The university's property insurance provider, FM Global, awarded UVM its "Significant Improvement Award" for the main campus in May 2012. The award recognizes the commitment by the entire campus, and especially the departments of Risk Management & Safety and Physical Plant, to loss prevention practices through efforts to physically protect properties toward Highly Protected Risk (HPR) standards and to implement critical property conservation programs for risk reduction. HPR is a worldwide insurance industry-recognized classification for best-in-class facility protection against fire, equipment, and natural hazards.

UVM received FM Global's Initial Progress Award in 2007 after completing 26 recommendations in the prior year. Since then, UVM has implemented 23 additional recommendations, and has also incorporated FM Global's HPR standards into new construction projects. FM Global's Significant Improvement Award is given to clients that have shown a commitment to risk improvement and have made substantial progress toward achieving an HPR campus.