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.
55.3 Treanding Down
/ 100
Overall Rank The Overall Rank shows where a school stands among the 257 institutions evaluated, based on its Overall Score.
186 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
Wake Forest University ranks 186 out of 257 schools in the 2026 College Free Speech Rankings. Its score holds steady at 55, an F speech climate grade. The school still earns a “yellow light” Spotlight rating.Student feedback paints a mixed picture. Wake Forest ranks in the top 25 for “Openness,” signaling a comparatively greater willingness for students to talk through controversial topics. The school ranks in the bottom 25 for “Comfort Expressing Ideas,” suggesting many do not feel safe voicing those views aloud.
Wake Forest could start building trust by revising its speech policies to earn a “green light” Spotlight rating and formally adopting the Chicago Statement.
Highlights
49% of students say they have self-censored on campus at least once or twice a month.
73% of students say shouting down a speaker to prevent them from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
36% of students say using violence to stop someone from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
1.02:1
There are roughly 1.02 liberal students for every one conservative student.
Spotlight Rating
Yellow
Score over time
Student Voices
Being a Muslim during the Israeli/Palestinian conflict has been difficult to say the least. It's hard to sit around people in a class who will call us anti-semitic when clearly this has been a genocide on Palestinians, but it feels uncomfortable to say that. I'm not usually one to draw attention to myself.
During class periods, there are times professors are very adamant about their views and leave no room for the other side to be acceptable or correct so it is best to not offer opinions
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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.
55.3 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.
186 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).
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.
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.
0
Deplatformings
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Wake Forest University | Rabab Abdulhadi | The university’s Humanities Institute, Department of History, Department of Politics & International Affairs, Middle East South Asian Studies Program, and the National Endowment for the Humanities scheduled an event featuring Abdulhadi, a professor and founding director of the Arab and Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas Studies Program at San Francisco State University, for October 7, 2024. Abdulhadi's scheuled talk was titled “One Year Since al-Aqsa Flood: Reflections on a Year of Genocide and Resistance.” A student initiated petition, that garnered over 8,500 signatures, demanded the university rescind Abdulhadi's invitation because Abdulhadi has "publicly threatened Jewish students" and "publicly supported and celebrated terrorists." The university revoked Abdulhadi's invitation to speak on campus. | -2.0 |
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More Student Voices
My professor outrightly expressed their political views early on in the class so in writing assignments I did not feel comfortable expressing my true beliefs and wrote to appeal to her for a better grade.
Survey Results
Survey Results: Student Perspectives
See how students at Wake Forest 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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See Your School's Ranking
The College Free Speech Rankings are based on student surveys, campus policies, and recent speech-related controversies.
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The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression defends and sustains the individual rights of all Americans to free speech and free thought — the most essential qualities of liberty. FIRE educates Americans about the importance of these inalienable rights, promotes a culture of respect for these rights, and provides the means to preserve them.
