New Texas state law set to impact future rankings
On Sept. 3, 2025, FIRE filed a lawsuit challenging Texas Senate Bill 2972, which mandates public colleges and universities impose a host of sweeping censorship measures. SB 2972 went into effect September 1, after data was collected for the 2026 College Free Speech Rankings. While the full extent of these changes has not yet been determined, compliance with SB 2972 would at minimum result in Texas A&M losing its status as a “green light” institution and would prevent the other schools from earning a green light, bringing down Texas schools in future rankings.
Average Score The Average Score is the average of all Overall Scores from colleges in a state that were included in the College Free Speech Rankings.
58.5 Treanding Down
/ 100
Average Rank The Average Rank is the average of all Overall Ranks from colleges in a state that were included in the College Free Speech Rankings.
160 Treanding Down
/ 261
Average 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.
25
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).
D+
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
Overview
Twelve Texas schools are ranked in the 2027 College Free Speech Rankings. The state’s average speech climate grade is F, below the national average of D-.The University of Texas at El Paso ranks 48 overall and is the state’s top-ranked school. It holds a “yellow light” rating in FIRE’s Spotlight database. The University of Texas System’s board has affirmed the pro-free speech Chicago Statement and institutional neutrality, applying it to UTEP and several other campuses.
Southern Methodist University and the University of Texas at Arlington follow at 52 and 53, respectively. Texas A&M University earns the state’s only “green light” rating but ranks 192. Rice University and the University of Texas at Dallas hold “red light” ratings and fall in the bottom 50 alongside the University of North Texas and Texas State University. Reforming restrictive student policies would help improve these schools’ speech climates.
Highlights
42% of students say they have self-censored on campus at least once or twice a month.
68% of students say shouting down a speaker to prevent them from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
33% of students say using violence to stop someone from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
2.88:1
Across Texas, there are roughly 2.88 liberal students for every one conservative student.
Average score over time
Speech Controversies
Speech Controversies: When Free Expression Is Challenged
Explore notable incidents where free speech was tested on campuses across Texas. From speaker deplatformings to administrative actions, these events highlight the challenges — and consequences — of restricting expression.
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.
25
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.
8
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.
9
Deplatformings Deplatformings are the number of incidents where a scheduled event or speaker is canceled or prevented from taking place.
8
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.
1
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.
12
Scholars Under Fire
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Texas Tech University | Will Crescioni | Crescioni, a lecturer of psychology at the university, became entangled in Texas Tech System leadership’s expanding review of course materials touching on race, sex, gender, and sexuality. According to reporting that reviewed email exchanges, Crescioni submitted an honors-level psychology course for full review because those topics were “woven throughout” the class. Under the review process tied to Chancellor Brandon Creighton’s guidance, only content required for professional licensure or patient care could remain outside review, and Crescioni indicated the course did not qualify for that carveout. The department chair then requested specific “implicated content” for review and later asked whether Crescioni would postpone that content while awaiting approval. Crescioni replied that postponing it would not be “feasible or ethical,” and the chair canceled the course two days before the semester began — without elevating the matter to the dean, provost, or board of regents, per the media accounts. | -1.0 | Read More |
| 2026 | Texas Tech University | Matthew Pehl | Pehl, a professor of history at the university, was pulled into the Texas Tech University System’s new review regime for classroom content touching on race, sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation. After Texas Tech System Chancellor Brandon Creighton issued a December memo directing faculty to disclose “implicated” course content for review (and warning noncompliance could trigger “disciplinary action”), Pehl submitted readings from his courses through the system’s online disclosure form, which faculty critics reportedly dubbed a “censorship portal.” Pehl’s class was allowed to proceed only after he signed a statement agreeing not to teach certain content unless it was approved by the Board of Regents. Pehl disclosed two readings for review — one involving 19th-century wage labor in Baltimore and another focused on immigrant women working in California canneries. Rather than quietly removing the material, Pehl marked the readings as “censored” in his syllabus and emailed students explaining why the books could not be taught, saying he wanted documentation that he’d been censored and wanted students to understand what was happening. | -1.0 | Read More |
| 2026 | Texas A&M University | Sally Robinson | Robinson, a professor of English at the university, was one of an unidentified number of professors who were requested to alter the language on their syllabi in order to comply with a policy revision that barred the discussion of "race and gender ideology" or topics related to sexual orientation or gender identity. Robinson has applied to have her course syllabi exempted from the new policy. | -1.0 | Read More |
