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.
48.2 Treanding Up
/ 100
Overall Rank The Overall Rank shows where a school stands among the 257 institutions evaluated, based on its Overall Score.
250 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).
F
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
New York University ranks 250 out of 257 schools in the 2026 College Free Speech Rankings with a score of 48, earning an F for its speech climate. While the school still earns a “yellow light” Spotlight rating, this year's score was hammered by additional penalties after administrators placed sanctions on pro-Palestinian protesters and required them to sign a “Use of Space Agreement” to have sanctions removed.Students paint a bleak picture: NYU lands in the bottom 25 for “Self-Censorship,” “Disruptive Conduct,” and “Administrative Support,” and in the bottom 50 for both “Comfort Expressing Ideas” and “Political Tolerance.” The data show no counterbalancing top-50 strengths, indicating systemic shortcomings across nearly every dimension of campus speech.
NYU could start turning the tide by revising its speech codes to secure a “green light” Spotlight rating, as well as adopting the Chicago Statement and an official commitment to institutional neutrality.
Highlights
27% of students say they have self-censored on campus at least once or twice a month.
77% of students say shouting down a speaker to prevent them from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
43% of students say using violence to stop someone from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
3.80:1
There are roughly 3.80 liberal students for every one conservative student.
Spotlight© Rating
Yellow
Score over time
Student Voices
I have heard in the past that people with more conservative view points will get points taken off in essays. When I was assigned an essay on more liberal ideas, I chose the safe road by writing what I knew the tecwher wanted to hear.
During the election, I felt uncomfortable sharing my views on certain topics in class/in public spaces.
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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.
48.2 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.
250 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).
F
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
Not Adopted
Institutional Neutrality
Not Adopted
Spotlight© Rating
Yellow
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).
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).
F
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.
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.
1
Deplatformings Deplatformings are the number of incidents where a scheduled event or speaker is canceled or prevented from taking place.
2
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 | New York University | Pro-Palestinian Student Protesters | Students Under Fire | N/A | After being barred from campus for their participation in a sit-in protest months earlier, 31 pro-Palestinian students were permitted to return to take exams on the condition that they sign a "Use of Space Agreement" which states that they "may not participare in any protest activity or disruptive activity on Law School property." |
Deplatformings
| Year | School | Scholar | Source | Political Motivation | Controversy Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | New York University | Rashid Khalidi/Sinan Antoon | Deplatforming | N/A | The campus chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine invited Khalidi, a professor at Columbia, to discuss his book "The Hundred Years' War on Palestine" and the current conflict in Gaza with Antoon, an NYU professor. When first scheduled, the event was only open to those with an NYU affiliation. Students for Justice in Palestine asked the university to open the event to the public, but the administration rejected the request concerns about "contentious speakers." The event was held privately, as originally scheduled. |
| 2023 | New York University | Mohammed el-Kurd | Deplatforming | N/A | After pro-Israel student groups raised safety concerns, the university told the graduate student union, who organized a pro-Palestinian teach-in featuring el-Kurd, it would face disciplinary action if it proceeded with the planned event without following university policy requiring reservation of space. Based on a notification organizers received from university security, organizers said "security concerns" were a pretext for not allowing the event to proceed on campus. The event took place off campus. |
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More Student Voices
I rarely feel comfortable expressing my religious views on campus
Survey Results
Survey Results: Student Perspectives
See how students at New York 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.
