Overall Score The Overall Score is made up of 12 parts. Six measure how students feel about free speech on campus. Three look at school speech policies. The last three look at how people on campus respond during speech controversies. A higher score reflects a better free speech climate.
70.2 Treanding Up
/ 100
Overall Rank The Overall Rank shows where a school stands among the 257 institutions evaluated, based on its Overall Score.
23 Treanding Down
/ 257
Overall grade The Grade is a letter based on the college's rounded Overall Score. Scores fall into standard grade ranges from A (93-100) to F (below 60).
C-
Speech Controversies Controversies are campus incidents where a student, professor, or speaker faces backlash or pressure for speech that's protected by the First Amendment or academic freedom.
3
Overview
Arizona State University ranks 23 in the 2026 College Free Speech Rankings with a score of 70, earning a C- speech climate grade. The university earns a “green light” Spotlight rating. After suspending a student group in 2024 for a controversial social media post, ASU improved in 2025 when it declined to sanction College Republicans United for similar conduct.ASU places in the top 25 for “Political Tolerance” and in the top 50 for “Administrative Support,” reflecting greater confidence in the administration's stance on expression compared to other schools. But it ranks in the bottom 50 for “Openness” and for “Disruptive Conduct,” indicating that controversial dialogue remains fragile.
ASU could boost its standing by adopting an official commitment to institutional neutrality. and educating students on when expression crosses into unprotected conduct.
Highlights
14% of students say they have self-censored on campus at least once or twice a month.
71% of students say shouting down a speaker to prevent them from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
41% of students say using violence to stop someone from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
2.70:1
There are roughly 2.70 liberal students for every one conservative student.
Spotlight© Rating
Green
Score over time
Student Voices
Hiding my Star of David necklace in some classes
I am a transgender person and worry about being open about it because I have heard bigoted comments about the LGBTQ community on campus before
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Score Deep Dive
Inside the Score
Explore the key factors shaping this score. This section provides a detailed look at the data, policies, and student experiences that influence free speech on campus.
Overall Score The Overall Score is made up of 12 parts. Six measure how students feel about free speech on campus. Three look at school speech policies. The last three look at how people on campus respond during speech controversies. A higher score reflects a better free speech climate.
70.2 Treanding Up
/ 100
This score out of 100 reflects how open and supportive a campus is for free speech, based on student surveys, campus policies, and recent speech-related controversies.
Overall Rank The Overall Rank shows where a school stands among the 257 institutions evaluated, based on its Overall Score.
23 Treanding Down
/ 257
A comparison of 257 U.S. colleges and universities on free speech, based on overall scores from student surveys, campus policies, and speech-related controversies.
Overall grade The Grade is a letter based on the college's rounded Overall Score. Scores fall into standard grade ranges from A (93-100) to F (below 60).
C-
A school’s speech climate, shown as a letter grade (A–F), based on its overall score from student surveys, campus policies, and speech-related controversies.
Speech Controversies Controversies are campus incidents where a student, professor, or speaker faces backlash or pressure for speech that's protected by the First Amendment or academic freedom.
3
Reflect recent incidents where a speaker, professor, student, or student group faced efforts to punish, disinvite, or silence them for expressing a controversial view.
Chicago Statement for Free Speech
Adopted
Institutional Neutrality
Not Adopted
Spotlight© Rating
Green
Comfort Expressing Ideas Comfort Expressing Ideas measures how comfortable students feel sharing their views on controversial topics in different campus settings. The grade falls into standard grade ranges from A (93-100) to F (below 60).
D
Disruptive Conduct Disruptive Conduct measures how acceptable students think it is to disrupt a campus speaker. The grade falls into standard grade ranges from A (93-100) to F (below 60).
C
Openness Openness measures how many controversial topics students feel they can openly discuss on campus. The grade falls into standard grade ranges from A (93-100) to F (below 60).
D
Self-Censorship Self-Censorship measures how often students hold back their views on campus. The grade falls into standard grade ranges from A (93–100) to F (below 60).
D-
Administrative Support Administrative Support measures how clearly students think their school supports free speech and how likely the administration is to defend a speaker's rights during a controversy. The grade falls into standard grade ranges from A (93-100) to F (below 60).
D-
Tolerance for speakers Political Tolerance measures how willing students are to allow controversial speakers — on both the left and right — to speak on campus, even if they disagree with their views. The grade falls into standard grade ranges from A (93-100) to F (below 60).
F
Speech Controversies
Speech Controversies: When Free Expression Is Challenged
Explore notable incidents where free speech was tested on campus. From speaker deplatformings to administrative actions, these events highlight the challenges — and consequences — of restricting expression.
Total Controversies Controversies are campus incidents where a student, professor, or speaker faces backlash or pressure for speech that's protected by the First Amendment or academic freedom.
3
Scholars Under Fire Scholar Controversies are campus incidents where a professor or academic staff member faces backlash or punishment for speech protected by academic freedom or the First Amendment.
0
Students Under Fire Student Controversies are campus incidents where a student or student group faces punishment or pressure from the school for speech that's protected by the First Amendment.
2
Deplatformings Deplatformings are the number of incidents where a scheduled event or speaker is canceled or prevented from taking place.
1
Honor Roll Statements Honor Roll Statements are the number of public messages from a college or university defending free speech during a campus controversy. Schools that make these statements can earn bonus points on their Overall Score for standing up for free expression when it counts.
0
Attempted Disruptions Attempted Disruptions are the number of incidents where people on campus try to stop a scheduled event or speaker.
0
New in 2025 The number of controversies that have occurred since the previous launch of the College Free Speech Rankings.
1
Students Under Fire
| Year | School | Scholar | Source | Political Motivation | Controversy Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Arizona State University | College Republicans United | Students Under Fire | N/A | Multiple student groups and elected officials called upon the university to take action against College Republicans United (CRU) for a social media post announcing plans to encourage students to report classmates to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). CRU's announcement led to multiple student organizations to demand administrative intervention. Additionally, numerous Arizona House Democrats and other officials contacted the university demanding the group be investigated and have its registered status revoked. Although Reps. Greg Stanton (D-AZ) and Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ) claimed the university was investigating the matter, ASU made no such announcement. |
| 2024 | Arizona State University | Mecha | Students Under Fire | N/A | The administration suspended Mecha for a social media post wherein the student group refused to condemn the actions of Hamas and called for the death of various groups they saw as objectionable colonizers. |
Deplatformings
| Year | School | Scholar | Source | Political Motivation | Controversy Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Arizona State University | Rashida Tlaib | Deplatforming | N/A | Jewish students organized an email campaign asking the university president to uninvite Tlaib because of Tlaib's views on Israel. The university canceled Tlaib's talk, claiming organizers didn't meet university requirements for crowd management, parking, security, and insurance. Organizers claimed the administrative objections were a pretext for canceling the talk. |
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More Student Voices
i have seen my university take action against students who showed support for palestine.
Survey Results
Survey Results: Student Perspectives
See how students at Arizona State University perceive free speech on their campus. This section breaks down survey responses to key questions, providing insights into overall trends as well as demographic differences in how students experience free expression.
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FIRE Fights For Your Rights
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression defends and promotes free speech and thought as essential liberties.
