Nearly one-third of students – 30% – believe it is acceptable, at least in rare cases, to use violence to stop a campus speech, according to a study the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression published on Sept. 9.
That marks a decline from last year's record-high percentage of students who said the same, at 34%.
The organization's annual reporton the state of free speech at colleges and universities around the country included data gathered from nearly 63,000 students from more than 250 schools between Jan. 2 and June 3. Last year's report – which found a decline in support for free speech particularly among conservative students – was published one day before Charlie Kirk's assassination.
The Sept. 9 report said Kirk's death had a "profound
impact" on student speech, calling it a "jarring year" for free expression on school campuses.
The top school for freedom of speech was the University of Chicago, the third time the school has held the top ranking in seven years. Claremont McKenna College, which was the top-ranked school last year, came in second.
New York University came in last in FIRE’s report, which listed a handful of incidents that contributed to the ranking. The school was accused in March, for example, of not booking artists affiliated with the anti-Israel boycott “No Music for Genocide” for its annual V100 concert, according to its student newspaper Washington Square News. The report also referenced the school’s decision to cancel a 2025 panel hosted by the NYU College Republicans entitled “Immigrant Invasion.” USA TODAY reached out to the university for comment.
Other low-ranked schools included the University of Washington, Texas State University, Northeastern University and Rutgers University-New Brunswick.
Utah Valley University, where Kirk was shot during an outdoor debate, has a “challenging” climate for free speech, the report said. It fell from ranking 71 out of 257 schools last year to 210 out of 261 this year.
FIRE said the free speech landscape on any given campus is affected by factors beyond school policies and administration, including “political polarization, intolerance of disagreement and fear of social consequences.”
“Colleges cannot fully control the attitudes students bring to campus, but their policies, leadership and responses to controversy can either strengthen or weaken the culture of free expression,” FIRE said.
Utah Valley University's speech climate affected by Kirk assassination
Kirk’s assassination was a watershed moment for freedom of speech and prompted a wave of firings related to employees’ online comments about the conservative activist.
But it also impacted college and university campuses. FIRE previously issued data collected weeks after Kirk’s death that found students, particularly conservative students and those attending Utah Valley University, were less comfortable expressing their beliefs in the wake of the shooting.
The Sept. 9 report echoed those findings, saying it is “evident that the assassination has had negative effects on the campus speech climate.”
It pointed to the university’s decision to cancel a commencement address by Sharon McMahon, often referred to as “America’s government teacher,” because of “increased safety concerns” related to her speech.
The scrutiny centered on comments McMahon made after Kirk’s assassination. While she called his death “horrific” and said it “never should have happened,” McMahon added that it “does not erase the harm many experienced from his words and the ensuing actions his followers took.”
The university opted not to have any featured commencement speaker, which FIRE’s report called a “mistake.”
“Rather than deplatforming McMahon, UVU should respond to every instance of and every call for censorship with a clear defense of free expression,” the report said.
At the same time, the university’s “administrative support” score increased, the report said. While 29% of Utah Valley University students in last year’s report said it was “very” or “extremely” likely their administration would protect speech rights amid a controversy, that number rose to 42% this year.
What the data found
The average overall score was just over 61 out of 100, and 121 schools were given an F, according to the report. Only 24 of the schools received an average of C or better.
Schools that had significant score increases from the previous year included the University of California, Davis, which jumped from 252 last year to 24 this year, along with Harvard University, Barnard College and Columbia University.
By contrast, Texas State University had the largest year-over-year decrease, ranking 259 compared to 112 last year. The report referenced several incidents, including the school’s decision to fire a professor over comments he made at an online socialist conference and a student “no longer” at the universityafter mocking Kirk’s death in a video that went viral. The announcement about the student’s enrollment status came shortly after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called for the school to expel him, though the Texas Tribune reported it was unclear whether the student was expelled or if he voluntarily withdrew.
USA TODAY reached out to Texas State University for comment.
Reasons to have 'cautious optimism'
Despite a “very concerning” state of free speech on college campuses, FIRE said there was reason to have “cautious optimism” about the findings.
The average overall score is the highest in seven years, and 140 schools — compared to 91 last year — received passing grades.
The report also said schools including Harvard University, Vanderbilt University and Dartmouth College have in recent years reformed policies and taken public stances in support of free speech.
“This is the way,” the report said. “We hope more colleges and universities start to agree with us in the coming years.”
BrieAnna Frank's role covering First Amendment issues at USA TODAY is made possible by a collaboration among Freedom Forum, Journalism Funding Partners and the USA TODAY Network. Freedom Forum does not provide editorial input. Reach BrieAnna at bjfrank@usatoday.com and @brieannafrank on X and Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fewer students accept violence as a way to protest speech, study finds
