(The Center Square) – Amid clashes on college campuses over contentious issues and declining student support for free speech among students in recent years, a growing number of university leaders across the country are taking steps to protect students’ freedom of expression.
A new study shows U.S. colleges are increasingly narrowing or eliminating restrictive speech codes. However, far too many still fail to live up to their free speech obligations in policy and practice, according to the report.
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression recently released its Spotlight on Speech Codes 2026, which found a record number of schools earning its highest rating, alongside a continued decline in policies that substantially restrict student expression.
The study surveyed the written policies of nearly 500 colleges and universities, evaluating their compliance with First Amendment standards or their stated commitments to free speech.
The number of schools earning FIRE’s green light rating has increased over the past 20 years from eight to 76, accounting for 15.4% of the institutions surveyed. These schools maintain policies that do not seriously threaten student expression.
FIRE notes that most of that growth has occurred over the last decade, and that a majority of states now have at least one school with a green light rating.
This marks the second consecutive year in which the number of green light schools has exceeded the 65 schools earning red light ratings, FIRE says.
Red light schools maintain policies that “clearly and substantially restrict free speech,” or prevent public access to speech-related policies by requiring a university login and password.
An overall yellow light rating was earned by 342 schools, or 69.4%. These institutions maintain policies with vague restrictions that could too easily be used to suppress protected expression or policies that clearly restrict speech in narrower circumstances.
Of the 31 Pennsylvania schools included in the study, 23 earned yellow light ratings. Haverford College was the only institution in the commonwealth to improve, moving from a red light to a yellow light rating.
Only two – Pennsylvania Western University, Edinboro and Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania – earned green light rankings.
Six Pennsylvania schools received red light ratings: Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, Dickinson College, Drexel University, Lafayette College, and Lincoln and Villanova Universities.
According to the report, private schools generally maintain more restrictive speech codes than their public counterparts and are more likely to earn red light ratings.
Just 9.8% of public schools received red light ratings, versus 24.6% of private schools, marking the first time in the report’s history that figure has fallen below 10%.
Similarly, nearly 18% of public schools earn green light ratings, compared with only 7% of private schools, the report says.
Ten schools earned a “Warning” rating because they clearly and consistently state that they hold a certain set of values above a commitment to freedom of speech.
“Even one restrictive policy is one too many, but there’s reason to be hopeful. We’re seeing major improvements in campus policymaking, and campuses that were once hotbeds of censorship are overhauling problematic policies,” said FIRE Senior Program Counsel Ryan Ansloan.
“Pressure from many state legislatures, as well as the reelection of Donald Trump and subsequent federal investigations, lawsuits, and shifts in research funding, have prompted internal review at many schools. We hope this will translate to taking the side of free speech when controversies arise.”
FIRE’s updated College Free Speech Rankings Report is due next month. Last year, 15 Pennsylvania schools earned an average grade of “F” for their speech climate, matching the national average.
