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.
61.9 Treanding Up
/ 100
Overall Rank The Overall Rank shows where a school stands among the 261 institutions evaluated, based on its Overall Score.
107 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).
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.
0
Overview
Montana State University ranks 107 out of 261 schools in the 2027 College Free Speech Rankings with a score of 62 and a D- speech climate grade.The campus ranks in the top 25 for “Political Tolerance” and “Disruptive Conduct,” showing comparatively greater student willingness to host controversial speakers and lower acceptance of non-peaceful forms of protest. It also ranks in the top 50 for “Administrative Support.” However, Montana State lands in the bottom 50 for “Self-Censorship,” indicating students frequently stay silent.
The university maintains a “yellow light” Spotlight rating. It should revise student policies to earn a “green light” Spotlight rating, adopt the pro-free speech Chicago Statement, and adopt an official commitment to institutional neutrality. MSU should also respond clearly and forcefully to defend free speech whenever censorship occurs or is demanded.
Highlights
43% of students say they have self-censored on campus at least once or twice a month.
55% of students say shouting down a speaker to prevent them from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
23% of students say using violence to stop someone from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
1.28:1
There are roughly 1.28 conservative students for every one liberal student.
Spotlight Rating
Yellow
Score over time
Student Voices
Just with people who I know were Trump supporters at the beginning of the year because I so strongly disagree with what his administration has been doing now, and some people aren’t looking to have an actual conversation, they just want to argue. I have also sometimes refrained from sharing my opinions about abortion and gay rights because some people have told me they are against it for religious reasons and are so set in their beliefs that they don’t believe there’s a conversion to be had, plus, I don’t know enough about the Bible to make a compelling argument against them.
Some of my thoughts are controversial. When I am in a classroom where there are fewer people who believe what I think, I'm not trying to put myself in an uncomfortable position where people disagree and disrespect me as well. It is harder to have a civil conversation with the people who I am aware of being unreasonable. I have no issue with people disagreeing with me but some people in the classroom environment don't just disagree, they get defensive and rude.
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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 Montana State University.
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.
61.9 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.
107 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).
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.
0
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).
B
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).
D-
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.
0
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.
0
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
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More Student Voices
Tweaking how I write opinion papers because I was worried about getting a worse grade for my view
It is widely known that liberal professors give better grades when papers are written about what they agree with.
A few of my professors in the past have had no issue bringing in politics into lectures and even assignments, which I believe to be inappropriate as for example, one teacher included a “mocking” style video of one of our senators which very obviously leaned one way politically. The video was mocking this individual and we had to write an assignment on how their views have shaped our public policies and why their views are not ok and acceptable. It was opinion based. I don’t find any logical reason as to why this is beneficial towards my education, nor other students.
I just feel like I’m not able to freely speak without the judgement of peers or professors
In one of my papers where the prof was clearly wanting us to lean one way, I had to write that way because I didn't want one of my grades to be punished.
Survey Results
Survey Results: Student Perspectives
See how students at Montana State 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.
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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.
