College Free Speech Rankings

We use real student experiences, university policies, and speech controversies to annually determine the free speech rankings. This year FIRE ranked 257 U.S. colleges and universities and College Pulse surveyed more than 68,000 students.

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2026 College Free Speech Rankings

Report

If America’s colleges could earn report cards for free speech friendliness, most would deserve an “F” — and conservative students are increasingly joining their liberal peers in supporting censorship.

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2026 College Free Speech Rankings

The largest report of its kind, the rankings draw from more than 68,000 student respondents from 257 colleges and universities and are designed to help parents and prospective students choose the right school.

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Rank	School	Overall	Speech Code
1	Claremont McKenna College Private	79.90/100	Green
2	Purdue University Public	76.20/100	Green
3	University of Chicago Private	76.10/100	Green
4	Michigan Technological University Public	75.60/100	Green
5	University of Colorado, Boulder Public	74.50/100	Green
6	University of North Carolina, Greensboro Public	74.20/100	Green
7	Vanderbilt University Private	74.00/100	Green
8	Appalachian State University Public	73.20/100	Green
9	Eastern Kentucky University Public	73.10/100	Green
10	North Carolina State University Public	72.60/100	Green

Learn More About FIRE's 2026 College Free Speech Rankings

Read the Report

Check out the most comprehensive report on free speech on college campuses as FIRE analyzes national and campus-based free speech trends across 257 colleges and universities.

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How We Rank

We use real student experiences, university policies, and speech controversies to annually determine the free speech rankings. Learn how the process works.

How It Works

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What's New This Year?

New overall scores offer an apples-to-apples comparison to previous years, allowing schools to track their progress.

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Spotlight Ratings

FIRE's speech code reports survey speech policies at America's largest and most prestigious colleges and universities, providing readers with key data on individual schools and national trends.

Read Latest Speech Code Report

The Best and Worst of the 2026 College Free Speech Rankings

Research

Read our deep dives into the free speech climates on college campuses.

FIRE poll: 90% of undergrads believe words can be violence even after killing of Charlie Kirk

Press Release

December 2, 2025

Ninety one percent of undergraduate students believe that words can be violence, according to a new poll by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and College Pulse.