(The Center Square) – A new national ranking says America’s colleges showed modest improvement in their free speech climates this year, but many still have a long way to go.
Pennsylvania schools fared even worse, scoring below the national average of D-.
This year’s rankings come after an unusually consequential year for campus speech, one marked not only by disputes over what could be said, and by whom, but by a high-profile act of political violence.
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, or FIRE, on Wednesday released its seventh annual College Free Speech Rankings 2027. Nearly 63,000 students at over 250 schools nationwide were surveyed.
FIRE says the release of this year’s report “bookends a jarring year for free expression on campus.” Just one day after the release of last year’s rankings, conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was assassinated while engaging in open political debate at Utah Valley University – an event FIRE says had a profound impact on students nationwide.
Overall, the findings suggest some improvement in campus free speech climates but also show that many students still report difficulty discussing controversial topics, remain skeptical of allowing controversial speakers on campus, and are only “somewhat clear” their school’s administration protects free speech.
The survey’s average overall score of 61.36 is the highest recorded in seven years but still corresponds to a D- on the report’s grading scale, which FIRE calls an “unacceptable state of affairs.”
“At a tumultuous time for higher education, we are seeing some progress in campus free speech policies and indications that students may be less willing to tolerate shoutdowns and violence on campus compared to recent years,” said FIRE President and CEO Greg Lukianoff.
But Lukianoff said the overall state of free speech on campus remains grim.
“Too many college administrators wield their power to cancel controversial speakers, cave to government or student calls for censorship, and limit academic freedom,” he said. “This report emphasizes the need for colleges to embrace their constitutional obligations wholeheartedly.”
The 15 Pennsylvania schools ranked received an average speech climate grade of F.
Collectively, the Pennsylvania schools received a C for openness and C+ for their acceptance of disruptive conduct, but they received Ds for students’ comfort expressing ideas and self-censorship. They received Fs for administrative support and political tolerance.
Schools with stronger overall ratings are more likely to have policies FIRE considers supportive of free expression, including endorsement of the pro-free speech Chicago Statement – a policy statement on free expression created by the University of Chicago in 2015.
Franklin & Marshall College, Pennsylvania’s top-ranked school, places 62nd nationally. It holds a “yellow light” rating in FIRE’s Spotlight database and has adopted the Chicago Statement and an official position on institutional neutrality.
Gettysburg College, ranked 85th, and Lehigh University ranked 128th, have also adopted the Chicago Statement, while the University of Pennsylvania at 227th, is the only other Pennsylvania school to have adopted an institutional neutrality policy.
Most commonwealth campuses maintain “yellow light” ratings. Lafayette College, Villanova University, and Drexel University, however, rank near the bottom at 235, 247, and 249, respectively, and hold “red light” ratings.
FIRE notes that reforming written student policies and reinforcing public commitments to expressive rights would help improve these schools’ speech climates. Only two Pennsylvania schools scored well in FIRE’s recent Spotlight on Speech Codes 2026 report.
Overall, the University of Chicago ranks first for freedom of speech for the third time in seven years, followed by Claremont McKenna College, Georgia Institute of Technology, Michigan Technological University, and Vanderbilt University.
Conversely, the worst-ranked schools all lost points due to their policies and the outcomes of speech controversies on their campuses. None have endorsed the Chicago Statement or adopted an institutional neutrality stance.
New York University ranks last, with the University of Washington, Texas State University, Northeastern University, and Rutgers University-New Brunswick rounding out the bottom five.
Half the students surveyed said the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was difficult to discuss openly and honestly on campus, down slightly from 53% last year. Other topics students identified as difficult to discuss include Donald Trump, Charlie Kirk, abortion, immigration, and transgender rights.
Still, FIRE says the report contains some positive developments.
Though 121 schools received an F, and only 24 received a C or better, that represents an improvement from last year, when 166 schools received an F and just 11 received a C or better.
“Even for those schools perpetually at the bottom of the rankings, it’s never too late to right the ship,” said FIRE Vice President of Research Angela C. Erickson.
Erickson noted that only 40% of students said it was ‘extremely’ or ‘very’ clear that their administration protects free speech on campus.
“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,” Erickson said. “A great education requires both: the freedom to speak and the opportunity to hear ideas you might otherwise never encounter.”
