USC earns FIRE's top rating for free speech

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 9, 2026 — The University of Southern California has earned a “green light” rating from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, the organization’s highest rating for university policies governing expression.

FIRE awards the rating to institutions whose written policies pose no serious threat to student speech. Of the 493 colleges and universities rated by FIRE, only 77 earn a green light rating, or around 16%. And of the 45 California colleges and universities rated by FIRE, only three in addition to USC earn a green light rating.

“There are hundreds of universities with eloquent commitments to free inquiry and policies that quietly undercut them. On its own initiative, USC worked with us to close that gap. It has earned the green light rating.” — Laura Beltz, FIRE Director of Policy Reform 

Since becoming USC’s president last year, Beong-Soo Kim has made open dialogue a foundational priority of his administration. Part of that commitment has involved working to ensure the university’s policies fully support and encourage a culture of robust dialogue and debate. Under President Kim’s leadership, USC made changes to its policies governing events, posting, and conduct that does not rise to the level of prohibited harassment. FIRE has also determined that USC’s policies around institutional neutrality now substantially mirror the Chicago Statement, the model policy adopted by roughly 120 university administrations and faculty bodies nationwide.

“Open dialogue is easy to support in principle but more difficult to ingrain in the culture and actions of a university. USC is 100% committed to that work, which is foundational to everything we do – educating future leaders, advancing cutting-edge research, and upholding the principles of freedom and democracy.” — Beong-Soo Kim, President, University of Southern California

USC’s new rating also means that it will receive a substantial boost in FIRE’s annual College Free Speech Rankings going forward. Because USC’s green light rating took effect after FIRE’s June 1 data collection deadline, the 2027 rankings released on September 9 reflect USC’s prior policies. USC’s retabulated score would have placed 37th in FIRE’s 2027 College Free Speech Rankings, 179 places higher than its ranking a year ago and among the top 15% of schools ranked. 

USC’s green light rating reflects other initiatives undertaken by the university under President Kim’s leadership, including the launch of the USC Open Dialogue Project, a university-wide effort encouraging students, faculty, and staff to engage seriously across differences in perspective and opinion. In its first nine months, the program convened 25 events with 24 campus and external partners, drawing more than 2,000 attendees. Programming ranged from debates over hate speech and standardized testing to conversations with public figures representing a broad range of perspectives. 

Institutions interested in earning a green light rating can contact FIRE’s Policy Reform team at speechcodes@fire.org.

About FIRE 

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to defending and sustaining the individual rights of all Americans to free speech and free thought—the most essential qualities of liberty. FIRE recognizes that colleges and universities play a vital role in preserving free thought within a free society. To this end, we place a special emphasis on defending the individual rights of students and faculty members on our nation’s campuses, including freedom of speech, freedom of association, due process, legal equality, religious liberty, and sanctity of conscience.

About USC 

Founded in 1880, the University of Southern California is one of the world’s leading academic research institutions with 23 schools, a multi-billion-dollar health enterprise and a vast research and development engine. The university enrolls 46,000 highly accomplished undergraduate and graduate students and employs 4,600 faculty who are members of major national academies, and MacArthur, Academy Award and Pulitzer Prize winners, among many others. USC has a nationally recognized athletic program and a passionate global network of 500,000 alumni — the Trojan Family. Located in the heart of Los Angeles, USC is a powerhouse of innovation and impact with a global reach.

Media contacts: 
Alex Griswold, Communications Campaign Manager, FIRE: (215) 717-3473; media@fire.org

USC Media Relations: (213) 740-2215; uscnews@usc.edu