UVA No. 1 in National College Free Speech Rankings
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression has named the University of Virginia No. 1 in its latest college free speech rankings.
The nonprofit organization, known as FIRE, partnered with analytics company College Pulse to survey more than 58,000 students at 257 schools for its 2025 College Free Speech Rankings.
UVA moved up to No. 1 from No. 6 last year, replacing Michigan Technological College, which moved to No. 2 in the latest report.
FIRE considered several factors, including students’ perceived ability to have difficult conversations, their comfort expressing views on controversial topics and perceptions of their administration’s support for free speech.
The top-ranked colleges have the highest average score among all students surveyed and have the most open environments for free speech. UVA’s overall score is 73.41. Michigan Technological College’s score is 73.15. Florida State University, last year’s fifth-place school, is No. 3, with a score of 72.46.