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.
59.4 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.
159 Treanding Up
/ 261
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.
25
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 2027 College Free Speech Rankings. The state’s average speech climate grade is F, below the national average of D-.Claremont McKenna College ranks 2 overall and is the top-ranked school in the state. It holds a “green light” rating in FIRE’s Spotlight database and ranks in the top 10 for “Comfort Expressing Ideas” and “Administrative Support,” suggesting students can speak freely and trust administrators to defend speech. CMC has adopted both the pro-free speech Chicago Statement and a statement on institutional neutrality.
UC Davis and Stanford University follow at ranks 24 and 55, respectively. Most other schools in the state hold “yellow light” ratings. Santa Clara University, the University of San Francisco, and California State University, Fresno hold “red light” ratings and rank near the bottom. Reforming written student policies would help improve these campuses’ speech climates.
Highlights
37% 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.
34% of students say using violence to stop someone from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
5.46:1
Across California, there are roughly 5.46 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.
25
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.
1
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.
6
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.
7
Attempted Disruptions Attempted Disruptions are the number of incidents where people on campus try to stop a scheduled event or speaker.
3
New in 2026 The number of controversies that have occurred since the previous launch of the College Free Speech Rankings.
10
Scholars Under Fire
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | San Jose State University | Sang Hea Kil | Kil, a professor of justice studies at the university, was terminated from her tenured position for her presence at a pro-Palestinian protest at which an altercation occurred between student protesters and another faculty member, and also for joining student encampment protests in the spring of 2024. The university maintains that Kil "disrupted the university’s business operations and encouraged students to do the same." Kil has disputed the termination and is working with the faculty union to arbitrate the case. | -4.0 | Read More |
Students Under Fire
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | University of California, Berkeley | Students for Justice in Palestine | "Free Beacon" journalist Jessica Costescu tagged federal officials on X in posts highlighting UC Berkeley’s Students for Justice in Palestine’s alleged support for Hamas and Iran against Israel. She also published an article describing the group’s social media activity and its use of an inverted red triangle — described by critics as a symbol Hamas uses to designate Israeli targets — which appeared in the group’s materials and on a university-affiliated webpage. The article quoted a senior analyst from Defense of Democracies who said the imagery was “absolutely” an example of incitement, while a university spokesperson defended the group’s “First Amendment rights.” | +1.0 | Read More |
| 2026 | University of California, Berkeley | Law Students for Justice in Palestine | After learning that campus chapter of Law Students for Justice in Palestine had co-hosted a virtual appearance by Israa Jaabis, Rep. Ken Calvert tagged the university’s official X account, writing that “violent antisemitic terrorists have no place [at the university] or any other taxpayer funded campus in California.” The controversy arose in April 2026 after the student group hosted a “Palestinian Political Prisoners Day” event featuring Jaabis, a Palestinian woman convicted in Israel for a 2015 car bombing attempt who was later released in a hostage exchange in November 2023. Coverage of the event also prompted criticism from UC Regent Rich Leib, who condemned the event as "disgusting and abhorrent" while acknowledging LSJP's First Amendment rights. A campus administrator also defended the group's expressive rights, telling reporters that "UC Berkeley has a non-discretionary obligation to abide by and support the First Amendment in a completely content-neutral manner." | +1.0 | Read More |
| 2026 | University of California, Los Angeles | Issac Jacenko | Jacenko faced a campus police investigation after he wrote a message on his own car publicizing a UCLA professor’s appearance in recently released documents related to Jeffrey Epstein. Following the news, Jacenko painted “UCLA PROF. MARK TRAMO ON EPSTEIN FILES” on his car to “get the word out.” After the writing drew attention on Reddit, the UCLA Police Department said it was investigating the writing on the car, while also calling unspecified circulating claims about it “unfounded.” | -1.0 | Read More |
| 2026 | University of California, Los Angeles | Federalist Society | Administrators warned the Federalist Society that the group and/or individual members could face "campus processes" if they publicly identified students seen in videos disrupting its April 21 event with DHS General Counsel James Percival. The controversy arose after protesters repeatedly disrupted the group's event with Percival over his role in the Trump administration’s immigration policies. The next day, an assistant dean cautioned FedSoc against naming student protesters from the videos, writing that the group or its members could be “subjected to campus processes.” Following public backlash, the same administrator later sent a followup email to the group, apologizing for "any lack of clarity" and affirming that protected speech would not be punished, but without clear assurance that they would not be disciplined for identifying students who disrupted their events. | -1.0 | Read More |
