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.
64.5 Treanding Up
/ 100
Overall Rank The Overall Rank shows where a school stands among the 257 institutions evaluated, based on its Overall Score.
44 Treanding Down
/ 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).
D
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.
3
Overview
University of Maryland ranks 44 out of 257 schools in the 2026 College Free Speech Rankings, earning a score of 64 and a D speech climate grade. It earns a “green light” Spotlight rating, but a 3-point penalty tied to the 2025 cancellation of an Israeli Defense Force speaker, along with other disciplinary actions, shaved 6 points from its score and prevented any upward movement.Last year’s student perceptions placed Maryland in the bottom 25 for “Disruptive Conduct” and the bottom 50 for “Comfort Expressing Ideas,” but Maryland moved out of those tiers this year into middling territory — an encouraging shift.
Maryland could bolster its standing by adopting an official commitment to institutional neutrality and by reinforcing clear event-management protocols that prevent future disruptions without impeding lawful protest.
Highlights
43% of students say they have self-censored on campus at least once or twice a month.
75% 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.
2.46:1
There are roughly 2.46 liberal students for every one conservative student.
Spotlight Rating
Green
Score over time
Student Voices
There have been instances where professors have given students lower grades due to ideological differences
As a man, I have been in moments where I had to resist myself from "man-splaining" for the women around me. There have been times where I have not fully shared what I honestly felt or not corrected a women because I did not want to get perceived negatively.
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Score Calculator
'How to Improve Your School' Score Calculator
Every school's score is shaped by campus policies. Adjust the factors below to see how different policies affect the ranking for the University of Maryland.
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.
64.5 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.
44 Treanding Down
/ 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).
D
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.
3
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
Green
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.
3
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.
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.
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 Maryland | Interfraternity Council and Panhelenic Association Greek Life at University of Maryland | After receiving “allegations of misconduct” about several fraternities and sororities, the administration suspended new member program activities for all of Greek Life, as well as from having any contact with new or prospective members. Additionally, all chapters were prohibited from hosting any events where alcohol is present. Meanwhile, neither the multicultural nor historically Black Greek organizations were included in the university’s restrictions on group activities. Several of the impacted fraternities sought to limit implementation of at least some of the restrictions by petitioning for court-imposed temporary restraining orders against multiple administrators, including the university’s president. | -1.0 | Read More |
Deplatformings
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | University of Maryland | Elon Glassberg | Glassberg, the chief medical officer of the Israeli Defense Force, was scheduled to speak as part of the “surgery grand rounds academic sessions.” The university canceled Glassberg’s talk two days before the event for “security reasons” after receiving over 6,000 emails demanding it revoke Glassberg’s invitation from an online campaign led by the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Islamic Maryland Action Network. The university has said it plans to reschedule Glassberg’s talk. | -3.0 | Read More |
| 2024 | University of Maryland | Jamie Raskin | Raskin was invited by the university’s Department of Physics to give the annual Irving and Renee Milchberg Endowed Lecture, and planned to give a talk titled “Democracy, Autocracy and the Threat to Reason in the 21st Century.” Pro-Palestinian protesters interrupted Raskin a few minutes into his talk, shouting he was “complicit in genocide” and calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Raskin attempted to engage the protesters saying he wished they would have a conversation, instead of heckling him. Protesters supporting Israel began arguing with the protesters supporting the Palestinians, forcing Raskin to end his speech early. Raskin then attempted to take questions from the audience but the shouting and arguing continued. The university president then decided to end the lecture early. | -2.0 | Read More |
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More Student Voices
Israeli/Palistine conflict. If you show any support to Israel, some students get violent. One time in my apartment I was talking with someone else about the conflict, and someone came up to my door and started banging on it and saying offensive things.
Survey Results
Survey Results: Student Perspectives
See how students at University of Maryland 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.
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.
