Average Score The Average Score is the average of all Overall Scores from colleges in a state that were included in the College Free Speech Rankings.
54.0 Treanding Up
/ 100
Average Rank The Average Rank is the average of all Overall Ranks from colleges in a state that were included in the College Free Speech Rankings.
180 Treanding Down
/ 257
Average 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.
28
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
Overview
Nineteen New York schools are ranked in the 2026 College Free Speech Rankings. The state's average speech-climate grade is F, matching the national average.Syracuse University ranks 76 overall and is the top-ranked school in the state. It is also the only school in New York to earn above an F grade. Syracuse has adopted both the pro-free speech Chicago Statement and a statement on institutional neutrality. It holds a “yellow light” rating in FIRE’s Spotlight database, meaning its written policies contain at least one provision that threatens student expression.
Colgate University, Columbia University, and the University at Buffalo have adopted the Chicago Statement but not neutrality. Barnard College ranks 257 and is the bottom-ranked school in the country, performing poorly across nearly all student survey components. Columbia University ranks 256 — second to last. Colgate and Clarkson University hold “red light” ratings, meaning their written policies clearly and substantially restrict protected expression.
Most of the remaining campuses maintain “yellow light” ratings and have not adopted major free-speech reforms. Improving written policies and expanding institutional commitments to expressive rights could help address the schools’ consistently poor speech climates.
Highlights
45% 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.
34% of students say using violence to stop someone from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
4.64:1
Across New York, there are roughly 4.64 liberal students for every one conservative student.
Average score over time
Speech Controversies
Speech Controversies: When Free Expression Is Challenged
Explore notable incidents where free speech was tested on campuses across New York. From speaker deplatformings to administrative actions, these events highlight the challenges — and consequences — of restricting expression.
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.
28
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.
5
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.
9
Deplatformings Deplatformings are the number of incidents where a scheduled event or speaker is canceled or prevented from taking place.
14
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.
3
Attempted Disruptions Attempted Disruptions are the number of incidents where people on campus try to stop a scheduled event or speaker.
4
New in 2025 The number of controversies that have occurred since the previous launch of the College Free Speech Rankings.
10
Scholars Under Fire
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Columbia University | Daniel Di Martino | After complaints were filed against Di Martino, a Ph.D. student in economics, for his social media posts expressing criticism of transgenderism and its unalignment with his Catholic faith, Columbia's Office of Institutional Equity investigated him for "conduct that could constitute discriminatory harassment." During a subsequent meeting with OIE officials, Di Martino was presented with screenshots of his posts, including statements like "God does not teach us that we can change our gender" and comments supporting politicians who oppose gender-transition procedures for minors. The officials suggested that such posts could create a "hostile environment" for other students. Di Martino defended his posts as expressions of his religious beliefs and argued that the investigation infringed upon his First Amendment rights. He also highlighted that the OIE's actions seemed to target conservative and religious viewpoints under the guise of promoting inclusivity. | -1.0 |
| 2025 | Columbia University | Avi Shilon | Shilon, a professor of history at the university, was teaching a graduate-level course titled "History of Modern Israel." On the first day of the spring semester, his class was disrupted by masked protesters who entered the classroom, accused the course of promoting "Zionist and imperialist" narratives, and distributed flyers depicting violent imagery, including a boot poised to crush a Star of David with the caption "Crush Zionism." The university administration condemned the disruption, stating that such actions violated campus rules and were unacceptable. A swift investigation led to the suspension of one university student involved, pending a full disciplinary process. Additionally, two external participants were identified and banned from campus, with their respective institutions notified for further action. | 0.0 |
| 2024 | Columbia University | Mohamed Abdou | Abdou, the Arcapita Visiting Assistant Professor in Modern Arab Studies at the university, posted on Facebook: "Yes, I'm with the muqawamah (the resistance) be it Hamas and Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad but up to a point—given ultimate differences over our ethical political commitments; that's the difference between a strategy and tactic too." In April 2024, the university's president testified before the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce, stating that Abdou "will never work at Columbia again." Abdou contested this assertion, clarifying that his contract was set to conclude on May 30, 2024, and that he had not been formally terminated prior to its natural end. | -2.0 |
