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.
50.6 Treanding Up
/ 100
Overall Rank The Overall Rank shows where a school stands among the 261 institutions evaluated, based on its Overall Score.
256 Treanding Down
/ 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.
6
Overview
Indiana University ranks 256 out of 261 schools in the 2027 College Free Speech Rankings with a score of 51 and an F speech climate grade, rising 6 points from last year.IU lands in the bottom 25 for “Administrative Support,” showing little student trust in officials to defend speech, and “Comfort Expressing Ideas,” showing discomfort sharing views on controversial topics. It also ranks in the bottom 50 for “Openness,” meaning many contentious topics feel off-limits to students.
IU’s board has affirmed the pro-free speech Chicago Statement, but the campus retains a “yellow light” Spotlight rating. IU should revise its student policies to earn a “green light” Spotlight rating and adopt 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
54% of students say they have self-censored on campus at least once or twice a month.
68% 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.
2.48:1
There are roughly 2.48 liberal students for every one conservative student.
Spotlight Rating
Yellow
Score over time
Student Voices
When IU president put snipers on the roof of the student union during a Pro-Palestine protest, and illegally expelled many of them.
I wanted to join a protest that was occurring on campus that fit my political beliefs but was scared of police or academic repercussions of being seen in a peaceful protest.
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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.
50.6 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.
256 Treanding Down
/ 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.
6
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
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).
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.
6
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.
1
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.
2
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 2026 The number of controversies that have occurred since the previous launch of the College Free Speech Rankings.
0
Scholars Under Fire
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Indiana University | Jim Rodenbush | Rodenbush, the director of student media at the university, was terminated by university administrators after he refused a directive to print no news in the paper and "nothing but information about homecoming — no other news at all, and particularly no traditional front page news coverage." The directive appeared to be related to two recent print editions published in September 2025 which included stories about the university suspending the Palestinian Solidarity Committee and that the university was the lowest ranked public school in FIRE's 2026 College Free Speech Rankings. | -2.0 | Read More |
Students Under Fire
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Indiana University | Palestine Solidarity Committee | Administrators sent a letter to the Palestine Solidarity Committee ordering the group to "suspend all activities" and "provide a complete roster of new and active members" while they investigate allegations of disruption of university operations and damage to property from the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 academic years. Administrators did not specify the alleged incidents in the letter, but in it claimed the group "present[s] an ongoing threat of harm and disruption to the university community" and that they allegedly present "a substantial risk." | -1.0 | Read More |
| 2025 | Indiana University | Interfraternity Council | In a letter to the Interfraternity Council, Indiana University’s vice chancellor for student life suspended all 27 fraternity chapters from hosting a wide range of events, including social gatherings, philanthropy events, tailgates, large performances, and new member education. A few exceptions were made — such as chapter operations and community service with outside agencies — but no explanation was provided for these carveouts. The vice chancellor cited hazing and misconduct violations involving at least four chapters as justification, and stated that “the risk is too high to continue this arrangement given the status of the IFC community.” Although the university later lifted the restrictions for chapters in good standing, the initial sweeping suspension raised concerns about guilt-by-association and infringements upon students' association rights and due process protections. | -1.0 | Read More |
Deplatformings
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Indiana University | Chris Geidner | Geidner was scheduled to be one of the keynote speakers at the LGBTQ+ Health Care Conference but was then informed by the university that the conference was canceled after President Trump issued executive orders restricting the use of federal funds on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. | -2.0 | Read More |
| 2024 | Indiana University | Mosab Hassan Yousef | IU Hillel postponed Yousef's talk, "The Truth About Hamas and Israel," after multiple student groups, including the Palestine Solidarity Committee and the Middle Eastern Student Association, criticized the event and called Yousef "Islamophobic." A counterprotest was organized and a flyer listed 30 buses leaving from eight different locations throughout the state. The university then informed Yousef that it was postponing the event because of "security threats involving the Muslim community and several white supremacist groups." The event was not rescheduled. | -1.0 | Read More |
| 2024 | Indiana University | Samia Halaby: Centers of Energy | Administrators canceled a retrospective art exhibit of paintings by Samia Halaby, a Palestinian-American painter, at the university's Eskenazi Museum of Art because employees of the art museum had concerns about Halaby's comments on social media in support of Palestinian causes, in which she expressed outrage at the violence occuring in Gaza and compared Israel's actions to genocide. | -1.0 | Read More |
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More Student Voices
The administration does not tolerate freedom of speech
During the encampments and protests over the genocide in Gaza, I was scared to join some of the protests in Dunn Meadow due to Indiana University changing their expressive activity policy at the last minute and employing snipers on top of campus buildings.
IU brought in snipers to aim at Palestine protest
I no longer use social media but when I did I felt uncomfortable sharing my political views in fear that administration could potentially take action against me, especially given my scholarships.
talking about the ongoing genocide since there have been SNIPERS on campus
The protest of IU divesting in Israel. I wanted to protest against IU and there were snipers on the roof
Survey Results
Survey Results: Student Perspectives
See how students at Indiana University 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.
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.
