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.
50.6 Treanding Down
/ 100
Overall Rank The Overall Rank shows where a school stands among the 257 institutions evaluated, based on its Overall Score.
236 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).
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
Rutgers University–New Brunswick ranks 236 out of 257 schools in the 2026 College Free Speech Rankings, earning a score of 51 and an F speech climate grade. The university dropped 38 places, a decline that may be attributed to a penalty for canceling a virtual mini-conference on historically black colleges and universities. Rutgers still earns a “yellow light” Spotlight rating and has yet to adopt the Chicago Statement or an official commitment to institutional neutrality.Student perceptions remain bleak. Rutgers ranks in the bottom 50 for “Self-Censorship,” signaling frequent pressure to stay silent. No area places the school inside the top 50, underscoring the breadth of the challenge.
Rutgers could begin to reverse course by revising its speech policies to earn a “green light” Spotlight rating, as well as adopting the Chicago Statement and an official commitment to institutional neutrality.
Highlights
50% of students say they have self-censored on campus at least once or twice a month.
72% of students say shouting down a speaker to prevent them from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
37% of students say using violence to stop someone from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
3.43:1
There are roughly 3.43 liberal students for every one conservative student.
Spotlight Rating
Yellow
Score over time
Student Voices
With friends, I sometimes feel that sharing my true opinions/opposing others opinions will make the atmosphere awkward.
I was worried that if I spoke my mind in class, someone would say something bad about me or my character because they disagreed with me.
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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.
50.6 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 257 institutions evaluated, based on its Overall Score.
236 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).
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
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).
F
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.
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.
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
Deplatformings
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Rutgers University | Joshua Johnson/Gary Courtney/Tammi Ferguson/Dennis Johnson/Willie Todd/Olivier Charles/Marybeth Gasman | Johnson was scheduled to speak 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. | -3.0 | 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. | -2.0 | Read More |
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More Student Voices
I nearly lost some friends who are students because of our political differences. I since realized not to share my beliefs but rather agree with everything they say to avoid further conflict.
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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