--- title: 2020 College Free Speech Rankings description: The College Free Speech Rankings provides the first-ever way to comprehensively assess and compare freedom of speech on college campuses in America. image: https://reports.collegepulse.com/hubfs/IntroTw%20Cropped.png --- [![Alllogo](https://reports.collegepulse.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Alllogo.png?width=700&height=79&name=Alllogo.png "Alllogo")](https://speech.collegepulse.com) #### DOWNLOAD REPORT # 2020 College Free Speech Rankings    --- The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), in partnership with RealClearEducation, commissioned College Pulse to conduct a survey of students at 55 colleges about students’ experiences with free speech on their campuses. Fielded from April 1 to May 28, 2020, via the College Pulse mobile app and web portal, the survey included nearly 20,000 student respondents who were currently enrolled in four-year degree programs. This was the largest survey of college students about free speech on their campuses ever conducted. ### Key Highlights Include - Of the institutions included in the ranking, the University of Chicago is considered the best campus for free speech and DePauw University in Indiana the worst. - Seven of the top 10 colleges are public state universities, and undergraduate enrollment is above 15,000 at each of those seven. - 60% of students can recall at least one time during their college experience when they did not share their perspective for fear of how others would respond.  - While 57% of students say their college would defend a speaker’s right to express his or her views in the case of a controversy over “offensive” expression, a disturbingly large minority, 42%, believe their college would punish the speaker for making the statement. Over 45% of college students identified race as a challenging topic to discuss on campus, the highest of any controversial topic asked about. - Students’ assessment of free speech on campus is, at least in part, driven by their political ideology, and whether or not they align with the majority viewpoint at their college.         ![Screen Shot 2020-09-22 at 11.11.41 AM](https://reports.collegepulse.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screen%20Shot%202020-09-22%20at%2011.11.41%20AM.png?width=475&height=599&name=Screen%20Shot%202020-09-22%20at%2011.11.41%20AM.png "Screen Shot 2020-09-22 at 11.11.41 AM")