Overall Score The Overall Score is made up of 12 parts. Six measure how students feel about free speech on campus. Three look at school speech policies. The last three look at how people on campus respond during speech controversies. A higher score reflects a better free speech climate.
47.8 Treanding Down
/ 100
Overall Rank The Overall Rank shows where a school stands among the 257 institutions evaluated, based on its Overall Score.
259 Treanding Down
/ 261
Overall grade The Grade is a letter based on the college's rounded Overall Score. Scores fall into standard grade ranges from A (93-100) to F (below 60).
F
Speech Controversies Controversies are campus incidents where a student, professor, or speaker faces backlash or pressure for speech that's protected by the First Amendment or academic freedom.
4
Overview
Texas State University ranks 259 out of 261 schools in the 2027 College Free Speech Rankings with a score of 48 and an F speech climate grade, falling 147 places and losing 11 points from last year.Texas State lands in the bottom 25 for “Disruptive Conduct,” signaling student acceptance of non-peaceful forms of protest. It also tumbled 133 places after ranking in the top 25 last year for “Administrative Support,” indicating students doubt officials will defend speech. The data shows no top 50 strengths.
The campus maintains a “yellow light” Spotlight rating. It should revise student policies to earn a “green light” Spotlight rating, adopt the pro-free speech Chicago Statement, and adopt an official commitment to institutional neutrality. Texas State should respond clearly and forcefully to defend free speech whenever censorship occurs or is demanded.
Highlights
42% of students say they have self-censored on campus at least once or twice a month.
73% of students say shouting down a speaker to prevent them from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
41% of students say using violence to stop someone from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
1.22:1
There are roughly 1.22 liberal students for every one conservative student.
Spotlight Rating
Yellow
Score over time
Student Voices
Controversial topics in and out the the classroom are difficult to share sometimes as some one who is conservative on a campus that can have a more liberal mindset.
anything to do with the recent presidential election
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Every school's score is shaped by campus policies. Adjust the factors below to see how different policies affect the ranking for Texas State University.
Score Deep Dive
Inside the Score
Explore the key factors shaping this score. This section provides a detailed look at the data, policies, and student experiences that influence free speech on campus.
Overall Score The Overall Score is made up of 12 parts. Six measure how students feel about free speech on campus. Three look at school speech policies. The last three look at how people on campus respond during speech controversies. A higher score reflects a better free speech climate.
47.8 Treanding Down
/ 100
This score out of 100 reflects how open and supportive a campus is for free speech, based on student surveys, campus policies, and recent speech-related controversies.
Overall Rank The Overall Rank shows where a school stands among the 257 institutions evaluated, based on its Overall Score.
259 Treanding Down
/ 261
A comparison of 257 U.S. colleges and universities on free speech, based on overall scores from student surveys, campus policies, and speech-related controversies.
Overall grade The Grade is a letter based on the college's rounded Overall Score. Scores fall into standard grade ranges from A (93-100) to F (below 60).
F
A school’s speech climate, shown as a letter grade (A–F), based on its overall score from student surveys, campus policies, and speech-related controversies.
Speech Controversies Controversies are campus incidents where a student, professor, or speaker faces backlash or pressure for speech that's protected by the First Amendment or academic freedom.
4
Reflect recent incidents where a speaker, professor, student, or student group faced efforts to punish, disinvite, or silence them for expressing a controversial view.
Chicago Statement for Free Speech
Not Adopted
Institutional Neutrality
Not Adopted
Spotlight Rating
Yellow
Comfort Expressing Ideas Comfort Expressing Ideas measures how comfortable students feel sharing their views on controversial topics in different campus settings. The grade falls into standard grade ranges from A (93-100) to F (below 60).
D
Disruptive Conduct Disruptive Conduct measures how acceptable students think it is to disrupt a campus speaker. The grade falls into standard grade ranges from A (93-100) to F (below 60).
C
Openness Openness measures how many controversial topics students feel they can openly discuss on campus. The grade falls into standard grade ranges from A (93-100) to F (below 60).
C-
Self-Censorship Self-Censorship measures how often students hold back their views on campus. The grade falls into standard grade ranges from A (93–100) to F (below 60).
D
Administrative Support Administrative Support measures how clearly students think their school supports free speech and how likely the administration is to defend a speaker's rights during a controversy. The grade falls into standard grade ranges from A (93-100) to F (below 60).
F
Political Tolerance Political Tolerance measures how willing students are to allow controversial speakers — on both the left and right — to speak on campus, even if they disagree with their views. The grade falls into standard grade ranges from A (93-100) to F (below 60).
F
Speech Controversies
Speech Controversies: When Free Expression Is Challenged
Explore notable incidents where free speech was tested on campus. From speaker deplatformings to administrative actions, these events highlight the challenges — and consequences — of restricting expression.