| 2024 | Columbia University | Abdul Kayum Ahmed | Ahmed, a professor at the university's Mailman School of Public Health (SPH), was accused of "pro-Palestinian indoctrination" in a Wall Street Journal article that highlighted Ahmed's references to Israel as a "colonial settler state" and his teachings on the health impacts of displacement among Palestinians. Following the article's publication, university administrators took several actions. Ahmed was informed by the director of SPH's Core Curriculum, that he was being removed from the Core Curriculum teaching team, citing concerns about his approach to teaching about Palestine. The interim chair of the Department of Population and Family Health then notified Ahmed that he would not be permitted to teach his Health and Human Rights Advocacy course. Finally, Ahmed received a letter from the dean of the SPH stating that his appointment would not be renewed. The non-renewal of Ahmed's appointment was finalized, ending his tenure at the university. | -2.0 |
| 2023 | University at Buffalo - State University Of New York | Taosheng Huang | Huang's termination letter cited no cause for termination, though came about a month after Huang had raised concerns in an internal meeting at UB about the culture under Steven E. Lipshultz, the former president and CEO of UBMD Pediatrics and chair of the Department of Pediatrics at UB's Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. | -4.0 |
Students Under Fire
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Barnard College | Georgia Dillane/Celeste Gamble | Dillane and Gamble, student journalists with Columbia's student-run WKCR ratio station, both received a "fact-finding" email from Barnard's Community Accountability, Response, and Emergency Services (CARES) about a March protest they did not even attend. The email requested a meeting "to provide any information you would like to share, including information that refutes any suggestion that you were involved, are a witness, or have information about this incident," and noted that they would not be allowed to bring anyone else to the meeting and that failure to engage could be viewed as a violation of Barnard's student code of conduct. Dillane claims that she was at the radio station, anchoring its broadcast on the day of the protest, and suggested that the request threatened her press freedoms and journalistic ethics. The radio station's legal team sent a message to Barnard, and three weeks later, Dillane received a second email, this time from Barnard's director of Student Intervention and Success, alleging she had violated the student code of conduct and charging her with "disorderly conduct, disruptive behavior, failure to comply, unauthorized entry, threatening behavior, and theft, vandalism or damage to property." Ultimately, several hours before her mandated May 5 meeting, Dillane was notified that Barnard not longer believed she was present during the "unauthorized protest" and that "[t]his matter is now closed." Gamble reportedly wore her press ID during the protest, and left when Barnard officials announced an alleged bomb threat. The radio station's legal team sent a message to Barnard. | -1.0 |
| 2025 | Barnard College | Celeste Gamble/Luisa Sullar/Natalie Lahr | Barnard placed Gamble, Sukkar, and Lahr on interim suspension for their alleged involvement in a disruptive protest at Columbia University in May. Gamble identified herself to Public Safety as student press (with the WKCR student radio station) before scanning her school ID on her way out of Columbia's library, where a pro-Palestinian protest was taking place. This occured before Columbia's president had authorized the NYPD to "assist in securing the building," which resulted in 78 arrests. Afterwards the WKCR broadcast about the protest based on on-the ground reporting (presumably Gamble's). Shortly thereafter, Barnard Dean Leslie Grinage reportedly emailed Gamble and the others about their "alleged actions at Butler Library" and informed them of their suspension. | -2.0 |
| 2025 | Columbia University | Unnamed Student | An unnamed student was reportedly investigated by Columbia's Office of Institutional Equity for co-hosting an art exhibition focusing on last spring's occupation of campus buildings by pro-Palestinian protesters. The Office also reportedly requires students to sign nondisclosure agreements before speaking with investigators or accessing materials related to their investigation. The two-story exhibit, housed in a private building belonging to school's Alpha Delta Phi chapter, features work from artists around the world. | -1.0 |
| 2025 | Columbia University | Sawyer Huckabee | Columbia placed Huckabee on interim suspension for their alleged involvement in a disruptive campus protest in May. Huckabee identified himself to Public Safety as student press (with the Columbia Spectator student newspaper) before leaving Columbia's library, where a pro-Palestinian protest was taking place. This occured before Columbia's president had authorized the NYPD to "assist in securing the building," which resulted in 78 arrests. Shortly thereafter, Columbia's Rules Administrator Gregory Wawro reportedly notified Huckabee of his suspension, which was ultimately lifted hours later. | -2.0 |
