Average Score The Average Score is the average of all Overall Scores from colleges in a state that were included in the College Free Speech Rankings.
55.7 Treanding Up
/ 100
Average Rank The Average Rank is the average of all Overall Ranks from colleges in a state that were included in the College Free Speech Rankings.
173 Treanding Down
/ 257
Average 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.
24
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).
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
Overview
Twenty-seven California schools are ranked in the 2026 College Free Speech Rankings. The state’s average speech-climate grade is F, matching the national average.Claremont McKenna College is not only the top-ranked school in California, but the top-ranked school in the country. Stanford and Chapman follow at 76 and 97, respectively.
Several large or prestigious campuses rank near the bottom — UC Davis (252), Pomona College (247), and University of San Francisco (244). Most California schools hold “yellow light” or “red light” ratings in FIRE’s Spotlight database, meaning their written policies threaten student expression. Only a handful have adopted the pro-free speech Chicago Statement or a statement on institutional neutrality. Closing the gap between top and bottom performers will require policy reform and more visible commitments to free expression.
Highlights
41% of students say they have self-censored on campus at least once or twice a month.
73% of students say shouting down a speaker to prevent them from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
35% of students say using violence to stop someone from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
4.93:1
Across California, there are roughly 4.93 liberal students for every one conservative student.
Average score over time
Speech Controversies
Speech Controversies: When Free Expression Is Challenged
Explore notable incidents where free speech was tested on campuses across California. From speaker deplatformings to administrative actions, these events highlight the challenges — and consequences — of restricting expression.
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.
24
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.
2
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.
4
Deplatformings Deplatformings are the number of incidents where a scheduled event or speaker is canceled or prevented from taking place.
18
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 2025 The number of controversies that have occurred since the previous launch of the College Free Speech Rankings.
7
Scholars Under Fire
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | University of California, Los Angeles | Randall Kuhn | Kuhn, a professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the university, was scheduled to oversee the teaching of a student-led course focused on public health issues in Palestine. Although the department’s curriculum review committee had unanimously approved the course, the school’s Educational Policy and Curriculum Committee later reviewed and subsequently canceled it, citing violations of the university’s Academic Senate regulations. Specifically, concerns were raised that only instructors of record are permitted to assign grades and that student instructors must receive salaries. Kuhn and the student instructors contested these reasons, noting that graduate students had previously taught courses on topics such as the 2014 Ferguson protests and immigration policies during President Trump’s administration without issue. They argued that the cancellation was inconsistent with past practices and undermined graduate students’ teaching opportunities. | -1.0 | Read More |
| 2023 | University of California, Los Angeles | Yoel Inbar | Dozens of psychology students signed this letter demanding UCLA not hire Dr. Yoel Inbar for, above all, expressing skepticism about DEI statements. | -1.0 | Read More |
Students Under Fire
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | University of California, Los Angeles | Kyle Jeong | In a post on X, Jeong shared an alleged email from an administrator accusing him of violating UCLA’s trademarks when he created and shared a dashboard tracking the California wildfires under the domain name uclafire.org. Jeong ultimately changed the domain name. | -1.0 | Read More |
| 2025 | University of California, Davis | Law Students Association | The university dissolved the Law Student Association after it had passed a resolution resolving that it “will not approve funding requests for events with speakers who represent the Israeli government . . . or voluntarily represent Israeli academic institutions that are complicit in occupation and genocide.” The decision to dissolve the group came after the off-campus advocacy group Israel War Room launched a petition calling for such action. | -3.0 | Read More |
| 2025 | University of California, Davis | Pro-Israel Law Student Groups | The Law Student Association passed a resolution resolving that it “will not approve funding requests for events with speakers who represent the Israeli government . . . or voluntarily represent Israeli academic institutions that are complicit in occupation and genocide.” Ultimately, the administration would dissolve LSA and take control over funding decisions. | -1.0 | Read More |
| 2025 | University of Southern California | Three Unnamed Students | Three unnamed students were summoned to a meeting with the dean and accused of intimidating 11 students who stood accused of “potential discrimination.” Multiple incidents involving 11 unnamed students at the Glorya Kaufman School of Dance were reported to administrators and investigated as possible discriminatory harassment, including five freshmen who allegedly encouraged one another to repeat racial slurs to black students. After several community meetings about alleged acts of racism, an unnamed student sent a message in a student-run group chat (seemingly including at least some of the 11 students under investigation), writing: “If I imagine myself in a situation where someone had expressed that they felt uncomfortable dancing with me, I think I would self-reflect and ask myself why.” This student, and two others who supported and replied to the comment, were each summoned into a meeting by the dean, who claimed their messages constituted intimidation against the 11 accused students. | -1.0 | Read More |
