Table of Contents
Spotlight on Speech Codes
FIRE publishes an annual report that condenses our considerable research into campus speech codes into an accessible picture of the state of free expression on our nation’s campuses, providing readers with key data on individual schools and national trends.
Spotlight on Speech Codes 2026
FIRE’s 20th Spotlight on Speech Codes report found a record number of schools earning FIRE’s highest rating, alongside a continued decline in policies that clearly and substantially restrict student expression. FIRE also observed colleges increasingly removing “bias reporting” policies that solicit anonymous reports about speech protected by the First Amendment.
Speech Codes on Campus
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What Are Speech Codes?
Issue Pages
FIRE defines a “speech code” as any university regulation or policy that prohibits expression that would be protected by the First Amendment.
A decade of debate: Celebrating 10 years of the Chicago principles
News
More than 110 colleges and universities have adopted the Chicago Statement, transforming the landscape of higher education.
Speech codes subvert higher ed’s core purpose. Here’s how to fix them.
News
The impulse to censor instead of debate, disagree, and craft arguments should not be the lasting legacy of a college education.
FIRE’s annual Spotlight on Speech Codes report reveals 85% of colleges restrict protected speech
News
And anti-Semitism hearings have colleges reconsidering their speech codes — potentially making bad policies even worse.
Previous Spotlight Reports
Spotlight on Speech Codes 2025
Reports
The 2025 Spotlight on Speech Codes report marks the first time that the number of green light schools outnumbers the number of red light schools.
Spotlight on Speech Codes 2024
Reports
FIRE’s annual review of our Spotlight database of speech codes reveals most schools maintain policies that infringe on free speech.
Spotlight on Speech Codes 2023
Reports
Of the 486 schools included in FIRE’s Spotlight database, 94 earn an overall “red light” rating for maintaining policies that clearly and substantially restrict free speech.
Spotlight on Speech Codes 2022
Reports
The percentage of colleges and universities earning an overall “red light” rating from FIRE has gone down for the fourteenth year in a row.
Spotlight on Speech Codes 2021
Reports
For our 2021 report, FIRE surveyed the written policies of 478 colleges and universities, evaluating their compliance with First Amendment standards.
Spotlight on Speech Codes 2020
Reports
Demands for censorship of student and faculty speech are common, and universities continue to investigate and punish students and faculty over protected expression.
Spotlight on Speech Codes 2019
Reports
The percentage of schools earning an overall “red light” rating in FIRE's Spotlight database has gone down for the eleventh year in a row.
Spotlight On Speech Codes 2018
Reports
The majority of institutions surveyed earned a “yellow light” rating, which means their policies still chill or outright prohibit protected speech.
Spotlight on Speech Codes 2017
Reports
FIRE surveyed 449 schools for this report and found that 39.6 percent maintain severely restrictive “red light” speech codes that prohibit constitutionally protected speech.
Spotlight on Speech Codes 2016
Reports
While speech codes declined overall, FIRE did see a continued increase in restrictive harassment policies in response to the federal government’s unprecedented intervention into universities’ handling of sexual harassment claims.
Spotlight on Speech Codes 2015
Reports
Spotlight on Speech Codes 2014
Reports
Spotlight on Speech Codes 2013
Reports
Spotlight on Speech Codes 2012
Reports
Spotlight on Speech Codes 2011
Reports
Spotlight on Speech Codes 2010
Reports
Spotlight on Speech Codes 2009
Reports
Spotlight on Speech Codes 2007
Reports
Spotlight on Speech Codes 2006
Reports
Know When Campus Speech Policies Suppress Free Expression
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