| 2026 | University of California, San Diego | Aydin Yelkovan | The Associated Students of the UC San Diego disqualified student government candidate Aydin Yelkovan from office after finding him responsible for multiple election code violations tied to protected speech. The controversy arose during the 2026 Associated Students election for executive vice president of external affairs, when a student-run electoral commission issued Yelkovan formal warnings under rules requiring candidates to campaign in a “civil, decent, and respectful manner” and restricting candidates’ association with one another. After Yelkovan accumulated three formal warnings — including over social media activity and campaign-related speech — he was automatically disqualified alongside another leading candidate, allowing the incumbent, who had placed third in the initial vote count, to win the race. Yelkovan publicly alleged that he had been “illegally disqualified over protected speech,” and FIRE later demanded that the university and student government reinstate him and revise the election code, arguing that the policies used to punish Yelkovan are impermissibly overbroad. | -1.0 | Read More |
| 2025 | University of California, Davis | Law Students Association | The administration took disproportionate action against the Law Student Association (LSA) in response to a censorious resolution. In spring 2025, the LSA imposed prior restraint on pro-Israeli law student groups when it 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." Although the university intervened appropriately to ensure viewpoint-neutral access to student funds, it went further by suspending the LSA’s unrelated, non-funding activities — an action that restricted the group’s own expressive rights. Around the same time, an off-campus advocacy group launched a petition urging the university to discipline the LSA, though it's unclear what influence, if any, the petition had on administrative decision-making. The administration’s response, though partly corrective, ultimately veered into punitive territory, raising concerns about disproportionate sanctioning of student political expression. | -1.0 | Read More |
Deplatformings
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | California Polytechnic State University | James Owen/Miguel Muñiz | Owen, the president of Reawaken USA — a national movement committed to restoring America’s moral and cultural foundations — and Muñiz, a UC Berkeley student and chair of the California College Republicans, held a public tabling event on Dexter Lawn billed as a “prove me wrong”-style booth and promoted by the campus chapter of the College Republicans. The booth displayed messages including “Christianity is better than transgenderism,” “deport all illegals,” “abortion is anti-women,” and “trans people are mentally ill,” drawing a crowd that campus newspaper Mustang News reported reached roughly 200 students, supporters, and protesters at points during the four-hour event. According to the newspaper, some students attempted to shut the event down rather than merely counter it. About 20 minutes after the event began, one student ran toward the booth, flipped the tent, and knocked over a speaker. Later, another student walked past and knocked down the same speaker again. A student also tore down one of the booth’s signs. Other attendees urged students not to engage with the speakers, including one person who held up a phone reading, “Stop giving him a platform. Be silent.” Despite the confrontation and physical interference, Owen and Muñiz continued the event. A dean of students also visited during the tabling and asked that the volume be lowered because it could be heard from nearby classrooms. | -5.0 | Read More |
| 2026 | University of California, Berkeley | Jeff Dean | The Berkeley Forum and the university's College of Engineering hosted a public event featuring Google chief scientist Jeff Dean. After a May Day rally, roughly 20 student protesters went to the auditorium, and one protester affiliated with Students Organizing for Liberation at UC Berkeley took the stage with a megaphone. The protesters objected to Google’s Gemini AI being used in what they described as the genocide in Gaza and led chants accusing the university of “funding genocide.” Organizers, attendees, and police repeatedly asked the protesters to leave, but they refused. Organizers then announced that the event was being shut down, ending Dean’s appearance before he could complete it. | -2.0 | Read More |
| 2026 | University of California, Los Angeles | Bari Weiss/Jim Newton | The university's Burkle Center for International Relations scheduled Weiss, founder of “The Free Press” and editor-in-chief of CBS News, to deliver the university's annual Daniel Pearl Memorial Lecture, titled “The Future of Journalism.” Newton, a journalist, author and teacher, was scheduled to moderate the discussion. In the weeks leading up to the event, critics objected to Weiss’s selection and urged the university to rescind the invitation, including the activist group CODEPINK, which organized student opposition and called for a “don’t platform” campaign. CODEPINK also started a petition calling on the university to cancel the event, which garnered over 10,000 signatures. Weiss withdrew from the on-campus lecture due to security concerns. Burkle Center associate director Margaret Peters indicated Weiss was still interested in potentially delivering the lecture virtually, though no final decision has been made. | 0.0 | Read More |
| 2026 | University of California, Los Angeles | Gregory McNeal/James Percival | The campus chapter of the Federalist Society hosted James Percival, the Department of Homeland Security's General Counsel, for a law-school event discussing the DHS. McNeal, a law professor at Pepperdine University, was the event moderator. Before the event, the Latine Law Students Association posted a letter signed by 18 campus law student organizations condemning the decision to invite Percival and stating that giving him a platform was “legitimizing and normalizing racially discriminatory policies.” During the event, attendees protested Percival’s immigration-related positions and DHS conduct by a number of tactics, including by shouting questions, booing, holding signs/papers with anti-ICE messages, playing sound effects, and making additional noise after a law professor at the university, who introduced the event, asked them to silence their phones. The disruption affected both Percival and McNeal, but the moderated conversation continued and the event reached its conclusion. | 0.0 | Read More |
