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.
58.1 Treanding Up
/ 100
Overall Rank The Overall Rank shows where a school stands among the 261 institutions evaluated, based on its Overall Score.
176 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.
4
Overview
Princeton University ranks 176 out of 261 schools in the 2027 College Free Speech Rankings with a score of 58 and an F speech climate grade.Princeton ranks in the top 25 for “Political Tolerance,” showing comparatively greater student willingness to host speakers across the ideological spectrum. Its “Comfort Expressing Ideas” rank jumped 130 places from last year into the top 50 this year, indicating students are more comfortable sharing views on controversial topics.
Princeton adopted the pro-free speech Chicago Statement but maintains a “red light” Spotlight rating. It should revise student policies to earn a “green light” Spotlight rating and adopt institutional neutrality. Princeton should clearly and forcefully defend free speech whenever censorship occurs or is demanded. Doing so will demonstrate the university’s commitment to free speech and build community trust that the administration will defend expressive rights.
Highlights
38% of students say they have self-censored on campus at least once or twice a month.
66% of students say shouting down a speaker to prevent them from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
24% of students say using violence to stop someone from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
6.17:1
There are roughly 6.17 liberal students for every one conservative student.
Spotlight Rating
Red
Score over time
Student Voices
Not being able to attend certain events because of fear of administrative consequences.
I often censor myself in regard to Israel out of fear that students will ostracize or judge me unfairly
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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.
58.1 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.
176 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.
4
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
Red
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.
4
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.
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.
1
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Princeton University | Joshua Katz | Katz, a professor of classics at the university, authored an essay in “Quillette” criticizing faculty proposals aimed at addressing systemic racism at Princeton. Within this piece, he referred to the Black Justice League (BJL), a former student organization, as "a small local terrorist organization that made life miserable for the students (including the many black students) who did not agree with its members’ demands." This characterization drew significant criticism from colleagues and university administrators, including the university's president. However, the university did not initiate a formal investigation into Katz's remarks at that time. Subsequently, in February 2021, “The Daily Princetonian” reported that Katz had previously engaged in a consensual sexual relationship with an undergraduate student, which violated university policy. This revelation led to renewed scrutiny and a second university investigation. The investigation concluded that Katz had misrepresented facts during the initial 2018 inquiry and had discouraged the former student from participating in the investigation and from seeking mental health care. As a result, the university's Board of Trustees voted to dismiss Katz in May 2022. | -1.0 | Read More |
Deplatformings
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Princeton University | Naftali Bennett | Protesters disrupted an event with former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. Bennett was being hosted by the Center for Jewish Life and co-sponsored by the Scharf Family Chabad House, the School of Public and International Affairs, and the Bobst Center for Peace and Justice. Leading up to it, the campus chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine accused Bennett of being a "war criminal" and accused the school of being "complicit in normalizing his murderous policies." Students protesting the event could be heard within the venue, and about 15 minutes into the event a group of nearly 20 people stood up and began shouting at Bennett, accusing him of genocide. Although they were escorted by Public Safety out of the room, another pro-Palestinian activist began yelling at Bennett, and 10 minutes after that the fire alarm went off, ending the event. | -2.0 | Read More |
| 2025 | Princeton University | Daniel Fata | Fata, a national security consultant and former executive at Lockheed Martin, was invited to give a lecture on campus by the Alexander Hamilton Society. During the lecture, protesters affiliated with pro-Palestinian student groups entered the venue and repeatedly shouted down Fata, denouncing his ties to the U.S. defense industry and accusing him of complicity in “genocide” through Lockheed Martin’s role as a weapons manufacturer supplying Israel. Video footage posted to Instagram shows protesters chanting and holding signs until university security and event organizers escorted several of them out so the event could continue. The event ultimately proceeded after the protesters’ removal. | -1.0 | Read More |
| 2024 | Princeton University | Sarah Isgur/David French | The Whig-Cliophilic Society invited French and co-host Isgur to record an episode of the “Advisory Opinions” podcast on campus. Whig-Clio was not allowed to host the event on campus, allegedly because of administrator concerns that hosting French and Isgur would violate IRS rules for tax-exempt institutions participating in political advocacy. The podcast was recorded off-campus in the local public library. A Princeton administrator later clarified that the event was rejected because student organizations are prevented from hosting events with non-university organizations, and not over concerns about the university's tax status. | -1.0 | Read More |
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More Student Voices
I can't always say how i feel about immigration issues because I'm scared of being judged
I wrote an essay about Israel and felt uncomfortable sharing my true beliefs with my professor.
Survey Results
Survey Results: Student Perspectives
See how students at Princeton 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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