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.
55.2 Treanding Up
/ 100
Overall Rank The Overall Rank shows where a school stands among the 257 institutions evaluated, based on its Overall Score.
187 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
Brown University ranks 187 out of 257 schools in the 2026 College Free Speech Rankings with a score of 55, an F speech climate grade. Brown's recent decision to adopt institutional neutrality was offset by a trio of speech controversy penalties.Student perceptions remain bleak. Brown places in the bottom 25 nationwide for “Comfort Expressing Ideas,” and no survey area lands in the top 50. The university also keeps a “yellow light” Spotlight rating, indicating vague written policies.
Brown could make meaningful progress by revising its speech codes to earn a “green light” Spotlight rating and adopting the Chicago Statement to affirm its commitment to free expression.
Highlights
47% of students say they have self-censored on campus at least once or twice a month.
78% of students say shouting down a speaker to prevent them from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
32% of students say using violence to stop someone from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
5.88:1
There are roughly 5.88 liberal students for every one conservative student.
Spotlight Rating
Yellow
Score over time
Student Voices
I wanted to post something on instagram about the Israel-Palestine conflict but I was afraid of how people would react.
I once got marked down on a presentation because my professor didn't agree with my views.
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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.
55.2 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.
187 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
Not Adopted
Institutional Neutrality
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.
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 | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Brown University | Alex Shieh/Benjamin Marcus/Gary Bittker | Administrators investigated Shieh on allegations that he had "emotionally harmed" Brown employees when sending an email asking administrators to explain their role and what they have done in the past week. Using the university's organizational chart, Shieh created a database of campus administrators and used an algorithm to analyze their perceived efficiency. He then, in his capacity as a member of the conservative campus newspaper The Brown Spectator, sent an email similar to one recently sent by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to government employees asking administrators to explain what tasks they had accomplished in the past week. Claiming that Shieh had used "confidential information" in the database's construction, administrators demanded he return or destroy said information or else be charged with "failure to comply" unless he provide proof of its deletion. Ultimately, Shieh was not formally disciplined. Administrators also investigated Marcus, editor-in-chief of The Brown Spectator, and and Gray Bittker, the paper's managing editor, after fellow member Alex Shieh's “Bloat @ Brown” project emailed all 3,800 staff asking them to list their week’s accomplishments. Administrators alleged misuse of a campus tech platform and charged Marcus and the others with a trademark violation due to the paper’s name. Ultimately, the university found Marcus and Bittker not responsible on every count and closed the case. | -1.0 |
Deplatformings
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Brown University | Christina Paxson | Paxson's commencement speech was briefly disrupted by students in attendance and members of Brown Alumni for Palestine, who claimed responsibility for leading the disruption. The protesters called on Paxson, and Brown, to divest from "companies complicit with the genocide in Palestine." After a few minutes, Paxson resumed her remarks and successfully completed the commencement address. | -1.0 |
| 2023 | Brown University | Christina Paxson | A vigil for a university student from Palestine seriously injured in a shooting in Vermont was cut short after students shouted down the university president by calling for the university to divest its endowment from companies affiliated with Israel. | -1.0 |
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More Student Voices
I am Jewish and support the existence of a Jewish state (and therefore support Israel). I sometimes feel I cannot express my opinion to anti-Israel students/professors
Survey Results
Survey Results: Student Perspectives
See how students at Brown 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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