| 2026 | University of Southern California | Tom Steyer/Steve Hilton/Matt Mahan/Eric Swalwell/Chad Bianco/Katie Porter | Steyer, Bianco, Hilton, Mahan, Porter, and Swalwell were scheduled to appear in a gubernatorial debate at the university's Dornsife Center for the Political Future. The center chose the participating candidates using an “independent and objective” formula based on polling and fundraising. Four excluded Democratic candidates (Antonio Villaraigosa, Xavier Becerra, Betty Yee, and Tony Thurmond) objected publicly to the selection criteria, noting that all the participants were white. State legislative leaders urged the university to expand the stage or face a boycott. The university initially defended the methodology in a statement denying any bias in the candidate selection process, but less than a day before the event, decided to cancel the debate because the controversy over participation criteria had become “a significant distraction” and that organizers could not reach agreement with a co-sponsor on expanding the number of participants. | -3.0 | Read More |
| 2025 | University of California, Berkeley | Frank Turek/Rob Schneider | The campus chapter of Turning Point USA hosted a sold-out “American Comeback Tour” event at Zellerbach Hall featuring Turek and Schneider, a stop organized in the wake of TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk’s killing two months earlier. Protesters gathered outside the venue and, while much of the demonstration consisted of chanting, banging on barricades and attempts to prevent attendees from entering the venue, confrontations outside the hall escalated into physical fights and multiple arrests/detentions, including a widely circulated sidewalk altercation captured on video. University and local law enforcement established barricaded entry points and a heavy police presence; officials later said the event inside proceeded without interruption and drew more than 900 attendees. Following the clashes, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division announced an investigation into security and requested university records, while the university said it would cooperate and reaffirmed its commitment to protecting lawful speech and assembly. | 0.0 | Read More |
| 2025 | Pomona College | Yoni Viloga | Viloga, an Israeli reservist and October 7 survivor, spoke on campus about his experience and the continuing effects of the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Viloga's talk featured video footage of the attack. During Viloga’s talk, protesters gathered outside the venue chanting slogans such as “Free Palestine” and “From the river to the sea.” Right after Viloga concluded his remarks, some of the protesters entered the event space and began shouting loudly that the attendees were “all complicit in genocide,” temporarily halting the memorial event. Campus security intervened, and organizers were able to resume the event after the disruption. | -1.0 | Read More |
| 2025 | Stanford University | Emmanuel Saez/Larry Summers | Saez and Summers debated each other at the "Democracy and Disagreement" lecture series 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. | -1.0 | Read More |
| 2024 | University of Southern California | Asna Tabassum/Billie Jean King/Jon Chu/Marcia McNutt/Maria Rosario Jackson | The university canceled valedictorian Asna Tabassum's commencement speech, and later all commencement speakers, including King, Chu, McNutt, and Jackson, because of "substantial risks relating to security and disruption at commencement.” However, no evidence was reported showing threats were actually received or that the university took steps to secure the event short of canceling it. Notably, the controversy arose after Tabassum was announced as valedictorian, when she faced criticism for her social media posts critical of Israel. | -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 a 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. | -3.0 | Read More |
| 2024 | University of California, Los Angeles | Helena Hansen | Hansen, a psychiatrist and anthropologist who is a professor and chair of translational social science and health equity at the university known for her work examining the intersections of race, capitalism, and the opioid epidemic, 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. | -1.0 | 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 UCLA 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 UCLA YAF chairman that "there is no timeframe" for approving the request. UCLA YAF attempted to still hold the event but found the doors of their requested venue, the Bruin Viewpoint Room, locked. After contacting administrators, UCLA 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," UCLA YAF says they did not hold the event. The administration disputes YAF's account and insists that the event took place. | -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. | -1.0 | Read More |
| 2024 | Harvey Mudd College | State of the College Address | Students and alumni affiliated with Mudders Against Murder, a grassroots student organization, disrupted Harriet Nembhard's (the college's president) State of the College Address, demanding that the college cut all its ties with weapons manufacturers and defense companies. Protesters also displayed red-painted hands while shouting down Nembhard for failure to meet their demands despite multiple meetings between Mudders Against Murder and the college administration. The State of the College Address was rescheduled for a later time. | -1.0 | 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. A panel discussion, titled "A History of Activism at Pomona College," was scheduled to begin after the parade was canceled. | -1.0 | Read More |
| 2024 | Pitzer College | Alumni Music and Food Festival | During alumni weekend activities pro-Palestinian protesters, including alumni and current students, interrupted the Alumnia 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. | 0.0 | Read More |
| 2024 | San Jose State University | Jeffrey Blutinger | Students called for Blutinger's, a Jewish professor at California State - Long Beach, talk 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. | -3.0 | 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. | -2.0 | Read More |
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