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.
57.4 Treanding Down
/ 100
Overall Rank The Overall Rank shows where a school stands among the 261 institutions evaluated, based on its Overall Score.
192 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.
7
Overview
Texas A&M University ranks 192 out of 261 schools in the 2027 College Free Speech Rankings with a score of 57 and an F speech climate grade, dropping 145 places from last year. It was penalized for speech controversies involving its application of a policy restricting what faculty can teach.A&M ranks in the top 25 for “Disruptive Conduct,” showing lower student acceptance of non-peaceful protest. However, it ranks in the bottom 25 for “Administrative Support” and “Comfort Expressing Ideas,” showing little student trust in officials and discomfort with sharing views.
A&M maintains a “green light” Spotlight rating for its policies regulating student expression. It should adopt the pro-free speech Chicago Statement and an official commitment to institutional neutrality. Given its weak showing on “Administrative Support,” administrators should clearly and forcefully defend free speech whenever censorship occurs or is demanded.
Highlights
53% of students say they have self-censored on campus at least once or twice a month.
60% of students say shouting down a speaker to prevent them from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
20% of students say using violence to stop someone from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
1.45:1
There are roughly 1.45 liberal students for every one conservative student.
Spotlight Rating
Green
Score over time
Student Voices
During the 2024 election my friend warned me to be safe on campus because of how conservative people here are. I didn't want to admit that I, too, was conservative and that party wouldn't cause harm like that, especially at a college campus. I didn't want her to know my beliefs out of fear of being judged.
When having casual conversations with friends, I would be sure to speak quietly because many students may be violent with their convictions.
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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.
57.4 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.
192 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.
7
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
Green
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).
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.
7
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.
4
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.
1
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 2026 The number of controversies that have occurred since the previous launch of the College Free Speech Rankings.
4
Scholars Under Fire
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Texas A&M University | Martin Peterson | Peterson, a professor of philosophy at the university and the Sue and Harry Bovay Professor of the History and Ethics of Professional Engineering, was directed by his department chair to alter the syllabus for his spring 2026 core-curriculum course, "Contemporary Moral Issues/Problems." As multiple outlets reported, Peterson had included two short units addressing “race ideology” and “gender ideology,” with assigned readings that included excerpts from Plato’s Symposium. Just prior to the start of the semester, the chair cited decisions by “college leadership” and a systemwide course-review process, and informed Peterson that he needed to remove the units and the Plato readings by the end of the day or be reassigned to teach a different course. Peterson removed the material to keep his course assignment, and later reporting indicated he replaced the censored content with lectures on free speech and academic freedom. | -1.0 | Read More |
| 2026 | Texas A&M University | Sally Robinson | Robinson, a professor of English at the university, was one of an unidentified number of professors who were requested to alter the language on their syllabi in order to comply with a policy revision that barred the discussion of "race and gender ideology" or topics related to sexual orientation or gender identity. Robinson has applied to have her course syllabi exempted from the new policy. | -1.0 | Read More |
| 2026 | Texas A&M University | Leonard Bright | Bright, a professor of government and public service at the university's Bush School of Government and Public Service, had his graduate-level course, "Ethics in Public Policy," canceled after he pushed back during the university's ongoing, system-driven “course review” tied to new restrictions on classroom “advocacy” related to race, gender, sexuality, and related topics. According to reporting, administrators said Bright did not provide the additional detail they requested about when and how race, gender, and sexuality could arise in the course; Bright argued that level of specificity was impractical (and pedagogically wrongheaded) for a discussion-based graduate ethics course, where those issues can surface organically. | -1.0 | Read More |
| 2025 | Texas A&M University | Melissa McCoul | McCoul, a senior lecturer in the Department of English at the university, came under scrutiny after a student secretly recorded part of her Literature for Children class that included discussion of gender identity and a “Gender Unicorn” slide. In the video, the student challenged McCoul, claiming the material was “illegal” under state policy; McCoul disagreed and asked the student to leave. The video went viral, prompting Governor Greg Abbott, state Representative Brian Harrison, and other elected officials to call for McCoul’s dismissal. The university's president responded by terminating McCoul for allegedly teaching content inconsistent with the course description. The university also removed the dean of arts and sciences (Mark Zoran) and the English department head (Emily Johansen) from their positions, citing their approval of the course. The president later resigned amid the fallout. McCoul has filed an appeal of her termination and is considering legal action. | -2.0 | Read More |
Students Under Fire
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Texas A&M University | Yousef Mahdy | Texas A&M University administrators announced an investigation into Mahdy following public calls for action after a viral video showed him confronting members of a Students Supporting Israel table. Mahdy filmed the interaction himself, during which he directed various remarks including “Free Palestine,” “it’s the genocide supporters,” “what’s up stinky Zionists, dirty scums?” and “when will these guys learn to get the hell out of our country?”. The activist group StopAntisemitism later circulated the video on social media and urged the university to respond. Texas A&M stated it “condemns antisemitism and all forms of hate” and confirmed it was “actively investigating” whether Mahdy’s conduct violated university policies, while system chancellor Glenn Hegar said the behavior was “unacceptable” and indicated the university would review the matter. | -1.0 | Read More |
Deplatformings
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Texas A&M University | Draggieland | The university system's Board of Regents unanimously voted to ban drag shows across its 11 campuses, citing concerns that such performances are "inconsistent with the System's mission and core values," and referencing a recent presidential executive order prohibiting federal funding for the promotion of "gender ideology." This decision led to the cancellation of "Draggieland," an annual drag event scheduled on the university's flagship campus. | -2.0 | Read More |
| 2025 | Texas A&M University | No Other Land | University administrators canceled a scheduled on-campus screening of the Oscar-winning documentary “No Other Land” “so [the event] could be held in conjunction with other academic programs that would add value.” The film, created by an Israeli-Palestinian collective, documents the displacement of Palestinian communities in the West Bank. In response to the cancellation, the film was screened off-campus. | -2.0 | Read More |
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More Student Voices
I would say that I mostly cannot express my opinions fully with other students because most of them haven't learned how to accept that not everyone has the same opinions. The administration and professors are much better at having an honest conversation about something that they might not fully agree with without being rude. Other students don't understand that some things can be topics of a discussion without becoming an argument.
Survey Results
Survey Results: Student Perspectives
See how students at Texas A&M 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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