Deplatformings
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Claremont McKenna College | Salman Rushdie | Rushdie, an author whose 1988 novel The Satanic Verses prompted a fatwa against him, was invited by the college to deliver a commencement address. Rushdie’s recent comments equating pro-Palestinian campus protests to support for a “fascist terrorist group” led to a concerted campaign by the college’s Muslim Student Association and local Muslim advocacy groups to rescind his invitation. The MSA issued a statement calling Rushdie’s selection “disrespectful” and “out of line with the college’s commitment to inclusion,” and shortly thereafter the Greater Los Angeles chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations publicly urged CMC leadership to address these student concerns in good faith. In response, Rushdie withdrew from giving his commencement speech. | 0.0 | Read More |
| 2025 | Stanford University | Emmanuel Saez/Larry Summers | Saez appeared at the “Democracy and Disagreement” lecture series to debate economist, and former Harvard President Larry Summers on the merits of a wealth tax. During the event, members of the activist group Climate Defiance, stormed the stage, unfurled banners reading “Larry Summers your time is up,” “toxic mess,” and “tax the rich,” and accused Summers of being a “climate criminal.” They also threw fake money into the audience with messages criticizing Summers’ alleged support for climate-destructive policies. The audience responded with boos and chants of “let him speak,” expressing frustration over the interruption. Summers invited the protesters to return to their seats to facilitate a constructive discussion, but they declined, prolonging the disruption for over 10 minutes. Summers ultimately resumed speaking and finished his remarks. | -2.0 | Read More |
| 2024 | University of California, Berkeley | Carol Christ/Condoleezza Rice | Rice and university chancellor Christ were discussing “Free Speech in Higher Education” at a campus event when students, alumni, and members of the San Francisco Bay Area CODEPINK chapter began voicing objections to Rice’s role in the Bush administration and the second Iraq War, and to her leadership of the Hoover Institution at Stanford because she was enabling the ongoing genocide in Palestine. Event staff threatened each audience member who interrupted Rice and Christ with detainment and escorted them out of the building. Rice and Christ finished their remarks. | -1.0 | Read More |
| 2024 | University of California, Berkeley | Ran Bar-Yoshafat | Students Supporting Israel at Berkeley and the Berkeley Tikvah invited Bar-Yoshafat, an Israeli lawyer and former Israeli Defense Force member, to campus to speak about Israel’s “international legal challenges” and if it was currently violating international law and the rules of wartime conduct in Gaza. After learning about the event, university police decided to change the venue to one they considered more secure and deployed additional security. The university police also asked Bar-Yoshafat to wear a hat when entering campus to hide his identity. A protest organized by the student group Bears for Palestine marched to the venue chanting “Long live the intifada,” “Hey hey, ho ho, the occupation has got to go,” and “Killers on campus.” Once at the venue, protesters crowded the side entrances of the venue and smashed two windows and a door. Police then canceled the event. Four event attendees allege they were attacked by the protesters. | -4.0 | Read More |
| 2024 | University of California, Berkeley | Simcha Rothman/Joshua Kleinfeld | The law school chapter of the Federalist Society invited Rothman, a member of Israel’s parliament, and Kleinfeld to speak on campus at an event titled “Restoring Democracy: The Debate Over Judicial Reform in Israel.” Before the event started, UnXeptable, a group of Israeli expats, began shouting at Rothman and arguing with him in Hebrew over his support for a bill that would give the Knesset more oversight of Israel’s judicial system. Then when the event began, pro-Palestinian protesters began shouting at Rothman and also began loudly arguing with the members of UnXetable. Security removed Rothman from the auditorium and those in attendance were informed that he would answer questions via Zoom. | -1.0 | Read More |
| 2024 | University of California, Los Angeles | Tzipi Livni | The Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for Israel Studies invited Livni, an Israeli politician and lawyer, to speak at an event titled “Israel and the Middle East after the October 7 Massacre: Threats, Challenges, and Hopes.” Students for Justice in Palestine at UCLA organized protests of the event, accusing Livni of being a “war criminal,” and Livni’s talk was moved online to Zoom due to fears it could be disrupted if held in-person. Livni spoke online successfully. | -2.0 | Read More |
| 2024 | University of California, Los Angeles | Helena Hansen | Hansen, a psychiatrist and anthropologist known for her work examining the intersections of race, capitalism, and the opioid epidemic (who is also a professor and chair of Translational Social Science at the university) was scheduled to deliver a lecture titled “Beyond Magic Bullets: Whiteness as a Structural Driver of the Opioid Crisis” to the university’s medical school. The talk was also scheduled to be broadcast via Zoom. Two days before the scheduled lecture, the university medical school announced changes: the lecture’s title was altered to “BioSocial Futures: Toward a Symbiotic, Community Ecology of Health.” Additionally, UCLA restricted attendance to in-person only, removed the Zoom option, and prohibited any recording — despite the event initially being open to a broader audience. Hansen delivered the lecture to those in attendance. | -2.0 | Read More |
