The University of Chicago claimed the top position in a national ranking of campus free speech environments, while 121 of the 261 colleges evaluated received failing grades for their speech climate, according to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression's seventh annual College Free Speech Rankings released September 9, 2026. The report found that despite modest improvements in some areas, the overall state of free expression on American campuses remains "grim," with the average score of 61.36 corresponding to a D- grade. The assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in September 2025 generated a wave of censorship across higher education institutions over the past year, adding another flashpoint topic that students find difficult to discuss openly.
The rankings drew from nearly 63,000 student responses across 261 schools. Only 24 institutions earned a speech climate grade of C or higher, while Texas State University, the University of Washington, and New York University occupied the bottom three spots. At 61 of the schools surveyed, more than half of students reported that Charlie Kirk is "difficult to discuss" on campus, and nine colleges lost ranking points after punishing faculty members for Kirk-related comments. On a more encouraging note, the percentage of students who said it's acceptable to shout down a speaker, block entry to a campus speech, or use violence to stop a speech declined slightly from last year's record highs. However, only 40% of students said it was "extremely" or "very" clear that their administration protects free speech on campus.
FIRE President and CEO Greg Lukianoff stated that "the overall state of free speech on campus is grim," noting that too many college administrators "wield their power to cancel controversial speakers, cave to government or student calls for censorship, and limit academic freedom." Chief Researcher Sean Stevens said that rather than viewing the Kirk assassination "as a warning about the extreme results of partisanship and inability to peacefully engage in dialogue, many college admins took it as an invitation to double down on censorship." The report documents several severe incidents at bottom-ranked schools, including Texas State University's terminations of two professors for off-campus protected expression, six disruptions or cancellations at the University of Washington since 2024, and Northeastern University police demanding attendee lists for a planned lecture by an Israeli historian.
The Kirk murder's ripple effects illustrate how campus administrators respond to controversial events by restricting speech rather than fostering dialogue, according to the report. Some campus chapters of Kirk's organization Turning Point USA have been denied recognition or faced calls for derecognition as official student groups. The most difficult topics for students to discuss on campus now include the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Donald Trump, Charlie Kirk, and abortion—a constellation of flashpoints that leaves many students fearful of expressing controversial political views. Meanwhile, schools at the top of the rankings like the University of Chicago, Claremont McKenna College, and Georgia Institute of Technology experience rare speech controversies and earn student reports that administrations are more likely to support free expression. Harvard University showed dramatic improvement after falling to last place in 2024 and 2025, with students reporting they felt their administration more strongly protects speech compared to last year.
The report concludes that college administrators need "the humility to reform policies and systems that leave students afraid to speak their minds, and the courage to shut down deplatformings and disruptions when others try to silence them." FIRE Vice President Angela C. Erickson emphasized that even perpetually low-ranked schools can reverse course, noting that "a great education requires both: the freedom to speak and the opportunity to hear ideas you might otherwise never encounter." The findings underscore that most students remain uncertain whether their institutions genuinely protect free expression, creating an environment where self-censorship thrives and controversial but constitutionally protected speech faces administrative punishment rather than robust debate.