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.
67.6 Treanding Up
/ 100
Overall Rank The Overall Rank shows where a school stands among the 257 institutions evaluated, based on its Overall Score.
35 Treanding Up
/ 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).
D+
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.
2
Overview
Dartmouth College ranks 35 out of 257 schools in the 2026 College Free Speech Rankings with a score of 68 and is the top-ranked Ivy League school. The college vaulted 189 places after undergoing a major policy revamp to earn a “green light” Spotlight rating and formally adopted institutional neutrality, improvements that outweighed penalties for two speech controversies last year.Student perceptions place Dartmouth in the top 25 for “Political Tolerance” and in the top 50 on “Disruptive Conduct,” showing comparatively stronger support for letting controversial speakers on campus and little appetite for shout-downs. At the same time, the school ranks in the bottom 50 for “Comfort Expressing Ideas,” indicating many students hold back in classroom and campus discussions.
Dartmouth has laid the groundwork by amending restrictive policies, but positive cultural change takes time. The university could build on recent gains by adopting the Chicago Statement and continuing to invest in programming that encourages respectful, open debate across contentious issues.
Highlights
20% of students say they have self-censored on campus at least once or twice a month.
74% of students say shouting down a speaker to prevent them from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
20% of students say using violence to stop someone from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
3.30:1
There are roughly 3.30 liberal students for every one conservative student.
Spotlight© Rating
Green
Score over time
Student Voices
In my government classes, I often feel like the liberal view is the only acceptable take. I am conservative-leaning and therefore tend to feel differently about some issues that are discussed in class, especially when they are presented as obviously having a right and a wrong view. I don't tell my classmates my beliefs because I don't want to lose friends over it, and I go to a very liberal school (although fairly conservative as far as Ivies go). I also would never tell my professor my conservative thoughts if I thought it would affect my grade on an assignment or in class participation.
I felt hesitant expressing my view that Greek Life should be abolished on campus after a hazing death. I self-censored more on this topic than any other controversial political issue
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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.
67.6 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.
35 Treanding Up
/ 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).
D+
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.
2
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
Not Adopted
Institutional Neutrality
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).
B-
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).
C-
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).
F
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.
2
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.
1
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.
0
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.
0
Scholars Under Fire
| Year | School | Scholar | Source | Political Motivation | Controversy Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Dartmouth College | Nicole Nguyen | Scholars Under Fire | N/A | Nguyen, a professor of criminology, law, and justice at the University of Illinois Chicago, was considered for a tenured position in the college's geography department. Despite unanimous support from the department, the college's administration declined her appointment, leading to widespread controversy. Over 330 academics, students, and supporters worldwide signed a letter accusing the college of discrimination against Nguyen due to her progressive research, which includes criticism of the War on Terror and public support for pro-Palestinian student protesters. The letter suggested that the rejection was part of a broader pattern of marginalizing women of color faculty and suppressing pro-Palestinian activism. The geography department appealed the decision, citing procedural errors, but the administration reaffirmed its stance, finalizing the denial of Nguyen's appointment. |
Deplatformings
| Year | School | Scholar | Source | Political Motivation | Controversy Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Dartmouth College | Alice Rothchild | Deplatforming | N/A | College administrators and the Dartmout Hitchcock Meidcal Center indefinitely postponed Rothchild's lecture to the medical school because of "scheduling changes on the speaker's (Rothchild) East Coast tour." Rothchild, a member of the Jewish Voice for Peace, disputed the college's explanation, saying that she was available and planned to give the talk. Faculty at the medical school helped Rothchild reschedule the lecture at an off-campus location. |
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More Student Voices
Office hours is partly for receiving academic help, and partly for getting to know your professor outside of class. I felt like I had to agree with my professor's political views in office hours to form a closer relationship with him (which would reflect positively in grades and letters of recommendation).
Survey Results
Survey Results: Student Perspectives
See how students at Dartmouth College 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.
