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.
59.9 Treanding Up
/ 100
Overall Rank The Overall Rank shows where a school stands among the 261 institutions evaluated, based on its Overall Score.
133 Treanding Up
/ 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.
1
Overview
Haverford College ranks 133 out of 261 schools in the 2027 College Free Speech Rankings with a score of 60 and a D- speech climate grade.Haverford ranks in the top 25 for “Openness,” meaning fewer contentious topics feel off-limits to students. It jumped 112 places into the top 50 for “Comfort Expressing Ideas,” showing students feel more comfortable sharing controversial views. It tumbled 156 places in “Self-Censorship,” indicating student hesitancy to speak, and fell 141 places into the bottom 25 for “Disruptive Conduct,” signaling student acceptance of non-peaceful protest.
Haverford earns a “yellow light” Spotlight rating and should revise student policies to earn a “green light” Spotlight rating. In addition, it should adopt the pro-free speech Chicago Statement and an official commitment to institutional neutrality. It should clearly and forcefully defend free expression whenever censorship occurs or is demanded.
Highlights
45% of students say they have self-censored on campus at least once or twice a month.
83% of students say shouting down a speaker to prevent them from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
32% of students say using violence to stop someone from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
7.44:1
There are roughly 7.44 liberal students for every one conservative student.
Spotlight Rating
Yellow
Score over time
Student Voices
When Charlie Kirk was shot
Any time the israel/palestine conflict is brought up or the word Zionist is used derogatorily
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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 Haverford College.
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.
59.9 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.
133 Treanding Up
/ 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.
1
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).
B
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.
1
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.
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.
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.
1
Deplatformings
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Haverford College | Haviv Rettig Gur | Gur, an author and senior analyst for “The Times of Israel,” was invited to give a talk on campus, titled “Roots, Return & Reality: Jews, Israel and the Myth of Settler Colonialism,” by the Bi-College Chabad, Club Chai, and a group of alumni. About 20 minutes into the event, masked protesters attempted to derail the talk, including by using a bullhorn/megaphone inside the auditorium and chanting slogans over the speaker and attendees. The disruption escalated into at least one physical altercation between audience members and a protester, after which campus safety removed individuals involved; the speaker’s remarks were delayed and repeatedly interrupted but ultimately continued. In a campus-wide message the next day, President Wendy Raymond condemned the shoutdown as incompatible with the community's values and said the college had opened an investigation into violations of its expressive-freedom policy (including indoor bullhorn use and disruption of a guest speaker). The investigation concluded with campus bans for at least two people identified as unaffiliated with the college, reflecting the college’s position that protest is protected but preventing others from hearing a speaker is not. | 0.0 | Read More |
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More Student Voices
During the last presidential election, I felt that if I expressed my opinion on what I think about politics in a conversation with other students, they would have thought of me differently with social consequences.
Survey Results
Survey Results: Student Perspectives
See how students at Haverford College 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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