| 2025 | Columbia University | Maryam Alwan/Layla | Alwan was investigated by Columbia's Office of Institutional Equity for alleged discriminatory harassment after writing an op-ed in the campus newspaper calling for divestment from Israel. The Office also reportedly requires students to sign nondisclosure agreements before speaking with investigators or accessing materials related to their investigation. In an email sent by the Office, Alwan was told she may have subjected other students to "unwelcome conduct" based on their religion, military service or national origin. A master's student, known only as Layla, alleges being investigated by the Columbia's Office of Institutional Equity for writing an op-ed in the campus newspaper calling for divestment from Israel. | -1.0 |
| 2025 | New York University | Pro-Palestinian Student Protesters | After being barred from campus for their participation in a sit-in protest months earlier, 31 pro-Palestinian students were permitted to return to take exams on the condition that they sign a "Use of Space Agreement" which states that they "may not participare in any protest activity or disruptive activity on Law School property." | -1.0 |
| 2024 | Columbia University | Aidan Parisi/Brandon Murphy/Catherine Curran-Groome/ Unnamed Student | Four students were investigated and suspended by the university for their alleged involvement in an an "unauthorized" event hosted via Zoon which featured an alleged member of designated terror organization, Popular front for the Liberation of Palestine. | -2.0 |
| 2024 | Columbia University | Columbia University Apartheid Divest | Columbia University Apartheid Divest had organized an event featuring pro-Palestinian speakers Charlotte Kates, Khaled Barakat, and Nerdeen Kiswani. After a Ph.D student complained to the administration, the group claims they were forced to change rooms and then cancel the event. Some members of the student group ultimately held the event virtually in a dorm room. Columbia administrators later called the event "unsanctioned" and, after an investigation, suspended six students and evicted them from campus housing. They would, however, reverse the sanctions for two of those students. | -1.0 |
| 2024 | Cornell University | Maria Valdez | Administrators investigated and then suspended Valdez for a social media post critical of Zionism. | -1.0 |
Deplatformings
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Cornell University | Kehlani | Kehlani, a Grammy-nominated R&B artist, was scheduled to headline the university's annual Slope Day event. Shortly after the announcement, backlash mounted over Kehlani’s history of anti-Israel statements, including a widely publicized chant of “Fuck Israel” and “Fuck Zionism” at a pro-Palestinian protest earlier in the year. Critics, including students, alumni, and members of Congress, argued that her rhetoric was inflammatory and inappropriate for a university-sponsored event. A petition circulated via Google Form urged the university to cancel the performance, citing her political statements as incompatible with Cornell’s values. U.S. Senator Rick Scott and Representatives Lisa McClain and Mike Lawler publicly called for Kehlani to be disinvited, amplifying pressure on the administration. In response to the backlash, the university rescinded Kehlani's invitation. | -3.0 |
| 2025 | Cornell University | Daniel Shapiro/Tzipi Livni/Salam Fayyad/Ryan Crocker | Shapiro, the former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, Kuwait and Lebanon, was participating in a panel discussion at the university titled "Pathways to Peace" that aimed to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and explore avenues for peace. The event also featured former Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Fayyad former Israeli Foreign Minister Livni, and was moderated by Crocker, The discussion was disrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters, leading to the detention of at least 17 individuals by University Police. The protest was organized by the campus chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), which criticized the university for hosting Livni, labeling her a "war criminal" due to her involvement in past Israeli military actions. Protesters interrupted the event with chants and accusations, including shouting "500 children in 2014 and you killed them. You are a butcher." After the protesters were removed the panel discussion resumed. In response to the disruptions, the interim university president condemned the actions, emphasizing the importance of free expression and dialogue in the educational process. He announced that nine students involved would face disciplinary actions, potentially including suspension, and that SJP could face suspension as a registered campus organization. | -1.0 |
| 2024 | Barnard College | Laura Rosenbury | After calls by pro-Palestinian student groups --- including Apartheid Divest, Students for Justice in Palestine, and Jewish Voice for Pease, --- to boycott Rosenbury's immaugural speech as the college's president, protesters shouted over Rosenbury as she began her remarks. Ten protesters were escorted out of the event and Rosenbury completed her remarks. | -1.0 |
| 2024 | Barnard College | Sean Eren/Nerdeen Kiswani/Charlotte Kates/Khaled Barakat | The Barnard Center for Research on Women was scheduled to host a panel titled "Resistance 101". At the start of the event, student organizers said they were being forced to hold the event at Columbia University's Q House, an LGTBQ+ community at Columbia, because of a student complaint to Barnard's administration. The panel discussion occurred successfully at the Q House and was livestreamed over Zoom. | -2.0 |
