(The Center Square) – There was one winner and many losers for the Michigan colleges and universities surveyed in the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression’s “2026 College Free Speech Rankings” report.
Topping the list of colleges surveyed across the county was Michigan Technological University, which came in at fourth. That is a drop from its second place rating in the 2025 report.
Still, MTU received a “green light” rating in FIRE’s Spotlight database, which means its written policies do not seriously threaten student expression.
In total, the report looked at seven of Michigan’s 93 colleges and universities.
Behind MTU, Michigan State University ranked 60, the University of Michigan ranked 105, and Eastern Michigan University ranked 122. Additionally, Wayne State University ranked 126, Western Michigan University ranked 168, and Central Michigan University ranked 188.
All of those colleges, except Western Michigan University, received a “yellow light” rating, which means they have at least one written policy that could be used to restrict speech.
Western Michigan University is the only Michigan institution surveyed that received a “red light” rating, which means it has at least one policy which FIRE considers “unconstitutional” that “clearly and substantially” restricts freedom of speech.
“WMU could make immediate progress by revising its restrictive speech policies,” FIRE stated, “and by adopting the Chicago Statement.”
Across the nation, 166 of the 257 schools surveyed got an F for their speech climate. In Michigan, five of the seven universities surveyed did. Even MTU, which was ranked fourth nationally, only received a C grade.
That grade is made up of 12 parts, including how students feel about free speech on campus, school speech policies, and speech controversies on campus.
MTU was one of just 11 schools that received a speech climate grade of C or higher.
According to FIRE, MTU could “cement its strong position by adopting an official commitment to institutional neutrality,” likely raising its grade even further.
Even so, it ranked in the top 10 nationally in the categories of disruptive conduct, political tolerance, and administrative support.
In 2026, Michigan’s average speech-climate grade is D–, compared to a national average of F.
“Michigan is home to one of the nation’s highest ranked schools for free speech, but most campuses still restrict expression,” FIRE stated in its report. “Strengthening campus policies and expanding formal commitments to free speech could help raise the rankings of Michigan’s lower-performing schools.”
The survey ranked the 257 schools based on 68,510 student responses to a wide array of free speech-related questions. This is the sixth annual release of the report, which FIRE and College Pulse collaborated on.
Overall, the state’s institutions received an average ranking of 110 out of the 257 schools surveyed. That is up 21 from the last report.
