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.
59.0 Treanding Up
/ 100
Overall Rank The Overall Rank shows where a school stands among the 257 institutions evaluated, based on its Overall Score.
101 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.
4
Overview
The University of Wisconsin–Madison ranks 101 out of 257 schools in the 2026 College Free Speech Rankings with a score of 59 and an F speech climate grade. The University of Wisconsin System adopted a statement on institutional neutrality – earning the Madison campus a bonus that helped offset penalties from an attempted disruption of Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield's talk.Policy gains aside; students report serious problems. Wisconsin places in the bottom 25 nationally for “Comfort Expressing Ideas,” and no area lands in the top 50, underscoring a campus climate where many students hesitate to share controversial views while a vocal minority remains willing to interrupt speakers.
Wisconsin could make meaningful progress by revising its written policies to move from a “yellow light” Spotlight rating to green and by reinforcing clear consequences for disrupting campus events.
Highlights
40% 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.
35% of students say using violence to stop someone from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
2.18:1
There are roughly 2.18 liberal students for every one conservative student.
Spotlight Rating
Yellow
Score over time
Student Voices
My class had a conversation about how J.K. Rowling was just a bad person. I don't feel comfortable with minimizing a person to just bad, but I didn't feel like I could point out that Rowling had done some good things like creating books where all profits go to charity. The environment felt unsafe for talking about nuances, since the whole argument just assumed she was 100% bad and anyone who said otherwise was essentially considered 100% transphobic. I also have felt generally uncomfortable now to say that I liked and read Harry Potter as a kid.
Not agreeing with extremist views of politics going in both directions and feeling that if I were to speak out and classify their actions as extremist I would be labeled an enemy to them even if I agree with certain things being said
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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.
59.0 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.
101 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.
4
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).
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).
D-
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.
4
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.
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
Students Under Fire
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | University of Wisconsin - Madison | Anticolonial Scientists/Mecha | Anticolonial Scientists and Mecha were put on interim suspension while the university investigated them for messages the groups were suspected of writing in chalk at a farmer's market that "endorsed violence, supported terrorist organizations and/or contained antisemitic comments." | -1.0 |
Deplatformings
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | University of Wisconsin - Madison | Linda Thomas-Greenfield | Thomas-Greenfield, a former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, delivered a talk titled “The Art of Negotiation” at the the La Follette School of Public Affairs. The event was disrupted shortly after it began by members of the campus chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), who accused Thomas-Greenfield of complicity in Israel’s actions in Gaza. One protester used a megaphone while others held banners reading “Ceasefire Now.” Their actions prevented the ambassador from continuing her remarks. Audience members booed the disruption, and Thomas-Greenfield responded by emphasizing the importance of mutual respect for free expression, stating that while she appreciated the protester's right to speak, she should also be allowed to share her views. University staff warned the protesters that police had been called, and they were ultimately escorted out by law enforcement. After the disruption, Thomas-Greenfield resumed her talk without further incident, discussing diplomacy, the role of the United Nations, and international negotiation. | -2.0 |
| 2024 | University of Wisconsin - Madison | Michael Knowles | Students objected and planned to protest Knowles talk, titled "Abortion is Not Healthcare." University administrators also informed the event organizers, the campus chapter of Young Americans for Freedom, that they would be responsible for the $4,217.17 security fee required for the event, despite not billing student groups for security fees in the past. After the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty and the Moutain States Legal Foundation wrote the university on behalf of Young Americans for Freedom, the university reversed their decision. Knowles spoke successfully. | -1.0 |
| 2023 | University of Wisconsin - Madison | Bob Woodson/Carol Swain/Diante Johnson/Kali Fontanilla/Wilfred Reilly | During the Q&A period of a panel, co-organized by a faculty member and the Center for the Study of Liberal Democracy, online participants heckled, shouted, and masturbated on-camera. Students working the tech feeds turned off the online portion of the panel, making it impossible for the online audience to continue participating. | -1.0 |
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More Student Voices
UW is one of the most liberal colleges in the nation. Being a conservative student, I hold my tongue nearly every day in classes and on campus.
Survey Results
Survey Results: Student Perspectives
See how students at University of Wisconsin - Madison 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.
