FIRE Grades Cornell with an “F” in the 2027 Free Speech Rankings

On September 9, 2026, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) released its annual survey of the free speech climate on the nation’s college campuses. Cornell improved from 227th to 219th place.

“At a tumultuous time for higher education, we are seeing some progress in campus free speech policies and indications that students may be less willing to tolerate shoutdowns and violence on campus compared to recent years,” said FIRE President and CEO Greg Lukianoff. “But the overall state of free speech on campus is grim. Too many college administrators wield their power to cancel controversial speakers, cave to government or student calls for censorship, and limit academic freedom. This report emphasizes the need for colleges to embrace their constitutional obligations wholeheartedly.” 

Each year, FIRE’s rankings are based on a composite score of 12 components. Six components assess student perceptions of different aspects of the speech climate on their campus. Three components assess campus speech policies, and three assess behavior by administrators, faculty, and students during a speech controversy on campus. Higher scores indicate a better campus climate for free speech and expression. FIRE posts both a nationwide and a Cornell-specific analysis.

Cornell’s score and ranking were penalized for recent free speech episodes: none occurred in 2026, and a student facing suspension for a “Zionists must die” internet posting, which was considered last year, was removed this year. So, Cornell was penalized for 1) the cancellation of Kehlani as the 2024 Slope Day headliner, and 2) the audience disrupting the “Pathways to Peace” panel discussion.

Here is the historic trend in Cornell’s rankings:

Here is how Cornell compares with other Ivy League schools (lower numbers are better).

RELATED: Cornell Drops in FIRE’s 2026 Campus Free Speech Rankings

Next Steps For Cornell

Connor Murnane, FIRE’s Campus Advocacy Chief of Staff, said:

“While Cornell is near the bottom of the 2027 rankings, it performed moderately well relative to other schools on political tolerance. Cornell students were comparatively more willing to hear controversial speakers, but much less comfortable speaking themselves. That points to a real gap between students’ tolerance for disagreement and their confidence that they can participate in expressive activity themselves.”

The Cornell-specific FIRE report recommends, “It should revise student policies to earn a “green light” Spotlight rating, adopt the pro-free speech Chicago Statement, and adopt a statement on institutional neutrality. Given its weak showing on “Administrative Support,” administrators should respond clearly and forcefully to defend free speech whenever censorship occurs or is demanded. “Prof. Randy O. Wayne, Plant Sciences, responds, “There is no reason why the university should not adopt the Chicago Statement. It is like scoffing at Shakespeare and only reading works by someone with the same last name. There is also no reason not to accept the Kalven Report, unless one thrives on loopholes carved out for each and every unit.”

Prof. David A. Bateman, President of the Cornell AAUP Chapter, said:

“There are areas in which Cornell is doing relatively ok, and areas where it is faring worse. As with any such study, FIRE’s methodology is not perfect. For example, it gives considerable weight to a particular understanding of “institutional neutrality” that is far from being a universally accepted idea about how to best protect and encourage speech on campus. In this case, Cornell’s policy of institutional restraint is preferable. But FIRE is absolutely right to mark Cornell poorly for its canceling of a student-organized event on the basis of political speech, and the discomfort of students in expressing opinions — on Palestine, but not limited to that — is a product of the atmosphere that Cornell administration has cultivated by trying to silence controversial views and control the scope of acceptable discussion.”

Because FIRE’s rankings are based upon both a student opinion survey as well as a professional analysis of Cornell policy documents and media accounts of campus censorship, the rankings represent both official policies as written as well as applied by individual Cornell staff. Prof. Wayne notes, “While the [Cornell] administration in general is unsupportive of free speech, President Mike Kotlikoff and [Arts & Science] Dean Peter Loewen are among the best university administrators in the country for free speech. President Kotlikoff just won the Bruce D. Benson Courage-in-Education Award for promoting free speech while discouraging disruptive and illegal behavior.”

Cornell has made efforts to end “cancel culture” on campus, including various public statements by President Kotlikoff and a new course in Arts & Sciences on dealing with different viewpoints.

Survey Data

Some of the more notable items in the new survey results were:

• 50% of students say they have self-censored on campus at least once or twice a month. 
• 77% of students say shouting down a speaker to prevent them from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases. 
• 32% of students say using violence to stop someone from speaking on campus is acceptable, at least in rare cases. 

According to the survey sample, students who self-identify as liberal outnumbered those who self-identify as conservative by 5.56 to 1.