Join WhatsApp Channel
Join Telegram ChannelFor the second year in a row, Harvard University's “appalling” free speech climate has earned it the lowest ranking among 251 colleges and universities evaluated by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE).
“This year, however, Harvard has company. Columbia University ranks 250, also with an overall score of 0.00,” the report, released Thursday, reads.
New York University, the University of Pennsylvania and Barnard College rounded out the bottom five, according to the report.
STATE LIFTS BAN ON ‘POLITICAL’ CLOTHING AFTER RADIO ANCHOR KICKED FROM CAPITOL GALLERY OVER PRO-LIFE T-SHIRT
Harvard University ranks last in the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression’s 2025 rankings of free speech at universities. Harvard, Columbia and NYU all received “terrible” ratings. (AP Photo/Lisa Poole, file)
FIRE, a First Amendment nonprofit, worked with College Pulse to survey tens of thousands of students about free speech environments on their college campuses for its annual College Free Speech Rankings.
“We’re trying to provide an indication of where students can get the best college experience in terms of exposure to a diverse set of viewpoints,” Sean Stevens, FIRE’s chief research advisor, told Fox News Digital.
A Barnard spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the college is committed to “protecting academic freedom and freedom of expression, and fostering environments where students, faculty and staff can engage in open and respectful dialogue.”
Barnard has adopted the Chicago Principles, a free speech policy previously endorsed by FIRE, and this school year a faculty committee will develop “a Barnard-specific framework,” the spokesperson continued.
Harvard, Columbia and the University of Pennsylvania did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday.
WATCH MORE FOX NEWS DIGITAL ORIGINAL SERIES HERE
The poorly ranked universities all had incidents in which speech was censored, deleted or suppressed, Stevens said. Since FIRE began ranking schools in 2020, the bottom five universities have “consistently performed poorly,” he added.
“They rarely speak,” Stevens said. “When there’s a controversy, the speech is usually sanctioned. A speaker is disinvited. A faculty member is sanctioned in some way, or a student or student organization is sanctioned.”
According to FIRE's analysis, the worst-performing countries share another notable trait.
“Most students are very unhappy with how the administration has responded to the protests over the past year,” Stevens said.
NEW MEXICO POLICE CHIEF SAYS HE HAD CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO LEAVE BODY CAMERA OFF AFTER CRASH: REPORT
Pro-Palestinian protesters set up camp on the campus of Columbia University, pictured on April 29, 2024. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
The Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 and the war that followed “sent shockwaves through American college campuses,” according to the FIRE report. Protesters occupied Columbia’s South Lawn for about two weeks in April before police dispersed the encampment.
After the encampments began, researchers noticed a sharp increase in the percentage of Columbia students who said they self-censored class discussions or conversations with professors or other students.
At the other end of the free speech spectrum, the University of Virginia takes the top spot. Michigan Technological University, Florida State University, Eastern Kentucky University and Georgia Institute of Technology round out the top five.
The full ranking can be viewed here.
Stevens noted that schools that performed well tended to have fewer controversies overall, and when controversies did arise, administrators generally defended the right to free speech.
He said he hopes parents and prospective students will use FIRE’s ranking tool to make more informed choices. The tool also provides insight into the liberal-to-conservative ratio on campuses and a deeper look at students’ attitudes toward free speech.
“Experiencing open inquiry and that process, having to struggle and have your views challenged” prepares students to become better “adult citizens in our country when they graduate,” Stevens said.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
FIRE and College Pulse surveyed students at a total of 257 schools, but excluded six from the main rankings and gave them “warning” grades.
The private institutions, which include Pepperdine University, Hillsdale College and Brigham Young University, all have “policies that clearly and consistently indicate” that they prioritize “other values over a commitment to free speech,” according to the FIRE report.