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.
49.9 Treanding Down
/ 100
Overall Rank The Overall Rank shows where a school stands among the 261 institutions evaluated, based on its Overall Score.
257 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
Rutgers University ranks 257 out of 261 schools in the 2027 College Free Speech Rankings with a score of 50 and an F speech climate grade. It was penalized for four speech controversies, including a dean’s decision to rescind a commencement speaker’s invitation.Rutgers lands in the bottom 25 for “Self-Censorship,” meaning students frequently stay silent. It also tumbled 107 places from last year into the bottom 50 for “Political Tolerance” this year, showing reduced student willingness to host controversial speakers. The data shows no top 50 strengths.
Rutgers maintains a “yellow light” Spotlight rating. It should revise its student policies to earn a “green light” Spotlight rating, adopt the pro-free speech Chicago Statement, and adopt an official commitment to institutional neutrality. Given this year’s deplatforming, Rutgers should clearly and forcefully defend free speech whenever censorship occurs or is demanded.
Highlights
46% 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.
35% of students say using violence to stop someone from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
4.24:1
There are roughly 4.24 liberal students for every one conservative student.
Spotlight Rating
Yellow
Score over time
Student Voices
I had a professor express support for numerous terrorist organizations. I felt uncomfortable, especially when he was spewing misinformation, but I felt like my views wouldn't be well accepted in the class.
In some classes, professors tend to lean a certain political way (this can be seen when they sprinkle some of their opinions on their views within off topic or even on topic class discussions). I tend to find it’s best not to challenge their views since there really is no ‘win’ in it, it would, if anything, hinder the learning experience for me and others, and at worst, might make the prof. hold higher expectations of me during exams.
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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 Rutgers 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.
49.9 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.
257 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
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).
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.
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.
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.
4
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.
1
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.
2
Deplatformings
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Rutgers University | Yossi Hertz | The campus chapter of Students Supporting Israel hosted a campus talk featuring Yossi Hertz as part of SSI’s “Triggered” tour during the university's Israel Week. The event drew opposition because it featured an Israeli Defense Force (IDF) soldier speaking on campus amid the ongoing Israel–Palestine war. Before the event, the campus chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, together with allied pro-Palestinian groups including the Muslim Public Relations Council and the Palestinian Cultural Club, publicly condemned the program and demanded that the university cancel Hertz's talk. SJP also ran a letter campaign expressly demanding cancellation and a future ban on IDF soldiers speaking on campus. The event still proceeded, but during it multiple students shouted at Hertz and the organizers, and had to be removed by security after attending with the stated intent to disrupt. Hertz was able to finish his remarks. | -1.0 | Read More |
| 2026 | Rutgers University | Rami Elghandour | The university's School of Engineering invited Elghandour, an alumnus and the Chairman and CEO of Arcellx, a biotechnology company focused on immunotherapies for cancer and autoimmune diseases, to deliver its commencement convocation address. After some graduating students objected to Elghandour’s social media posts about Israeli and Palestinian issues, including posts accusing Israel of war crimes and apartheid, and indicated they would skip the ceremony, the dean rescinded Elghandour's invitation. | -3.0 | Read More |
| 2025 | Rutgers University | Dennis Johnson/Gary Courtney/Joshua Johnson/Marybeth Gasman/Olivier Charles/Tammi Ferguson/Willie Todd | Dennis Johnson, Courtney, Joshua Johnson, Charles, Ferguson, and Todd were scheduled to speak — with Gasman as the moderator — at a virtual mini-conference on HBCUs featuring HBCU presidents and experts from Jobs for the Future, a nonprofit organization that works to make the U.S. education and workforce systems more equitable. The university canceled the mini-conference after President Trump issued executive orders restricting the use of federal funds on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. | -2.0 | Read More |
| 2024 | Rutgers University | Presidential Town Hall | The university scheduled a town hall event so students could ask university president Jonathan Holloway questions. Before the first question was asked, pro-Palestinian student protesters began shouting over Holloway and the other students in attendance. The chants included "globalize the intifada,” “long live the intifada,” “from the river to the sea,” and “we don’t want no two-state; we want ’48.” Holloway was escorted out by police minutes after the shouting began. Police then escorted Jewish students in attendance out of the event. | -1.0 | Read More |
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More Student Voices
During a seminar group when we discussed the Israel-Palestine conflict, I felt unable to exercise my viewpoints properly in fear of retribution.
Survey Results
Survey Results: Student Perspectives
See how students at Rutgers 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.