| 2026 | Texas A&M University | Leonard Bright | Bright, a professor of government and public service at the university's Bush School of Government and Public Service, had his graduate-level course, "Ethics in Public Policy," canceled after he pushed back during the university's ongoing, system-driven “course review” tied to new restrictions on classroom “advocacy” related to race, gender, sexuality, and related topics. According to reporting, administrators said Bright did not provide the additional detail they requested about when and how race, gender, and sexuality could arise in the course; Bright argued that level of specificity was impractical (and pedagogically wrongheaded) for a discussion-based graduate ethics course, where those issues can surface organically. | -1.0 | Read More |
| 2026 | Texas A&M University | Martin Peterson | Peterson, a professor of philosophy at the university and the Sue and Harry Bovay Professor of the History and Ethics of Professional Engineering, was directed by his department chair to alter the syllabus for his spring 2026 core-curriculum course, "Contemporary Moral Issues/Problems." As multiple outlets reported, Peterson had included two short units addressing “race ideology” and “gender ideology,” with assigned readings that included excerpts from Plato’s Symposium. Just prior to the start of the semester, the chair cited decisions by “college leadership” and a systemwide course-review process, and informed Peterson that he needed to remove the units and the Plato readings by the end of the day or be reassigned to teach a different course. Peterson removed the material to keep his course assignment, and later reporting indicated he replaced the censored content with lectures on free speech and academic freedom. | -1.0 | Read More |
| 2025 | Texas A&M University | Melissa McCoul | McCoul, a senior lecturer in the Department of English at the university, came under scrutiny after a student secretly recorded part of her Literature for Children class that included discussion of gender identity and a “Gender Unicorn” slide. In the video, the student challenged McCoul, claiming the material was “illegal” under state policy; McCoul disagreed and asked the student to leave. The video went viral, prompting Governor Greg Abbott, state Representative Brian Harrison, and other elected officials to call for McCoul’s dismissal. The university's president responded by terminating McCoul for allegedly teaching content inconsistent with the course description. The university also removed the dean of arts and sciences (Mark Zoran) and the English department head (Emily Johansen) from their positions, citing their approval of the course. The president later resigned amid the fallout. McCoul has filed an appeal of her termination and is considering legal action. | -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 |
| 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 |
Students Under Fire
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | University of North Texas | Noise | University of North Texas administrators removed and discarded protest displays and materials created by NOISE, a coalition of students, faculty, and alumni. The controversy arose after group members organized memorial-style installations — featuring chalk messages, signs, artwork, and a Mexican flag — in response to UNT’s prior cancellation of Victor Quiñonez’s immigration-themed exhibition, which included works critical of ICE. According to reports as well as videos and photographs uploaded to social media by NOISE, administrators and staff tore down the memorial, power-washed chalk messages such as “We The People Won’t Be Silenced,” and disposed of materials in dumpsters, prompting the group to accuse the university of an “unprecedented growth of fascism” and call for further protest. | -1.0 | Read More |
| 2026 | Rice University | Students for Justice in Palestine/Young Democratic Socialists of America | Rice University administrators reportedly sought to impose restrictions that would have relocated and limited attendance at a student-organized speaking event featuring Tom Alter. The controversy arose in March 2026 when Rice Young Democratic Socialists of America and Students for Justice in Palestine, alongside the Center for Civic Leadership and the Rice chapter of the American Association of University Professors, organized a campus event featuring Alter, a former Texas State University professor dismissed after controversial remarks about revolutionary politics, as part of a broader “Defend Free Speech” tour. Organizers alleged that, despite completing required procedures, administrators attempted to move the event to an indoor classroom, restrict outside guests, and prohibit amplified sound — actions they characterized as an effort to “censor it to a random classroom” and avoid attention. The event ultimately proceeded as planned in an outdoor campus space without the reported restrictions. | -1.0 | Read More |
| 2026 | The University of Texas at Dallas | Students for Justice in Palestine | University of Texas at Dallas administrators suspended the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter for one year, revoking its ability to operate on campus and access university resources. The controversy arose after the university opened an investigation on Sept. 2, 2025, into a May 16 commencement demonstration in which pro-Palestinian students briefly (reportedly about 28 seconds) interrupted President Richard Benson’s speech with chants including “From Columbia to UTD, we are all SJP.” Administrators later concluded that “the speech made during the disruption, SJP’s social media posts calling for disruption of commencement ceremonies, and SJP’s subsequent dissemination via social media of video recordings of these disruptive activities are sufficient to support the conclusion that SJP and/or its members led, incited and/or participated in this disruption,” citing in part Instagram posts encouraging attendees to wear keffiyehs and display Palestinian flags. SJP disputed the findings, arguing the protest was autonomous and that the university relied on guilt-by-association rather than evidence of direct involvement. Following a disciplinary process and appeal, the suspension was upheld through February 2027. | -2.0 | Read More |