| 2024 | Columbia University | Hillary Clinton/Linda Thomas-Greenfield | The university's School of International and Public Affairs invited Clinton and Thomas-Greenfield to speak at an event titled “Preventing and Addressing Conflict-Related Sexual Violence.” As Clinton was speaking a heckler began shouting over her calling her a "war criminal." The school's dean had the heckler escorted out by security. A second heckler then began to shout over Clinton. Clinton paused her speech for a minute before resuming and completing her remarks. As Thomas-Greenfield was speaking protesters began shouting over her calling for attendees to walk out. Some attendees stood up, chanted "Free, free Palestine," and blocked the entrance, before leaving. Thomas-Greenfield finsihed her remarks. | -1.0 |
| 2024 | Binghamton University | Amy Wax | Wax, a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania, was invited to appear on “The World According to Bob and Andy,” a weekly radio show on the university's student-run radio station. Ten minutes before Wax's appearance the hosts were informed that the radio station's E-Board had voted to cancel the interview because "the proposed interview did not meet [the] station’s goals of providing content by and for Binghamton students and community members.” Wax did not appear and the hosts discussed the upcoming presidential election and censorship on college campuses instead. | -2.0 |
| 2024 | New York University | Rashid Khalidi/Sinan Antoon | The campus chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine invited Khalidi, a professor at Columbia, to discuss his book "The Hundred Years' War on Palestine" and the current conflict in Gaza with Antoon, an NYU professor. When first scheduled, the event was only open to those with an NYU affiliation. Students for Justice in Palestine asked the university to open the event to the public, but the administration rejected the request concerns about "contentious speakers." The event was held privately, as originally scheduled. | -2.0 |
| 2023 | Barnard College | Mohammed el-Kurd/Mahmood Mamdani | Columbia University's chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine planned to host and co-sponsor an event with the Barnard Center for Research on Women featuring Mohammed El-Kurd and Mahmood Mamdani. Administrators at Barnard canceled the event two days after the Center had confirmed it, due to a policy requiring prior approval five weeks in advance of an event co-spnsored by a non-Barnard entity. However, the Center itself suggests administrators selectively enforced the policy, since they had worked with non-Barnard entities on a number of other events in the past without issue. | -1.0 |
| 2023 | Columbia University | Black Lesbian Films | Members of LionLez's board, the student group sponsoring the film screening "postponed" the event after an email from LionLez's president defended a controversial flyer promoting the event that said "It’s FREE PALESTINE over here. Zionists aren’t invited" led to "threats from a genocidal group of people." The email stated that "white Jewish people are today and always have been the oppressors of all brown people,” “WHEN I SAY THE HOLOCAUST WASN’T SPECIAL, I MEAN THAT,” and that “Israelites are the Nazis. University administrators then demanded that LionLez leadership take down its post about the event being rescheduled, because "the event has not been rescheduled and Columbia has policies and a process through which students can be disciplined for their behavior." | -1.0 |
| 2023 | Syracuse University | Mom's for Liberty | The College Republicans requested to reserve space for a Mom's for Liberty meeting but was informed by the university that student groups are unable to reserve space for off-campus groups. In response, the student group withdrew its request, though it argued that other student groups had brought in off-campus groups for events. | -1.0 |
| 2023 | Syracuse University | Sarah Stockton | Students and community members wanted the university to cancel Stockton's speech, calling Stockton's views anti-trans. A faculty member started a petition asking the university to cancel the event. The university did not cancel the event and it proceeded, but was moved to a new location due to "security issues" and a "mandate" from the university's public safety department. | -1.0 |
| 2023 | New York University | Mohammed el-Kurd | After pro-Israel student groups raised safety concerns, the university told the graduate student union, who organized a pro-Palestinian teach-in featuring el-Kurd, it would face disciplinary action if it proceeded with the planned event without following university policy requiring reservation of space. Based on a notification organizers received from university security, organizers said "security concerns" were a pretext for not allowing the event to proceed on campus. The event took place off campus. | -1.0 |
| 2023 | University at Albany - State University of New York | Ian Haworth | Students shouted down Haworth at a Turning Point USA-sponsored free speech event because of his statements about transgender people. The event was moved and Haworth did an abbreviated presentation. | -1.0 |
| 2023 | Syracuse University | Rabab Ibrahim Abdulhadi | A group of students, parents and alumni petitioned the university to cancel an event featuring Abdulhadi. The petition garnered more than 1,800 signatures. Administrators canceled the speech due to “a sharp uptick in anti semitism, Islamophobia and abhorrent conduct threatening members of campus communities based on their identity,” and because of "safety concerns." | -1.0 |
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