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.
54.5 Treanding Down
/ 100
Overall Rank The Overall Rank shows where a school stands among the 257 institutions evaluated, based on its Overall Score.
196 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.
1
Overview
Kent State University ranks 196 out of 257 schools in the 2026 College Free Speech Rankings with a score of 55, down 152 places from last year — a slide accelerated by a change in student perception and a 3-point penalty after administrators removed a student art display that depicted political violence.Kent State remains in the top 50 for “Administrative Support.”. The school ranks in the bottom 50 for “Self-Censorship,” and tumbled from the top 25 last year to the bottom quartile for “Comfort” this year. Its “yellow light” Spotlight rating indicates several written policies still restrict speech.
Kent State could regain ground by revising those policies to earn a “green light” Spotlight rating as well as formally adopting both the Chicago Statement and an official commitment to institutional neutrality.
Highlights
21% of students say they have self-censored on campus at least once or twice a month.
67% of students say shouting down a speaker to prevent them from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
35% of students say using violence to stop someone from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
1.20:1
There are roughly 1.20 liberal students for every one conservative student.
Spotlight© Rating
Yellow
Score over time
Student Voices
When all my friends were talking about who they voted for in the presidential election and I kept quiet because I didn't want to be judged and hated on for voting for Trump.
As someone in Greek life, it is frowned upon to express your views. Either some people will get upset with you or others would completely ignore you. Especially if you're liberal. It was hard to not express my views during the 2024 presidential election.
Make Your Voice Heard: share this report with your school administrators
Take the next step — send this report to your school and show them that real improvement is possible.
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.
54.5 Treanding Down
/ 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.
196 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.
1
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).
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).
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).
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.
1
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.
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.
1
Deplatformings
| Year | School | Scholar | Source | Political Motivation | Controversy Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Kent State University | "We only have to get lucky once." | Deplatforming | N/A | The university removed an art installation that depicted a picture of President Donald Trump's face with a rife pointed towards it and the phrase "we only have to get lucky once." After images of the art installation circulated in the press and on social media, the university was accused of hosting "assasination art," and state lawmakers condemned the exhibit and stated that a review of the university's funding was warranted. In response the university removed the dsiplay, denouncing it as "inconsistent with the university’s values." |
Donate to FIRE to support our continued work fighting for free speech.
Help us build a movement and promote a strong culture of free speech by supporting FIRE.
More Student Voices
I go to a liberal arts school and I tended to write more liberally on my assignments and essays for certain teachers
I voted for Trump and lost friends because of it. I feel that I would have a worse off college experience if I openly expressed this because our school is so liberal populated
Survey Results
Survey Results: Student Perspectives
See how students at Kent 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.
Reach out to FIRE
FIRE wants to hear from you. Click here, and we'll make sure your message gets to the right person.
See Your School's Ranking
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit vivamus laoreet blandit.
FIRE Fights For Your Rights
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression defends and promotes free speech and thought as essential liberties.
