IU was named the third-worst university in the country for free speech in rankings released Tuesday by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.
Of the 257 higher education schools included, IU ranked above only Barnard College and Columbia University — two private institutions — making it the worst-ranked public university for free speech in the United States.
An IU spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.
Why did IU rank so low?
IU’s ranking stemmed from five “speech controversies” in 2024 and 2025.
FIRE referenced IU’s cancellation of an art exhibition by Palestinian-American artist Samia Halaby scheduled for February 2024. According to the artist’s grandniece, a museum official cited safety concerns and Halaby’s Instagram posts, in which she often expresses her support for Palestine and a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas War, for the cancellation.
In March 2024, IU Hillel planned to host former Hamas member and Israeli spy Mosab Hassan Yousef in a speaker event. Amid criticism from the Middle Eastern Student Association and Palestine Solidarity Committee against Yousef’s derogatory comments about Muslims, protesters planned a counter-demonstration.
The university asked Hillel to postpone the event due to security concerns. Hillel vowed to reschedule the event for the fall but never did. The counterprotest, originally against Yousef’s visit, did take place, though IU warned organizers it could put the MESA and PSC in violation of university policies unless they went through official event registration procedures. Both the PSC and MESA later posted on social media they were unaffiliated with the demonstration.
The College Republicans at IU hosted then-Rep. Jim Banks, R-Indiana, and Chaya Raichik, the creator behind the “Libs of TikTok” social media accounts in April 2024. Protesters disrupted the event by shouting. According to the IU Police Department, two individuals refused to stop being disruptive after three requests and were escorted out and briefly detained before being released. College Republicans posted on Instagram that the club “SUCCESSFULLY hosted Jim Banks and Chaya Raichik” despite “attempts to SHUT DOWN the event.”
The FIRE ranking also referenced students punished for their participation in the pro-Palestinian Dunn Meadow encampment last year. Following a policy change the night before the start of the demonstration, IU and Indiana State Police arrested over 50 protesters on two separate days in late April 2024. Those arrested were initially banned from campus for at least a year, though the bans and criminal trespass charges were later dropped.
The county chief deputy prosecutor described the policy change as “constitutionally dubious,” and the university later adopted a more comprehensive policy on campus speech.
The IU School of Medicine canceled an annual conference on LGBTQ+ health care in January this year. Executive associate dean Mary Dankoski said leadership decided to cancel it due to the “challenging” timing given state and federal actions restricting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
What does the ranking mean?
IU fell 12 places from last year’s ranking, receiving a score of “F” for at least the fifth year in a row. IU was one of 166 schools in the most recent report to receive an “F” for its speech climate, according to FIRE.
The free speech organization states it surveyed 325 IU students, with 54% saying they’ve self-censored on campus at least once or twice a month. Nearly 75% of students surveyed said “shouting down” speakers on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases, and 35% said using violence to stop someone from speaking is acceptable, at least in rare cases.
IU received an overall grade of 43.9, a “yellow” on FIRE’s spotlight ranking. That’s down from 44.7 in 2024 and 57.5 in 2021. The nationwide average this year was 58.63. The university also received an F in administrative support, political tolerance and self-censorship; a D- in openness and comfort expressing ideas; and a C+ in disruptive conduct.
According to a faculty survey released by FIRE in December, over 70% of IU faculty respondents said it was not very or not at all clear that the administration protects free speech on campus. Nearly 70% reported considering academic freedom as not at all or not very secure, and 34% said they recently changed their writing “for fear of causing controversy.”
In this year’s free speech rankings, Purdue placed second-best in the country. DePauw University ranked 18th, and the University of Notre Dame ranked 238th.
