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.
56.0 Treanding Up
/ 100
Overall Rank The Overall Rank shows where a school stands among the 257 institutions evaluated, based on its Overall Score.
167 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
The University of Texas at Austin ranks 167 out of 257 schools in the 2026 College Free Speech Rankings. Its score is 56, an F speech climate grade. The University of Texas System adopted institutional neutrality — applying to the Austin campus. Although the adoption added a bonus, administrators drew another penalty after the university system barred drag performances on campus. The university earns a “yellow light” Spotlight rating.Students voice serious concerns. UT Austin places in the bottom 25 for both “Comfort Expressing Ideas” and perceived “Administrative Support,” and in the bottom 50 for “Openness” to controversial conversations and for “Disruptive Conduct.”
UT Austin could make further headway by revising its remaining speech codes to earn a “green light” Spotlight rating, reaffirming viewpoint neutrality in event approvals, and applying protest guidelines consistently to all student groups.
Highlights
50% 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.
42% of students say using violence to stop someone from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
3.69:1
There are roughly 3.69 liberal students for every one conservative student.
Spotlight Rating
Yellow
Score over time
Student Voices
When the anti-DEI act went into effect, I felt like I could not express my opinion because if I did, administration would side against me.
I think during last April/May when the protests were going strong, it was like walking on eggshells to talk about anything relating to the protests in fear of the campus retaliation.
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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.
56.0 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.
167 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
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).
F
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).
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.
3
Deplatformings Deplatformings are the number of incidents where a scheduled event or speaker is canceled or prevented from taking place.
0
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 | The University of Texas at Austin | LGBTQ+ Student Groups | One day after receiving a letter from Republican Tarrant County Judge Tim O'Hare calling for a system-wide ban of drag shows, chairman of the system's Board of Regents Kevin Eltife announced that "our public university facilities, supported by taxpayers, will not serve as venues for drag shows." Citing President Trump's Executive Order stating that "federal funds shall not be used to promote gender ideology," O'Hare's letter argued that "drag shows highlight men reducing the perception of women to stereotypes and body parts." | -1.0 |
| 2024 | The University of Texas at Austin | Ammer Qaddumi | Qaddumi was arrested during an April 24 pro-Palestine protest but had charges dropped. Despite faculty council ruling that the protest did not violate university rules, administrators wanted to hand out a three semester suspension. A student board ruled that Qaddumi had failed to comply with university rules but did not incite illegal conduct, and disagreed with the recommended suspension. Ultimately, however, an appellate officer ruled in the administration's favor, retroactively implementing the suspension. Qaddumi filed a lawsuit against the university, claiming the disciplinary action was unlawful. | -1.0 |
| 2024 | The University of Texas at Austin | Palestine Solidarity Committee | Palestine Solidarity Committee planned an outdoor demonstration on campus to call for the university to divest from groups with ties to Israel. The day before the scheduled protest, administrators sent the group a letter describing the group has having "declared intent to violate our policies and rules, and disrupt our campus operations," and told them they were not allowed to hold the event. When students assembled anyways, police intervened and arrested dozens of protesters "at the request of the University and at the direction of Texas Governor Greg Abbott." The group would go on to be suspended. | -1.0 |
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More Student Voices
When there were protests for Palestine and the university sent in state troopers to control it.
Survey Results
Survey Results: Student Perspectives
See how students at The University of Texas at Austin 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.
