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.
54.6 Treanding Up
/ 100
Overall Rank The Overall Rank shows where a school stands among the 261 institutions evaluated, based on its Overall Score.
226 Treanding Up
/ 261
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.
2
Overview
Pomona College ranks 226 out of 261 schools in the 2027 College Free Speech Rankings with a score of 55 and an F speech climate grade.It lands in the bottom 25 for “Administrative Support,” meaning students doubt officials will defend free speech. Pomona ranks in the bottom 50 for “Disruptive Conduct” and “Political Tolerance,” signaling student acceptance of non-peaceful forms of protest and reduced student willingness to host controversial speakers. The data shows no top 50 strengths.
Pomona maintains a “yellow light” Spotlight rating. It should revise student policies to earn a “green light” Spotlight rating and adopt the pro-free speech Chicago Statement and an official commitment to institutional neutrality. Given its weak showing on “Administrative Support,” administrators should respond clearly and forcefully to defend free speech whenever censorship occurs or is demanded.
Highlights
46% of students say they have self-censored on campus at least once or twice a month.
79% of students say shouting down a speaker to prevent them from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
29% of students say using violence to stop someone from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
9.25:1
There are roughly 9.25 liberal students for every one conservative student.
Spotlight Rating
Yellow
Score over time
Student Voices
Admin shuts down all kinds of free speech in support of Palestine and does not allow constructive dialogue on this topic. Also, among students, if you don’t hold/express exclusively left-leaning views, there is a stigma attached,
In one of my classes I got called out by a professor for using the term "illegal" immigrant instead of undocumented and the class lectured me on it. even though I was speaking from a pro immigration stance. After that, I was really nervous about my word choice in class discussions.
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Score Calculator
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Every school's score is shaped by campus policies. Adjust the factors below to see how different policies affect the ranking for Pomona College.
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.
54.6 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 261 institutions evaluated, based on its Overall Score.
226 Treanding Up
/ 261
A comparison of 261 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.
2
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
Not 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.
2
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.
0
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.
1
New in 2026 The number of controversies that have occurred since the previous launch of the College Free Speech Rankings.
0
Deplatformings
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Pomona College | Yoni Viloga | Viloga, an Israeli reservist and October 7 survivor, spoke on campus about his experience and the continuing effects of the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Viloga's talk featured video footage of the attack. During Viloga’s talk, protesters gathered outside the venue chanting slogans such as “Free Palestine” and “From the river to the sea.” Right after Viloga concluded his remarks, some of the protesters entered the event space and began shouting loudly that the attendees were “all complicit in genocide,” temporarily halting the memorial event. Campus security intervened, and organizers were able to resume the event after the disruption. | -1.0 | Read More |
| 2024 | Pomona College | A History of Activism at Pomona College | During alumni weekend activities activists and alumni affiliated with Pomona Divest from Apartheid formed a blockade and constructed an "apartheid wall" to prevent the annual parade of classes from beginning. Protesters chanted “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” and “Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest.” The parade began, but protesters then moved to prevent it from proceeding and after a negotiation between the parade organizers and the protesters, the parade was halted. A panel discussion, titled "A History of Activism at Pomona College," was scheduled to begin after the parade was canceled. | -1.0 | Read More |
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Survey Results
Survey Results: Student Perspectives
See how students at Pomona College 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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The College Free Speech Rankings are based on student surveys, campus policies, and recent speech-related controversies.
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