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.
57.3 Treanding Up
/ 100
Overall Rank The Overall Rank shows where a school stands among the 257 institutions evaluated, based on its Overall Score.
129 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).
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
Georgetown University ranks 129 out of 257 schools in the 2026 College Free Speech Rankings with a score of 57, an F speech climate grade. The university jumped 111 places and gained 7 points since last year, thanks in part to upgrading its Spotlight rating from “red light” to “yellow light.” A postponed talk by former Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine member Ribhi Karajah cost Georgetown a small penalty.Georgetown places in the top 50 for “Comfort Expressing Ideas,” suggesting more students speak their minds in class compared to other schools. At the same time, no other area places in the top 50, and the campus continues to see deplatforming attempts that undermine open dialogue.
Georgetown could make meaningful progress by revising its remaining restrictive speech policies to earn a “green light” Spotlight rating and by adopting an official commitment to institutional neutrality.
Highlights
37% of students say they have self-censored on campus at least once or twice a month.
76% of students say shouting down a speaker to prevent them from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
27% of students say using violence to stop someone from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
5.72:1
There are roughly 5.72 liberal students for every one conservative student.
Spotlight Rating
Yellow
Score over time
Student Voices
My roommate and I have very differing views on the Israel-Palestine conflict. Neither one of us has spoken of this, but we are both able to see via social media which side we are on. We are friendly with each other, but it is an unspoken rule to me that I will not bring up this topic to avoid conflict to make the living environment more comfortable.
When students as well as professors were actively on social media with opinions that contradicted my own in extreme ways. As well as police presence.
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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.
57.3 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.
129 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).
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
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).
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
Political Tolerance 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.
0
Deplatformings Deplatformings are the number of incidents where a scheduled event or speaker is canceled or prevented from taking place.
3
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 | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Georgetown University | Ribhi Karajah | Karajah, a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and who spent three and half years in prison for his involvement in a roadside bombing that killed a 17-year old Israeli girl and injured her father and brother, was invited to speak on campus by the university's Students for Justice in Palestine chapter. Two days before the talk was scheduled to take place, the univerity asked Students for Justice in Palestine to postpone it so the university "could conduct a thorough investigation into serious safety and security concerns that had arisen in connection with the event." Karajah's talk was postponed and has not yet been rescheduled. After the postponement, The Lawfare Project, a legal advocaty group that supports students who face antisemitism on campus, called on the university to cancel the event entirely. | -1.0 |
| 2024 | Georgetown University | Brandon Straka/Gothix/Natalie Beisner/Shemeka Michelle | Straka was scheduled to appear (with Gothix, Natlie Beisner, and Shemeka Michelle) at an even hosted by the Georgetown College Republicans. Several days prior to the event school administrators informed the College Republicans and the speakers that an additional security fee of $4,000 was required to hold the event. Administrators also informed the speakers that the first four rows of the auditorium would be reoped off so no one in attendance could be near them. The speakers agreed to the administration's requests. A few days later the speakers were notified that the event had been canceled because there wasn't sufficient time to deal with security concerns. | -2.0 |
| 2024 | Georgetown University | Rudy Rochman | Georgetown Law Zionists invited Rochman, an Israeli Defense Force reservist, to speak at a campus event titled "The Intersections of Judaism and Zionism." Pro-Palestinian groups wrote to the dean of the law school opposing Rochman's invitation and calling on the university to denounce the event. About five minutes into Rochman's talk about a dozen protesters from Georgetown Law Students for Justice in Palestine stood up in an aisle on one side and the room holding signs that said "IDF Off Campus." A little over 10 minutes later the protesters walked out of the event, joining other protesters outside in loud chants that were audible inside the event space. Rochman completed his speech successfully. | -1.0 |
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More Student Voices
I was working on a research paper and thought a professor would likely give me a worse grade, regardless of the quality of my arguments.
As a Jewish student, I have been hesitant to share opinions about Israel/Palestine for fear of backlash from both fellow Jewish students and anti-Zionist students
Survey Results
Survey Results: Student Perspectives
See how students at Georgetown 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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The College Free Speech Rankings are based on student surveys, campus policies, and recent speech-related controversies.
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