteristics, accounting for approximately 13% of variance. Although women, married respondents, and off-campus residents report higher fear levels, residential context and spatial conditions emerge as the most consistent predictors. Qualitative findings corroborate these results, revealing avoidance of evening lectures, restricted mobility, and reduced social participation in high-fear zones. The study demonstrates that fear on campus is spatially produced and environmentally reinforced, rather than solely individual or demographic in origin. Practically, the findings supported targeted lighting upgrades, surveillance placement, and spatial reconfiguration within identified fear hotspots as concrete planning responses. This established a transferable, spatially grounded model for campus safety intervention rather than generalised security enhancement.