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.
54.7 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.
176 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.
11
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
Fifteen Pennsylvania schools are ranked in the 2026 College Free Speech Rankings. The state’s average speech-climate grade is F, matching the national average.Gettysburg College ranks 91 overall and is the top-ranked school in the state. Carnegie Mellon University and Penn State–Main Campus follow closely at 98 and 109, respectively. All three schools hold “yellow light” ratings in FIRE’s Spotlight database, meaning their written policies contain at least one provision that threatens student expression.
Four Pennsylvania schools — Drexel, Lafayette, Villanova, and Haverford — hold “red light” ratings, meaning they maintain at least one policy that clearly and substantially restricts protected expression. Franklin & Marshall and Gettysburg are the only schools that adopted the pro-free speech Chicago Statement. And the University of Pennsylvania is the only school in the state to adopt a statement on institutional neutrality.
With no campus earning a “green light” rating and most scoring poorly, Pennsylvania’s schools have significant room for improvement. Reforming written policies and reinforcing public commitments to expressive rights would help raise the state’s free-speech climate.
Highlights
46% of students say they have self-censored on campus at least once or twice a month.
71% of students say shouting down a speaker to prevent them from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
31% of students say using violence to stop someone from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
2.64:1
Across Pennsylvania, there are roughly 2.64 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 Pennsylvania. 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.
11
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.
5
Deplatformings Deplatformings are the number of incidents where a scheduled event or speaker is canceled or prevented from taking place.
6
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.
3
Students Under Fire
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Franklin & Marshall College | Student Commenters | Administrators disabled comments on one its social media posts, thereby hiding student comments accusing the institution of hypocricy. On its official Instagram page, the university made a post celebrating Transgender Visibility Day just days after sharing a post from the account of the campus chapter of Young Americans for Freedom promoting their upcoming event with "detransitioner" Chloe Cole. Upset students criticized then responded with criticism, but had these comments hidden by the university who disabled comments. | -1.0 |
| 2025 | University of Pittsburgh | Students for Justice in Palestine | Students for Justice in Palestine was investigated for having allegedly "promoted and hosted an event" in a non-reservable part of the campus library. The event in question was a December 9 study-in wherein students wearing keyyiyehs and surrounded by Palestinian flags protested the war in Gaza by taping paper on the backs of their laptops featuring slogans including "free Palestine," "no universities left in Gaza," and "429 days of genocide." Administrators at the library allegedly told the students that their protest had "modified" the space and required them to leave and show IDs for code of conduct referrals. The Office of Student Conduct later summoned SJP to a conduct meeting, alleging it had "promoted and hosted an event" in a non-reservable area of the library. Though the group denied having organized the study-in, it did admit to having "amplif[ied]" it on social media, and suggested uneven enforcement given that a sorority had recently used (but not promoted) a non-reservable space as well without being disciplined. Ultimately, the Office recommended SJP be placed on probation for a year, attend "educational conversations," and be banned from hosting or participating in events until May. | -2.0 |
| 2025 | Temple University | Mohammed Khan/Unnamed Student | Administrators placed an Khan and another (unnamed) student on interim suspension after they had ordered bottle service at a local sports bar along with a customizable sign which read "Fuck the Jews." Dave Portnoy of Barstool Sports, the owner of the bar, initially offered to pay for the students to visit Auschwitz but has since withdrawn the offer. | -2.0 |
| 2024 | University of Pennsylvania | Penn Students Against the Occupation of Palestine | After a faculty member accused Penn Students Against the Occupation of Palestine of discriminatory social media content, administrators launched an investigation into the group, compelled it to change the name of its Instagram account, and suspended it from organizing events in campus spaces until the conclusion of the investigation. Ultimately, administrators revoked the group's status as a registered student group. | -2.0 |
| 2023 | Lafayette College | Students for Justice in Palestine | Students for Justice in Palestine was denied recognition by administrators, citing controversies on other campuses as evidence that its events could violate harassment policies and disrupt other clubs' activities. | -1.0 |
Deplatformings
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Franklin & Marshall College | Paula Scanlan | Over 125 administrators, faculty members, and college staff signed a letter calling on the college to "unequivocally denounce the choice to invite transphobic speaker Paula Scanlan to our campus" because the appearance was scheduled during the same week as Transgender Day of Visibility. College administrators also refused a request by Young Americans for Freedom, the student group that organized Scanlan's appearance, to allow the event to be recorded and livestreamed. Scanlan spoke successfully on campus, but the livestream of her talk did not occur. | -1.0 |
| 2024 | University of Pennsylvania | West Craft Fest | After an anonymous person emailed the venue for the festival accusing it, and the university, of hosting vendors who support violence against Jewish people, and also complained about the inclusion of pro-Palestinian artists and artwork in the festival, the university asked the organizers to exclude any “items that depict, glorify, or incite violence of any kind whatsoever AND/OR are politically sensitive.” The organizaers moved the event to a smaller location that could not accommodate all of the original vendors set to attend the event. | -2.0 |
| 2024 | University of Pittsburgh | Bhavini Patel | Patel, a graduate of the university as well as a congressional candidate and supporter of Israel, was scheduled to appear at the university to speak with students about her experience at the university. A day before the event, it was called off. The university said that it asked Patel to postpone the event because its policies bar "directly or indirectly engaging in any political campaign activities" and they were concerned that the event woukd not remain focused on Patel's experiences at the university. Patel said that the university canceled the event "citing concerns of disruption and my safety" from supporters of one of her primary opponents who is a critic of Israeli military policy in Gaza. | -2.0 |
| 2023 | Pennsylvania State University | Riley Gaines | The campus chapter of Turning Point USA tried to schedule a speaking event featuring Gaines but university administrators said the event was not booked properly — a claim the sponsoring group disputed. Gaines spoke at a different event on the common green. | -1.0 |
| 2023 | University of Pennsylvania | Israelism | After being pressured by students and others — including Congress — to combat anti-Israel speech on campus, the university asked a progressive Jewish student group to postpone a screening of the film, Israelism, citing safety reasons. The university feared unrest because the film is critical of Israeli policy. The student group showed the film anyway, and the university threatened the group with disciplinary action for doing so. | -1.0 |
| 2023 | University of Pennsylvania | Palestinian Literature Festival | On-campus and off-campus groups, a member of Congress, and students petitioned the university to cancel (or move off campus) individual speakers from an on-campus literature festival celebrating Palestinian culture. The event took place, although some speakers were disinvited (Refaat Alareer and Roger Waters). | -1.0 |
Support the Fight for Free Speech
When you give to FIRE, you join a movement dedicated to restoring free speech as both a legal right and a cultural value celebrated by Americans everywhere. Donations are 100% tax-deductible. Please join us in this important work with a gift today!
Rankings and Survey Results
Rankings and Survey Results
Reach out to FIRE
Have a question or want to share your feedback? We'd love to hear from you! Use the button below to contact us.
See Your School's Ranking
The College Free Speech Rankings are based on student surveys, campus policies, and recent speech-related controversies.
FIRE Fights for Your Rights
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.