Total Controversies Controversies are campus incidents where a student, professor, or speaker faces backlash or pressure for speech that's protected by the First Amendment or academic freedom.
4
Scholars Under Fire Scholar Controversies are campus incidents where a professor or academic staff member faces backlash or punishment for speech protected by academic freedom or the First Amendment.
2
Students Under Fire Student Controversies are campus incidents where a student or student group faces punishment or pressure from the school for speech that's protected by the First Amendment.
1
Deplatformings Deplatformings are the number of incidents where a scheduled event or speaker is canceled or prevented from taking place.
1
Honor Roll Statements Honor Roll Statements are the number of public messages from a college or university defending free speech during a campus controversy. Schools that make these statements can earn bonus points on their Overall Score for standing up for free expression when it counts.
0
Attempted Disruptions Attempted Disruptions are the number of incidents where people on campus try to stop a scheduled event or speaker.
0
New in 2026 The number of controversies that have occurred since the previous launch of the College Free Speech Rankings.
0
Scholars Under Fire
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Texas State University | Idris Robinson | Robinson, a professor of philosophy at the university, was effectively terminated after outside critics targeted him over an off-campus speech about Palestine. In June 2024, Robinson delivered a talk titled “Strategic Lessons from the Palestinian Resistance” at the Another Carolina Anarchist Book Fair in Asheville, North Carolina. According to Robinson’s federal complaint, he spoke there as a private citizen, did not identify himself as a Texas State faculty member, and was not implicated by police in a scuffle that broke out after the event. Nearly a year later, a pro-Israel activist circulated video from the talk on Instagram, accused Robinson of inciting violence, and called on the university to fire him. The day after that online campaign began, the university placed Robinson on paid administrative leave and barred him from communicating with students and colleagues; the following month, the university notified him that his contract would not be renewed and that his employment would end on May 31, 2026. Robinson’s lawsuit alleges this sequence amounted to retaliation for protected extramural speech, noting that he had received consistently positive reviews and had been rated “excellent” in 2024. | -2.0 | Read More |
| 2025 | Texas State University | Thomas Alter | Alter, a professor of history at the university, gave an online talk during the Revolutionary Socialism Conference in which he critiqued capitalism, called for organizing a “revolutionary socialist party,” and posed a rhetorical challenge: “Without organization, how can anyone expect to overthrow the most bloodthirsty, profit-driven mad organization in the history of the world — that of the U.S. government?” He also discussed how workers might join unions, protests, strike efforts, and link struggles to eventual systemic change. Clips of the talk were published on X the next day. A few days later, the university's president issued a statement that, after a “thorough review,” the university judged Alter’s actions to constitute “serious professional and personal misconduct,” including “advocating for inciting violence,” and announced his immediate termination. Alter has filed a lawsuit and alleges that the termination was effected without prior hearing, without giving him meaningful notice of the charges or opportunity to respond, and without following standard procedural safeguards for tenured faculty. He also alleges the firing was politically motivated, violated his First Amendment rights, and breached both contract and institutional policy regarding faculty protections. | -4.0 | Read More |
Students Under Fire
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Texas State University | Devion Canty Jr. | Canty Jr. was expelled from Texas State University after a video went viral showing him mocking the assassination of Charlie Kirk during a campus vigil. In the video, he is seen standing on a rock and clutching his neck before falling over — mimicking Kirk’s death. The video drew national attention, including from Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Rudy Giuliani, both of whom publicly called for Canty Jr. to be identified and expelled. That same day, the university’s president announced Canty Jr. was “no longer a student at TXST”; in a later interview, Canty Jr. said he was forced to withdraw. | -2.0 | Read More |
Deplatformings
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Texas State University | Black History 101 Mobile Museum | A director of campus activity at the university invited Dr. Khalid el-Hakim to campus to bring his Black History 101 Mobile Museum to campus. El-Hakim accepted and spent the next two weeks coordinating logistics with the university. But, after what the administrator described as consultation with “supervisors and the leadership team,” the university abruptly canceled the event via email, citing “Senate Bill 17 (88R), the climate of our State, and certain topics covered as part of the museum” as reasons for the cancellation. | -2.0 | Read More |
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More Student Voices
Immigration is a very common topic that is talked about and I have dealt with in my life as family members were immigrants. At times it feels as putting in my input will just put a target on me referring to me as someone who's family should "go back to their country" especially with the 2024 election results i've seen several of my peers cheering on and saying they hope all poc get deported.
Survey Results
Survey Results: Student Perspectives
See how students at Texas State University perceive free speech on their campus. This section breaks down survey responses to key questions, providing insights into overall trends as well as demographic differences in how students experience free expression.
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