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.
56.5 Treanding Down
/ 100
Overall Rank The Overall Rank shows where a school stands among the 261 institutions evaluated, based on its Overall Score.
204 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.
2
Overview
University of Minnesota ranks 204 out of 261 schools in the 2027 College Free Speech Rankings with a score of 56 and an F speech climate grade. Its ranking includes a penalty stemming from an attempted disruption of an event featuring an anti-abortion speaker.UMN lands in the bottom 25 for “Comfort Expressing Ideas,” indicating students feel uncomfortable sharing views on controversial topics. It ranks in the bottom 50 for “Openness” and “Administrative Support,” meaning many contentious topics feel off-limits and students doubt officials will defend speech.
Minnesota’s faculty senate affirmed the Chicago Statement and the university’s board adopted a commitment to institutional neutrality. However, UMN retains a “yellow light” Spotlight rating. It should revise student codes to earn a “green light” Spotlight rating. Administrators should clearly and forcefully defend free speech whenever censorship occurs or is demanded.
Highlights
47% of students say they have self-censored on campus at least once or twice a month.
74% of students say shouting down a speaker to prevent them from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
36% of students say using violence to stop someone from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
3.67:1
There are roughly 3.67 liberal students for every one conservative student.
Spotlight Rating
Yellow
Score over time
Student Voices
As a part of a club on campus, our board members are conflicted on how we should address ICE. We were worried that if we addressed ICE, we would lose funding or get in trouble for speaking about it.
My professor generalized the whole Republican Party as stupid and people who have “wrong beliefs”.
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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 Minnesota.
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.
56.5 Treanding Down
/ 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.
204 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.
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
Adopted
Institutional Neutrality
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.
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.
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.
0
Deplatformings Deplatformings are the number of incidents where a scheduled event or speaker is canceled or prevented from taking place.
1
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.
1
Scholars Under Fire
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | University of Minnesota | Raz Segal | Segal, a professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Stockton University, was selected to become the Faculty Director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies (CHGS), a tenure-track role leading research, public programming, and teaching on genocide and mass atrocity studies. After Segal's hiring was announced controversy erupted over an op-ed he had written in October 2023, shortly after Hamas’s attack on Israel and Israel’s military response in Gaza. Segal wrote that characterizing Israel’s assault on Gaza as “a textbook case of genocide.” He explained that his use of the term “genocide” referred to deliberate policies causing mass civilian suffering, and separately condemned the Hamas attack as a war crime. Two members of CHGS’s advisory board resigned in protest, citing Segal’s published views as incompatible with the center’s mission and the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas led a public campaign urging the university to rescind Segal’s appointment, arguing his views were “extreme” and that he had “justified” the Hamas-led October 7 attack. Over 200 University of Minnesota faculty signed a letter demanding the administration honor its offer; but at the same time, some local faculty and community groups circulated petitions opposing Segal’s hire. The university's interim president and its provost announced that they were “considering the views of those who objected” and officially “paused” Segal’s appointment and the CHGS director search to allow for further review. The administration characterized the pause as a necessary consultation with community stakeholders but drew sharp criticism from faculty governance bodies. After failing to reverse course, the university formally rescinded Segal’s job offer, effectively terminating his appointment before it began. | -4.0 | Read More |
Deplatformings
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | University of Minnesota | Avanelle Mitchell | The university's Turning Point USA chapter hosted an event featuring Mitchell, as part of the Leadership Institute’s Free to Speak National Campus Tour. During the event, members of the Planned Parenthood Generation Action chapter attempted to disrupt the meeting, somewhat obstructing the view of the stage and leading to conflict between the groups. Mitchell finished her remarks. | -2.0 | Read More |
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More Student Voices
During the ICE operations in Minnesota, as a student group leader I felt nervous to speak up because none of us knew how the university would react to us posting about ICE on our social media accounts.
Survey Results
Survey Results: Student Perspectives
See how students at University of Minnesota 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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