| 2026 | The University of Texas at Dallas | Ellie Maguire | Maguire was one of two student journalists summoned to an administrative meeting for “openly critiqu[ing]” another student media outlet. In December 2025, Maguire, the marketing director for the opinion and satire magazine AMP, and a student journalist with Radio UTD were invited by a fellow student to provide feedback on a recent issue of “The Mercury” campus newspaper. Days later, both students were called into a meeting with administrators, reprimanded for “being mean, as opposed to being constructive,” and told that offering feedback “in the public space is not appropriate, even if it’s invited.” | -1.0 | Read More |
| 2026 | Texas A&M University | Yousef Mahdy | Texas A&M University administrators announced an investigation into Mahdy following public calls for action after a viral video showed him confronting members of a Students Supporting Israel table. Mahdy filmed the interaction himself, during which he directed various remarks including “Free Palestine,” “it’s the genocide supporters,” “what’s up stinky Zionists, dirty scums?” and “when will these guys learn to get the hell out of our country?”. The activist group StopAntisemitism later circulated the video on social media and urged the university to respond. Texas A&M stated it “condemns antisemitism and all forms of hate” and confirmed it was “actively investigating” whether Mahdy’s conduct violated university policies, while system chancellor Glenn Hegar said the behavior was “unacceptable” and indicated the university would review the matter. | -1.0 | Read More |
| 2025 | The University of Texas at Dallas | Gregorio Olivares Gutierrez | Olivares Gutierrez was issued a two-year suspension when administrators equated his editorial suggestions and the inclusion of a disclaimer with a letter to the editor with discriminatory harassment. On July 30, 2024, UT Dallas Hillel president Jade Steinberg submitted a letter to the editor of “The Mercury” student newspaper about antisemitism on campus. Olivares Gutierrez, then-editor-in-chief Gregorio suggested edits — accepted by the author — and later added a disclaimer stating the letter “does not meet the journalistic standards of ‘The Mercury’” due to a lack of credible sources. The day after the letter's publication, Steinberg filed an incident report with the Office of Institutional Compliance, whose investigation found Gutierrez’s acts were “subjectively and objectively offensive” and “severe and pervasive.” On November 12, 2025, the university found Gutierrez responsible for discriminatory harassment and issued a two-year deferred suspension. FIRE wrote to the university days later, arguing that Gutierrez’s actions were protected editorial judgment and urging the university to clear his record. The university subsequently postponed the suspension pending the outcome of Gutierrez’s appeal. | -1.0 | Read More |
| 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 |
| 2025 | University of North Texas | Dania Bayan/Fatima Kubra | Texas Reps. (R) sent a letter to administrators calling for the removal of Dania Bayan and Fatima Kubra's pro-Palestinian artworks from a campus exhibit. The letter called the artworks' framing of Middle Eastern geopolitics "not only inflammatory, but factually false with regard to the allegations of 'genocide.'" Bayan and Kubra voluntarily took down one piece from their exhibit. | +1.0 | Read More |
| 2024 | The University of Texas at Dallas | The Mercury | Administrators fired all student staffers of “The Mercury” after the paper went on strike in response to the removal of its editor-and-chief. Following the “The Mercury’s” summer coverage of administrative handling of pro-Palestinian student protests, the paper experienced months of contentious relations with administrators, including being prohibited from attending journalism conferences in alleged retaliation for denying the Director of Student Media access to summer meetings, as well as the outing of the paper's editor-in-chief in September. In response to this, the remaining 10 members of the paper released a public statement announcing a strike until the editor-in-chief be reinstated. Several weeks later, student affairs fired all 10 members, leading the students to start their own independent paper called the “Retrograde.” | -1.0 | Read More |
Deplatformings
| Year | School | Target | Controversy Explanation | Score Impact | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | University of North Texas | GLAD Queer Alliance's Annual Drag Show | After the university system lifted its systemwide pause on drag performances in August 2025, the student group GLAD: Queer Alliance moved forward with plans for its annual 2026 drag show. The event was initially approved by the university, but that approval was later revoked. The cancellation comes after another appeal was blocked by the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals regarding Texas Senate Bill 12 (2023), which prohibits sexually oriented performances — defined as visual performances featuring nudity or performers exhibiting as the opposite gender through clothing or makeup — on public property. The decision appears motivated by a concern over the university losing state funding if it did not comply with the state’s drag-performance restrictions, and because the litigation over Senate Bill 12 was still ongoing after another appeal was blocked by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. GLAD was forced to move the event off campus and fund it through donations and fundraising instead. | -3.0 | Read More |
