Just released: The 2022-2023 College Free Speech Rankings – Foundation for Individual Rights in Education

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 7, 2022 The largest survey on student free expression ever conducted adds 45,000 student voices to the national conversation about free speech on college campuses and finds that many are afraid to speak out on their campus. Many others want to silence the voices of those who dont share their viewpoints, creating campus echo chambers.

Sayonara, debate and disagreement; hello, campus kumbaya.

Today, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, in partnership with College Pulse, released the third annual College Free Speech Rankings, ranking the speech climates of 203 of Americas largest and most prestigious campuses in order from top (the University of Chicago) to bottom (Columbia University).

That so many students are self-silencing and silencing each other is an indictment of campus culture, said FIRE Senior Research Fellow Sean Stevens. How can students develop their distinct voices and ideas in college if theyre too afraid to engage with each other?

EXPLORE THE RANKINGS

The top colleges for free speech:

The worst colleges for free speech:

The rankings rely heavily on student responses. Each schools speech code rating also factored into the scoring; Most schools without any policies that imperil free speech rose in the rankings, while those with restrictive speech codes fell.

This year, FIRE also took into account which schools sanctioned faculty for their speech or disinvited guest speakers based on viewpoint since 2019, giving the institutions that did lower marks.

Self-censorship is pervasive across top-ranked and bottom-ranked schools alike; 63% of respondents worried about damaging their reputation because someone misunderstood something they said or did. An equal percentage said that students shouting down a speaker to prevent them from speaking on campus was acceptable to some degree.

Other findings from the report include:

The study also found that majorities of students believe campus speakers with opinions that stray from liberal orthodoxy should not be allowed to speak on campus. FIRE doesnt take a stance on any of the following issues, but firmly believes that theyre all within the bounds of open campus debate and discussion.

FIRE hopes that prospective college students and their parents will use the rankings to make informed decisions about where to apply.

The situation for freedom of speech and academic freedom has been in trouble on campus since before FIRE was founded in 1999, said FIRE CEO Greg Lukianoff. That situation has gotten far worse in the last few years. Our new and improved rankings are intended to reward universities that protect and defend the freedom of speech, while empowering students and parents who care about free speech not to attend or support universities that dont.

EXPLORE THE RANKINGS

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 thoughtthe 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 nations campuses, including freedom of speech, freedom of association, due process, legal equality, religious liberty, and sanctity of conscience.

CONTACT:

Katie Kortepeter, Media Relations Manager, FIRE: 215-717-3473; media@thefire.org

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Just released: The 2022-2023 College Free Speech Rankings - Foundation for Individual Rights in Education