Fourteen Massachusetts colleges earned an “F” when it comes to campus free speech, according to a new ranking.
The report from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression says schools in the state are not alone in getting failing grades; 166 of 257 colleges surveyed nationwide received an F for their “poor free speech climate.”
Still, “Massachusetts is home to some of the most speech-restrictive campuses in the country,” the foundation said.
Boston schools ranked among worst for free speech
The foundation ranked two Boston schools among the 10 worst colleges for free speech. Boston College was ranked No. 251 and Northeastern was No. 253.
For B.C., the report said “a penalty tied to administrators’ restrictions on a pro-Palestinian demonstration weighed on this year’s score.” It also said a survey of students placed B.C. in the bottom 25 schools for “comfort expressing ideas,” “self-censorship” and “administrative support.”
Northeastern fell 75 spots in the ranking after a planned lecture by an Israeli historian was canceled, the report said.
“These low marks point to widespread acceptance of shout-downs and exclusive confidence in the administration’s commitment to free expression,” the foundation said.
WBZ-TV has reached out to Northeastern and B.C. for comment.
Harvard University was ranked the worst for free speech last year, and this year it was just outside the bottom 10. Even so, the foundation came to Harvard’s defense this summer in the Ivy League institution’s lawsuit against the Trump administration’s federal funding freeze.
Nationwide, the report found that “conservative students are increasingly joining their liberal peers in supporting censorship” and said students are demonstrating “a deep unwillingness to encounter controversial ideas” on campus.
College free speech ranking
Out of the 16 colleges in Massachusetts surveyed by the foundation, only Amherst College and MIT avoided an “F.” Both received a grade of D-.
Below is where the other 14 colleges ranked out of 257 schools when it comes to free speech.
110. Wheaton College
111. Boston University
121. WPI
149. Brandeis University
162. University of Massachusetts
166. Williams College
194. Clark University
225. Wellesley College
239. Tufts University
241. Smith College
242. Mount Holyoke College
245. Harvard University
251. Boston College
253. Northeastern University
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