Florida State University dropped to No. 17 in this year’s Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) College Free Speech Ranking, a significant downgrade after ranking No. 3 in 2024. The university earned a C- grade for its campus “speech climate” in the report, which evaluated 257 institutions nationwide.
FIRE’s grading system gave FSU a D for “comfort expressing ideas,” a D- for “self-censorship,” an F for “administrative support,” and a D for “openness,” all categories that inform the rankings. The foundation also criticized the university for failing to adopt an official commitment to institutional neutrality.
The university earned a C+ in “disruptive conduct” and an F in “political tolerance,” which represent areas of relative stability or growth compared to national averages.
FIRE report praises FSU policy for ‘upholding expressive rights’
Despite these declines, the report highlights that FSU maintained high marks in other areas. The report praised FSU’s continued adherence to the Chicago Statement for Free Speech, a policy statement emphasizing the importance of free and open inquiry at the collegiate level. Additionally, FSU maintained its “green light” spotlight ranking, which indicates that “policies do not seriously imperil speech.”
The report also commended FSU for upholding expressive rights after the administration permitted deceased conservative commentator Charlie Kirk to speak at FSU on his “America Comeback” tour in February of 2024, despite student opposition. This decision highlighted the university’s “willingness to uphold expressive rights,” according to FIRE.
Student groups allege ‘culture of fear’ and political bias
Some student organizations disagree with the report’s assessment. Jadyn Glueck, president of Tallahassee Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), told the FSView that figures like Kirk do not foster discourse but instead justify racism and homophobia to their followers. Tallahassee SDS was also cited in the report for protesting the event.
“This does not encourage freedom of expression for Black, Brown, and queer students,” Glueck said. “It creates a culture of fear and supremacy, which further silences minority students on campus … I would point to the Nazi salutes we observed from the Kirk supporters during the protest as evidence of the culture he encouraged.”
Turning Point USA at FSU did not respond to requests for comment regarding its opinion on Kirk’s inclusion in the rankings. Other student organizations criticize the administration for what they describe as a preference for conservative speakers over liberal ones.
“Free speech should apply equally across the board. FSU has a history of barring democratic representatives from coming on campus, like when the sitting Vice President Kamala Harris was not allowed to come to campus to speak to students in 2022,” Madalyn Propst, president of College Democrats at FSU, said to the FSView. “If FSU is going to shut her down, why would we let a propaganda machine on campus?”
College Republicans at FSU did not respond to requests for comment regarding the state of free speech on campus.
Intellectual Freedom Survey engagement and sentiment
In relation to campus free speech, students at FSU have previously raised concerns about the Intellectual Freedom Survey mandated by the Florida Board of Governors (BOG).
Since the survey’s implementation in April 2022, FSU has been required to distribute the assessment annually to students and faculty. Despite administrative efforts to encourage participation, FSU reported a 6.9% student completion rate in the 2025 results released by the BOG. The figure was the third lowest among the 12 state universities included in the survey.
The survey asks students for their opinions on diverse political beliefs among faculty, their instructors’ personal beliefs, and their own political affiliations.
Some organizations argue that the survey is a net positive for the student body. Denise Harle, director of the First Amendment Clinic at the FSU College of Law, told the FSView that the BOG’s invitation to students and faculty for feedback is “encouraging.”
“Those experiences reported in the survey are important input as leaders ensure that campus climates and policies align with both First Amendment rights and the values that foster civil discourse and intellectual exploration,” Harle said.
Student warns of increasing state oversight
While the clinic supports the survey, other students question the impact of state-mandated assessments on academic freedom. FSU student Jonus Goldstein told the FSView that the survey attempts to “audit an organic process” through political gamesmanship.
“The very essence of the marketplace of ideas is its autonomy from government oversight,” Goldstein said. “When a governing body begins ‘tracking’ the success of the First Amendment, it ceases to be a guardian of liberty and becomes a regulator of it.”
Goldstein, who attended a FIRE conference in Philadelphia his freshman year, attributed the drop in rankings to institutions’ trading of “organic liberty” for “administrative performance.” He pointed to the use of campus television screens displaying instructions on how to conduct “thoughtful discourse” as an example of the administration shifting from protecting a right to regulating a behavior.
“Genuine intellectual freedom doesn’t require a tutorial or a TV screen in the Union,” Goldstein said. “It requires the state and the administration to step back and allow the marketplace of ideas to function without a chaperone.”
Gregory Rusin is a Senior Staff Writer for the FSView & Florida Flambeau, the student-run, independent online news service for the FSU community. Email our staff at contact@fsview.com.
This article originally appeared on FSU News: Florida State drops 14 spots in FIRE’s free speech ranking
Reporting by Gregory Rusin, Senior Staff Writer, FSView / FSU News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
