The Problem
Free speech is under continuous threat at many of America's colleges, pushed aside in favor of politics, comfort, or simply a desire to avoid controversy. As a result, speech codes dictating what may or may not be said, "free speech zones" confining speech to tiny areas of campus, and administrative attempts to punish or repress campus free speech on a case-by-case basis have become all too common.
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Acceptance of Violence
34%
of students say using violence to stop someone from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
- 2% From Last Year
- 10% From 4 Years Ago
-
Acceptance of Shouting Down Speakers
72%
of students say shouting down a speaker on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
- 4% From Last Year
- 6% From 4 Years Ago
-
Self-Censoring with Fellow Students
24%
of students say they often self-censor with other students on campus.
- 0% From Last Year
- No Data From 4 Years Ago
-
Self-Censoring in the Classroom
28%
of students say they often self-censor during classroom discussions.
- 2% From Last Year
- No Data From 4 Years Ago
-
Low Trust in School Administration
27%
of students say it is very or extremely likely their school administration would defend a speaker's rights to express their views.
- 1% From Last Year
- 1% From 4 Years Ago
The Solution
Working with FIRE means more than raising awareness — it means driving change. We collaborate with students, faculty, and administrators to reform restrictive policies, protect rights on campus, and bring national attention to threats against free expression and academic freedom.
Our Success & Impact Stories
- 460 Speech Codes Improved
- 760 Campus Case Victories
- 5k Rankings in the Media
- 113 Chicago Statements Adoptions
- 32 Institutional Neutrality Adoptions
"I wasn't about to let my university get away with silencing me or any other student for speaking our truth," Kim said. "Staying positive while fighting for my rights for years wasn't easy, but it was necessary. We all need to speak up when someone tries to take our rights away — our voice is way too powerful to let anyone shut it down."
" 'Describe what tasks you performed in the past week.'
I didn't know it at the time, but when I emailed administrators at Brown University that simple question, I kicked off a free speech battle on my campus."
FIRE Fights For Your Rights
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression defends and promotes free speech and thought as essential liberties. It educates the public, fosters a culture of respect for these rights, and provides tools to protect them.
Resources
Read The Report
Check out the most comprehensive report on free speech on college campuses as FIRE analyzes national and campus-based free speech trends across 257 colleges and universities.
Our Methodology
Learn about the 12 factors used to calculate each school's score and rank, including how the factors are evaluated and how much they count in the overall score.