| 2026 | University of North Texas | Ni De AquÌ Ni De Allá | The university's College of Visual Arts and Design (CVAD) canceled and closed an exhibition of work by Brooklyn-based street artist Victor Quiñonez (who works as “Marka27”) after an anonymous tip alleged the show included artwork denouncing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The exhibition, “Ni de Aquí, Ni de Allá (Not from Here, Not from There),” originated at Boston University and was scheduled for a multi-month run at UNT’s CVAD Galleries (with reporting indicating it opened on Feb. 3, 2026, and was slated to run through May 1, and that it was scheduled to “officially” open with a Feb. 19 reception). The show included works from Quiñonez’s “I.C.E. Scream” series — paleta (popsicle) sculptures and related pieces reframing ICE as “Inhumane and Cruelty Enforcement,” among other critiques of immigration enforcement. According to multiple reports, the gallery was abruptly shuttered around Feb. 11, 2026 (with windows papered over and references to the show removed from UNT’s channels), and Quiñonez said he learned what happened through messages from students. | -3.0 | Read More |
| 2025 | The University of Texas at Austin | The Rocky Horror Picture Show | Students on campus planned to continue a long-running campus tradition: an annual interactive screening and student “shadowcast” performance of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” produced through Campus Events + Entertainment (E+E) and Creative Arts & Theatre. The show, which had run for around 11 years, featured students performing the film in drag alongside the screening and had become, in the words of participants, a cornerstone of queer community and campus culture. This tradition was derailed after the UT System Board of Regents announced in March 2025 that system institutions “will not serve as venues for drag shows” and directed campuses to implement a drag-show ban through their ordinary event-approval procedures. When a student (and director of the event) sought E+E approval for the 2025 “Rocky Horror” production, the department informed her it would not greenlight the show or place it on its events roster, giving no explanation beyond the formal statement that the event would not be approved. In response, students worked with the theater arts student group The Broccoli Project to rebuild the production off campus at the Pearl Street Co-op in West Campus, fundraising for equipment and borrowing costumes and props from local theater companies to keep the show alive as an independent event. | -2.0 | Read More |
| 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 |
| 2025 | Texas A&M University | No Other Land | University administrators canceled a scheduled on-campus screening of the Oscar-winning documentary “No Other Land” “so [the event] could be held in conjunction with other academic programs that would add value.” The film, created by an Israeli-Palestinian collective, documents the displacement of Palestinian communities in the West Bank. In response to the cancellation, the film was screened off-campus. | -2.0 | Read More |
| 2025 | Texas A&M University | Draggieland | The university system's Board of Regents unanimously voted to ban drag shows across its 11 campuses, citing concerns that such performances are "inconsistent with the System's mission and core values," and referencing a recent presidential executive order prohibiting federal funding for the promotion of "gender ideology." This decision led to the cancellation of "Draggieland," an annual drag event scheduled on the university's flagship campus. | -2.0 | Read More |
| 2025 | The University of Texas at Dallas | Dominic Coletti | University administrators canceled Coletti's talk, titled "Why You Should Care About Free Speech on Campus," less than 24 hours before it was set to begin. Coletti, a FIRE program officer, had been invited by the Young Americans for Liberty (YAL). The cancellation was triggered when a reporter from the student newspaper, The Mercury, contacted university administrators with questions about whether the event complied with school policies. This prompted administrators to investigate and ultimately revoke the student group’s room reservation. The university cited a rule prohibiting outside organizations from reserving campus space or organizing events through student groups, asserting that FIRE — not YAL — had arranged the event. FIRE contested the university’s justification, arguing that the policy was vaguely defined and selectively enforced, especially since the university had allowed other student groups to host events co-sponsored by external organizations. | -2.0 | Read More |
| 2024 | University of Houston | Shahzia Sikander | Sikander, an artist, was scheduled to speak at the opening of an exhibit displaying two pieces of her artwork (“Witness” and “Reckoning”) at the university. Multiple off-campus activists groups, TFP Student Action and Texas Right to Life, started petitions demanding the exhibit's cancellation. The university canceled the opening ceremonies, including Sikander's talk, after these petitions garnered national attention and Texas Right to Life organized an on-campus protest. “Witness” remains on display. “Reckoning,” an animated short film, was not installed at the time the exhibit opened and it is unclear if or when it will be shown. | -1.0 | Read More |
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