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.
61.7 Treanding Up
/ 100
Overall Rank The Overall Rank shows where a school stands among the 257 institutions evaluated, based on its Overall Score.
62 Treanding Up
/ 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).
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.
2
Overview
The University of Texas at San Antonio ranks 62 out of 257 schools in the 2026 College Free Speech Rankings with a score of 62, a D- speech climate grade. The school has made progress since the University of Texas System recently adopted institutional neutrality — applying to the San Antonio campus, though a Board of Regents order banning drag shows cost the campus points.Student perceptions remain middling, except for an alarming bottom 50 ranking for “Openness” to discussing controversial issues. No survey area cracks the top 50, suggesting room for growth across the board. The university also continues to earn a “yellow light” Spotlight rating that limits its score.
UTSA could strengthen its free speech climate by revising restrictive policies to earn a “green light” Spotlight rating and by making clear that viewpoint-based bans on student events will not be repeated.
Highlights
34% 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.
30% of students say using violence to stop someone from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
3.51:1
There are roughly 3.51 liberal students for every one conservative student.
Spotlight Rating
Yellow
Score over time
Student Voices
Students were threatened by the administration when they were peacefully protesting the Israel Palestine conflict. They were just holding signs and shouting phrases, but were told their club may be shut down due to that
Some students get too emotional over certain issues and, when they run out of valid arguments, will resort to ridicule or disingenuous name calling, such as racist.
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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 Texas at San Antonio.
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.
61.7 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 257 institutions evaluated, based on its Overall Score.
62 Treanding Up
/ 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).
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.
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
Adopted
Institutional Neutrality
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).
D-
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.
1
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.
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
Students Under Fire
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | The University of Texas at San Antonio | LGBTQ+ Student Groups | One day after receiving a letter from Republican Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare calling for a system-wide ban of drag shows, chairman of the system’s board of regents, Kevin Eltife, announced that “our public university facilities, supported by taxpayers, will not serve as venues for drag shows.” Citing President Trump’s executive order stating that “federal funds shall not be used to promote gender ideology,” O’Hare’s letter argued that “drag shows highlight men reducing the perception of women to stereotypes and body parts.” | -1.0 | Read More |
Deplatformings
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | The University of Texas at San Antonio | Alice Rothchild/Deborah Harrington/Hadeel El Masri/Harry Gunkel | A group of medical students worked with the Center for Medical Humanities and Ethics on campus to schedule a series of discussions on “Health Equity in Palestine.” The first discussion, while initially postponed, was well attended, but a week before the second discussion a faculty member at the Center for Medical Humanities and Ethics informed the medical students that the center was ending its sponsorship of the discussions. The medical students reached out to the university administration to see if the event could be held without the center’s sponsorship but they received no reply and the remaining two discussions were canceled. Rothchild, Harrington, and El Masro were scheduled to participate in the second discussion; Gunkel was scheduled to participate in the last one. | -1.0 | Read More |
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More Student Voices
Every time there is a conversation on the Israel Palestine conflict, I feel like sharing my opinion would cause a huge danger to me and my family, my personal and academic life as well as my future. I refrain from sharing any views on campus due to fear of losing my social life and career.
Survey Results
Survey Results: Student Perspectives
See how students at The University of Texas at San Antonio 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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See Your School's Ranking
The College Free Speech Rankings are based on student surveys, campus policies, and recent speech-related controversies.
FIRE Fights for Your Rights
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.