| 2024 | University of California, Los Angeles | Robert Spencer | Spencer was invited to campus by the UCLA Young Americans for Freedom chapter to appear at a pro-Israel event. Spencer’s appearance was opposed by pro-Palestinian protesters and the university initially told YAF that its request to host Spencer on campus “would be too dangerous” because he holds views counter to the protesters on campus who had established an encampment to protest Israeli military action in Gaza. The administration later informed the YAF chairman that “there is no timeframe” for approving the request. YAF attempted to still hold the event but found the doors of their requested venue, the Bruin Viewpoint Room, locked. After contacting administrators, YAF were told that the event could not be held at the requested venue and needed to be moved to a low-traffic, remote location. Because the relocation of the event “would have significantly impacted the event’s attendance and impact,” YAF says they did not hold the event. The administration disputes YAF’s account and insists that the event took place. | -2.0 | Read More |
| 2024 | Harvey Mudd College | State of the College Address | During alumni weekend activities pro-Palestinian protesters, including alumni and current students, interrupted the Alumni Music and Food Festival by disconnecting the power during one of the musical performances. The protesters then took over the stage and refused to allow any performances to continue. | -2.0 | Read More |
| 2024 | Pomona College | A History of Activism at Pomona College | During alumni weekend activities, activists and alumni affiliated with Pomona Divest from Apartheid formed a blockade and constructed an “apartheid wall” to prevent the annual parade of classes from beginning. Protesters chanted “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” and “Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest.” The parade began, but protesters then moved to prevent it from proceeding and after a negotiation between the parade organizers and the protesters, the parade was halted. In addition, a panel discussion, titled “A History of Activism at Pomona College,” was scheduled to begin after the parade was canceled. | -2.0 | Read More |
| 2024 | San Jose State University | Jeffrey Blutinger | Students called for a talk by Blutinger, a Jewish professor at California State - Long Beach, to be canceled. The event was not canceled, but it was relocated from its original location. On the day of the event student protesters blocked entrances and chanted that “Zionists are not welcome” on campus. About 20 minutes into Blutinger’s speech, shoving started between protesters and police in the hallway outside the room where he was speaking and Blutinger was escorted off-campus by police for his safety. | -4.0 | Read More |
| 2024 | Pitzer College | Alumni Music and Food Festival | During alumni weekend activities pro-Palestinian protesters, including alumni and current students, interrupted the Alumni Music and Food Festival by disconnecting the power during one of the musical performances. The protesters then took over the stage and refused to allow any performances to continue. All the university did was glibly say what the protestors did was impolite and threaten possible enforcement of university policies in the future. | -2.0 | Read More |
| 2024 | University of Southern California | Asna Tabassum | The university administration canceled Tabassum’s, the valedictorian of the graduating class, commencement speech because of “substantial risks relating to security and disruption at commencement.” There is no evidence that the university received any threats or took any steps to secure the event short of canceling Tabassum’s speech, and the cancellation of the speech appears to be motivated by Tabassum’s social media posts critical of Israel. | -2.0 | Read More |
| 2024 | University of Southern California | Jon Chu/Billie Jean King/Maria Rosario Jackson/Marcia McNutt | After the decision by the university to cancel Asna Tabassum’s (the graduating class’ valedictorian) speech at commencement because of “substantial risks relating to security and disruption at commencement” resulted in student and faculty backlash, the university canceled all commencement speakers. | -2.0 | Read More |
| 2024 | Stanford University | Jafi Lipson/Jenny Martinez/Kevin Feigelis/Larry Diamond/Michal Cotler-Wunsh/Richard Saller | Saller, the university’s president, held a fireside chat with Jenny Martinez, the university’s provost; Michal Cotler-Wunsh, Israel’s special envoy for combating antisemitism; Kevin Feigelis, a physics Ph.D. student; and Jafi Lipson, an associate professor in the school of medicine. The chat was moderated by Larry Diamond. Prior to the event, a student group, Jewish Voice for Peace condemned Saller and Martinez for sharing the stage with Cotler-Wunsh, and during the Q&A submitted about 30 questions, none of which the panelists were asked. A member of Jewish Voice for Peace interrupted Cotler-Walsh’s response to the last question and asked why none of their questions had been asked. Another student repeatedly chanted “Ceasefire now!” Both protesters were escorted out of the event by campus security. | -1.0 | Read More |
| 2023 | University of California, Davis | Charlie Kirk | Students and off-campus groups protested Kirk’s talk because of his right-wing views. Protesters banged on doors, smashed windows, blocked entrances, and used pepper spray in an attempt to keep people from attending the event. One police officer was injured and several protesters were arrested. The event continued without further disruption. | -3.0 | Read More |
| 2023 | Stanford University | Kyle Duncan | Law students interrupted Duncan’s prepared remarks at a Federalist Society event with almost nonstop shouting and heckling. During the Q&A session, an administrator who came to the podium ostensibly to restore order defended Duncan’s right to speak, but also seemed to side with the protesters, questioning whether Duncan’s remarks were worth student distress. | 0.0 | Read More |
| 2022 | University of California, Davis | Stephen Davis | Davis’ Turning Point USA-sponsored talk was canceled by student organizers after fights broke out outside the event venue. Administrators escorted student organizers and Davis from the building. | -2.0 | Read More |
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