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.
52.5 Treanding Down
/ 100
Overall Rank The Overall Rank shows where a school stands among the 261 institutions evaluated, based on its Overall Score.
248 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
The University of North Texas ranks 248 out of 261 schools in the 2027 College Free Speech Rankings with a score of 52 and an F speech climate grade. It was penalized for several speech controversies, including the cancellation of an art exhibit featuring works critical of federal immigration enforcement.UNT lands in the bottom 25 for “Administrative Support,” indicating little student trust that officials will defend speech. It ranks in the top 50 for “Comfort Expressing Ideas,” showing that students feel comfortable sharing views on controversial topics.
UNT maintains a “yellow light” Spotlight rating. It should revise student policies to earn a “green light” Spotlight rating and adopt the pro-free speech Chicago Statement and an official commitment to institutional neutrality. Administrators should clearly and forcefully defend free speech whenever censorship occurs or is demanded.
Highlights
42% of students say they have self-censored on campus at least once or twice a month.
69% of students say shouting down a speaker to prevent them from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
33% of students say using violence to stop someone from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
3.36:1
There are roughly 3.36 liberal students for every one conservative student.
Spotlight Rating
Yellow
Score over time
Student Voices
Right after the 2024 election there was a very prominent divide in people who were happy about the results and people who were extremely disappointed. It felt like walking on eggshells because I didn't know where people aligned politically and most people had very extreme reactions whenever the topic was brought up for either side.
I have taken an online political science class that would ask political questions as discussion boards. I often felt uncomfortable answering truthfully as my name was tied to my response, and I didn't want any retaliation or conflict with professors or fellow students.
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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 the University of North Texas.
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.
52.5 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.
248 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).
D+
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.
2
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.
1
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.
3
Students Under Fire
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | University of North Texas | Noise | University of North Texas administrators removed and discarded protest displays and materials created by NOISE, a coalition of students, faculty, and alumni. The controversy arose after group members organized memorial-style installations — featuring chalk messages, signs, artwork, and a Mexican flag — in response to UNT’s prior cancellation of Victor Quiñonez’s immigration-themed exhibition, which included works critical of ICE. According to reports as well as videos and photographs uploaded to social media by NOISE, administrators and staff tore down the memorial, power-washed chalk messages such as “We The People Won’t Be Silenced,” and disposed of materials in dumpsters, prompting the group to accuse the university of an “unprecedented growth of fascism” and call for further protest. | -1.0 | Read More |
| 2025 | University of North Texas | Dania Bayan/Fatima Kubra | Texas Reps. (R) sent a letter to administrators calling for the removal of Dania Bayan and Fatima Kubra's pro-Palestinian artworks from a campus exhibit. The letter called the artworks' framing of Middle Eastern geopolitics "not only inflammatory, but factually false with regard to the allegations of 'genocide.'" Bayan and Kubra voluntarily took down one piece from their exhibit. | +1.0 | Read More |
Deplatformings
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | University of North Texas | Ni De AquÌ Ni De Allá | The university's College of Visual Arts and Design (CVAD) canceled and closed an exhibition of work by Brooklyn-based street artist Victor Quiñonez (who works as “Marka27”) after an anonymous tip alleged the show included artwork denouncing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The exhibition, “Ni de Aquí, Ni de Allá (Not from Here, Not from There),” originated at Boston University and was scheduled for a multi-month run at UNT’s CVAD Galleries (with reporting indicating it opened on Feb. 3, 2026, and was slated to run through May 1, and that it was scheduled to “officially” open with a Feb. 19 reception). The show included works from Quiñonez’s “I.C.E. Scream” series — paleta (popsicle) sculptures and related pieces reframing ICE as “Inhumane and Cruelty Enforcement,” among other critiques of immigration enforcement. According to multiple reports, the gallery was abruptly shuttered around Feb. 11, 2026 (with windows papered over and references to the show removed from UNT’s channels), and Quiñonez said he learned what happened through messages from students. | -3.0 | Read More |
| 2026 | University of North Texas | GLAD Queer Alliance's Annual Drag Show | After the university system lifted its systemwide pause on drag performances in August 2025, the student group GLAD: Queer Alliance moved forward with plans for its annual 2026 drag show. The event was initially approved by the university, but that approval was later revoked. The cancellation comes after another appeal was blocked by the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals regarding Texas Senate Bill 12 (2023), which prohibits sexually oriented performances — defined as visual performances featuring nudity or performers exhibiting as the opposite gender through clothing or makeup — on public property. The decision appears motivated by a concern over the university losing state funding if it did not comply with the state’s drag-performance restrictions, and because the litigation over Senate Bill 12 was still ongoing after another appeal was blocked by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. GLAD was forced to move the event off campus and fund it through donations and fundraising instead. | -3.0 | Read More |
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More Student Voices
If others found out I was gay then I would lose opportunities to advance because education is very social. Connection helps build your future career. You form study groups. Since the election I do not feel safe anywhere in Texas. Especially on campus.
Survey Results
Survey Results: Student Perspectives
See how students at University of North Texas 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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