Campus free speech improves — but still scores a D-
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American colleges are largely failing to create a healthy free speech climate on campus, according to a new national ranking.
Why it matters: Students are self-censoring at high rates amid intense political pressure from the Trump administration and efforts by some universities to change policies in response.
By the numbers: The rankings found an average overall score of 61.36 — the highest recorded in seven years, according to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.
- That still amounts to a D- on the report's grading scale.
- 140 schools received passing grades, whereas 121 out of the 261 schools ranked in the report received an F for their free speech climate.
- Only 24 schools received a C or better.
University of Chicago tops the list for the third time in seven years, followed by Claremont McKenna College, Georgia Tech, Michigan Tech and Vanderbilt.
- New York University ranks last, behind the University of Washington, Texas State, Northeastern and Rutgers.
How it works: FIRE defined self-censorship as refraining from sharing views because of fear of social, professional, legal or violent consequences.
- The topic students identified as the most difficult to discuss was the Israeli-Palestine conflict, with 50% of students reluctant to broach it.
- Trump followed at 46%, and conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated a year ago, at 44%.
- Abortion ranked fourth at 43%. Immigration and transgender rights tied at roughly 38%.
Zoom in: "I feel like if I do find myself holding back, it's not because of social exclusion or lower grades," Gabriela Gongora Rosales, a junior at Barnard College, tells Axios.
- She said Barnard and Columbia have made it "pretty clear" that they're willing to comply with some federal efforts to restrict speech related to immigration or transgender rights, leaving her wary of how speaking out could affect her job prospects.
The intrigue: Some universities lost points because FIRE penalized their handling of controversial speech.
- Clemson University, for example, dropped nearly 5 points after firing two professors for controversial posts about Kirk's death.
- FIRE says at least 20 professors nationwide were fired over similar posts.
- Utah Valley University, where Kirk was killed, fell 139 spots amid increased student self-censorship and after dropping a commencement speaker who had criticized Kirk in posts after his death.
Worth noting: The share of students who considered it acceptable to shout down speakers, block entry to speeches or use violence declined slightly from last year's record highs.
Between the lines: The Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains the most "taboo topic on campuses" for the third straight year.
- NYU's last-place ranking is closely tied to students' concerns about discussing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and penalties FIRE imposed over the university's handling of speech controversies.
Zoom out: The rankings come as President Trump increasingly tries to control what schools can teach, what diversity programs they can offer and which international students can attend American universities.
- The administration has also pushed schools to restrict protests that it describes as antisemitic, including by withholding federal funding and pursuing lawsuits and investigations against universities.
What they're saying: "President Trump will always protect the First Amendment rights of all Americans," White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told Axios in an emailed statement.
- "The Democrats have failed American students. Under their disastrous leadership, violent anti-Semitic attacks plagued college campuses and radical DEI ideology was forced on students."
- "President Trump is committed to holding elite universities accountable, which is why he's taking long-overdue action to restore excellence to higher education, encourage a vibrant marketplace of ideas on campus, and maintain America's advantage for generations to come."
- A Department of Education spokesperson told Axios that "[i]t is no surprise that public confidence in our colleges is at an all-time low when so many institutions have abandoned free speech and viewpoint diversity on campus."
- They added that Secretary McMahon is "encouraged to see universities ... stepping up to answer the call for bold reforms."
Methodology: 62,997 undergraduates at 262 universities were surveyed from Jan. 2 to June 3, 2026. The poll has a margin of error of ±0.4 percentage points for U.S. undergraduates in four-year programs, and between 2 and 5 points for student subgroups.
Go deeper: College Republicans and Democrats agree: Defend speech that hurts feelings
