The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) has released its 2026 College Free Speech Rankings, painting a bleak picture of the campus climate for open discourse. Out of 257 institutions surveyed, 166 received a failing grade, with only 11 earning a C or higher.
Claremont McKenna College topped the rankings for the second time, followed by Purdue University, the University of Chicago, Michigan Technological University, and the University of Colorado Boulder. At the other end, Barnard College, Columbia University, and Indiana University were named among the worst, with Barnard finishing last overall.
The findings reflect what FIRE describes as a sharp decline in tolerance for controversial speech. For the first time in the survey’s history, a majority of students opposed allowing any of six hypothetical speakers — representing both liberal and conservative viewpoints — to appear on campus.
“This year, students largely opposed allowing any controversial campus speaker, no matter that speaker’s politics,” said FIRE President and CEO Greg Lukianoff. “Rather than hearing out and then responding to an ideological opponent, both liberal and conservative college students are retreating from the encounter entirely. This will only harm students’ ability to think critically and create rifts between them. We must champion free speech on campus as a remedy to our culture’s deep polarization.”
The annual survey, conducted with College Pulse, included responses from more than 68,000 undergraduates. Students reported increasing unease with discussing divisive topics, particularly the Israeli-Hamas conflict. On 21 campuses, at least three-quarters of students said it was difficult to engage in open discussion on the issue; at Barnard, that number reached 90 percent.
More troubling, according to FIRE, is the growing number of students condoning extreme tactics to silence opposing views. One-third said they accept, at least in limited cases, the use of violence to stop a campus speech.
“More students than ever think violence and chaos are acceptable alternatives to peaceful protest,” said Sean Stevens, FIRE’s chief research advisor. “This finding cuts across partisan lines. It is not a liberal or conservative problem — it’s an American problem.”
Some universities saw significant improvement. Dartmouth College, Vanderbilt University, and Yale University all rose in the rankings after revising policies and implementing new programs to promote free expression. Harvard, ranked last in the previous two years, climbed to 245.
Still, FIRE’s report card makes clear that the nation’s campuses remain hostile terrain for free speech. As Angela C. Erickson, FIRE’s vice president of research, cautioned: “Even one egregious anti-free speech incident can destroy students’ trust in their administration and cause a school to plummet in the rankings.”
