Indiana Universities Ranked on Free Speech

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression has released its ranking of the best colleges for free speech, interviewing 68,000 students across 257 schools. Four Indiana universities made the cut, with two in the top 20 and two in the bottom 20.

DePauw University ranked No. 18 and Purdue University ranked No. 2 for promoting an environment that values free speech. "They have policies that protect their speech on campus. They promote an environment in which they talk about free speech being important for learning and important for the student experience," said Angela Erickson, vice president of research at the foundation.

Purdue received a high rating, but the survey was conducted before the university decided to no longer help circulate its independent student paper. The change will be included in Purdue's score in 2026.

Notre Dame and Indiana University both scored an F, with Notre Dame ranked No. 238 and Indiana University ranked No. 255. Erickson noted that even one egregious event can have a lasting impact on students' trust. "Students remember," she said. "A lot of the student comments we got from the survey this year reflected the sniper on the roof of the building during a protest they had."

More than half of the schools surveyed received an F ranking, with students also mentioning that discussing the Israeli and Palestinian conflict was challenging. "Not only are they (students) having a hard time speaking on campus, but they're also having a hard time listening and letting others speak on campus," Erickson said.

Erickson noted that students across political lines believe violence is an acceptable alternative to peaceful protests, raising alarms across campuses.

Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner emphasized the importance of continuous improvement. "Across all of our college campuses, we should look at what we're doing. We should reflect on what we're doing and continue to improve," she said.