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.
55.2 Treanding Down
/ 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.
171 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.
5
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
Six New Jersey schools are ranked in the 2026 College Free Speech Rankings. The state’s average speech-climate grade is F, matching the national average.New Jersey Institute of Technology ranks 83 overall and is the top-ranked school in the state. The other five — Rowan University, Montclair State University, Rutgers University, Stevens Institute of Technology, and Princeton University — all rank below 100 and earn F grades. Princeton is the only school in the state that has adopted the pro-free speech Chicago Statement.
Two schools, Princeton and Stevens, hold “red light” ratings in FIRE’s Spotlight database, meaning their written policies clearly and substantially restrict protected expression. None of the six schools has adopted a statement on institutional neutrality. Reforming restrictive policies and expanding institutional commitments to expressive rights would help raise New Jersey’s bottom-heavy rankings.
Highlights
45% of students say they have self-censored on campus at least once or twice a month.
70% 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.
2.38:1
Across New Jersey, there are roughly 2.38 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 New Jersey. 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.
5
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.
0
Deplatformings Deplatformings are the number of incidents where a scheduled event or speaker is canceled or prevented from taking place.
4
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
Scholars Under Fire
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Princeton University | Joshua Katz | Katz, a professor of classics at the university, authored an essay in Quillette criticizing faculty proposals aimed at addressing systemic racism at Princeton. Within this piece, he referred to the Black Justice League, a former student organization, as “a small local terrorist organization that made life miserable for the students (including the many black students) who did not agree with its members’ demands.” This characterization drew significant criticism from colleagues and university administrators, including the university’s president. However, the university did not initiate a formal investigation into Katz’s remarks at that time. Subsequently, in February 2021, The Daily Princetonian reported that Katz had previously engaged in a consensual sexual relationship with an undergraduate student, which violated university policy. This revelation led to renewed scrutiny and a second university investigation. The investigation concluded that Katz had misrepresented facts during the initial 2018 inquiry and had discouraged the former student from participating in the investigation and from seeking mental health care. As a result, the university’s board of trustees voted to dismiss Katz in May 2022. | -2.0 | Read More |
Deplatformings
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Rutgers University | Joshua Johnson/Gary Courtney/Tammi Ferguson/Dennis Johnson/Willie Todd/Olivier Charles/Marybeth Gasman | Johnson was scheduled to speak at a virtual mini-conference on HBCUs featuring HBCU presidents and experts from Jobs for the Future, a nonprofit organization that works to make the U.S. education and workforce systems more equitable. The university canceled the mini-conference after President Trump issued executive orders restricting the use of federal funds on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. | -3.0 | Read More |
| 2024 | Montclair State University | Palestine Lives | The campus chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine had been approved to host an event to raise money for the people of Gaza. The day before the event, which planned to include a number of unidentified speakers, Montclair President Jonathan Koppell announced the university had withdrawn its approval. Citing a promotional flyer which named numerous other SJP chapters as co-sponsors, president Koppel claimed that “a newly-formed outside organization, called New Jersey Students for Justice in Palestine, is now the host,” and that this group’s mission statement “goes well beyond advocacy for the Palestinian people” by containing an “explicit call to ‘eliminate Zionism on our campuses and in our communities.’” | -2.0 | Read More |
| 2024 | Princeton University | David French/Sarah Isgur | The American Whig-Cliosophic Society invited French and Isgur to record an episode of their Advisory Opinions podcast on campus. Whig-Clio was not allowed to host the event on campus, allegedly because of administrator concerns that hosting French and Isgur would violate IRS rules for tax-exempt institutions participating in political advocacy. The podcast was recorded off-campus in the local public library. A Princeton administrator later clarified that the event was rejected because student organizations are prevented from hosting events with non-university organizations, and not over concerns about the university’s tax status. | -2.0 | Read More |
| 2024 | Rutgers University | Presidential Town Hall | The university scheduled a town hall event so students could ask university president Jonathan Holloway questions. Before the first question was asked, pro-Palestinian student protesters began shouting over Holloway and the other students in attendance. The chants included “globalize the intifada,” “long live the intifada,” “from the river to the sea,” and “we don’t want no two-state; we want ’48.” Holloway was escorted out by police minutes after the shouting began. Police then escorted Jewish students in attendance out of the event. | -2.0 | Read More |
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Rankings and Survey Results
Rankings and Survey Results
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