Columbia University is consistently ranked among the best academic institutions in the United States. Unfortunately, it is among the worst universities for freedom of speech.
Columbia ranks second-to-last in FIRE’s 2025 Free Speech Rankings, earning an “Abysmal” speech climate rating and a score of ZERO. Columbia’s score is technically -0.58, but we rounded it up. It was only spared the infamous honor of finishing last because Harvard University scored even worse. While Columbia is a private school and therefore not bound to uphold the First Amendment, it does make strong free speech promises which it is contractually obligated to uphold.
Despite the school’s formal commitment to freedom of expression, Columbia’s students are uncomfortable expressing ideas, 1 in 5 Columbia faculty report self-censoring, and both faculty and students report little confidence in Columbia’s administration to defend free speech on campus. The administration has only contributed to the problem by sanctioning scholars and investigating faculty for protected speech.
Columbia’s feeble stance toward free expression inspires little confidence among students and faculty that their university will stand up for them in their time of need. And worse — Columbia’s terrible record of censorship over the past year might discourage students and faculty from expressing their points of view if they believe the administration would disagree with them.
Tell Columbia to cultivate a better climate for free expression by realigning itself with its own promises to protect free speech, revising its problematic speech codes, and supporting students and faculty when they become embroiled in free speech controversies. Only then can Columbia bounce back from this year’s ranking.
