by Madeleine Farr | Special to the Courier

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, or FIRE, recently released its 2026 free speech rankings of 257 American colleges measuring speech climates on their campuses, and while four of the five Claremont Colleges’ undergraduate institutions received an “F,” Claremont McKenna College was ranked number one in the nation.

CMC was top rated despite a “B-” score. Rounding out the top five were Purdue, University of Chicago, Michigan Technological University, and University of Boulder, Colorado. The survey is viewable at thefire.org.

CMC also placed first in 2021, making it the only institution to do so twice.

At 193^rd, Harvey Mudd College finished highest after CMC, followed by Scripps at 209^th, Pitzer at 218^th, and Pomona College, which finished just 10 slots from the bottom at 247^th. The lowest rated institution was New York City’s Barnard College.

The report was developed using surveys distributed via the College Pulse mobile app and web portal; its data included 68,510 total student respondents across the country, surveyed from January 3 through June 5.

“The average overall score (58.63) is a failing grade in a college course,” the report noted in its key findings. “Overall, 166 of the 257 schools surveyed got an F for their speech climate, while only 11 schools received a speech climate grade of C or higher.” In outlining this particular finding, FIRE provides context for how CMC placed first despite scoring less than an 80 overall.

The survey was divided into seven main components, including “Tolerance for Controversial Conservative Speakers” and “Administrative Support.” Questions included asking students how comfortable they felt expressing views or disagreements in various contexts, from class discussions to social media posts, and how clear it was to them that their college administrators protect free speech on campus.

CMC stood out based on these criteria, according to the report, in part because it is one of a small percentage of institutions to officially adopt the “Chicago Principles.” These institutional principles are used to convey a commitment to free speech. Furthermore, 66% of CMC students surveyed said that it is “very” or “extremely” clear that the administration protects free speech.

In addition to their annual reports compiled using these components, FIRE also maintains its “Spotlight Database,” an ongoing speech code rating system attributing “red,” “yellow” and “green” lights to institutions of higher education based on their speech climates.

CMC, again, stands out among the Claremont Colleges in receiving a green light — the other four campuses received a yellow light.

During the rating process, FIRE evaluates individual policies and then assesses the college as a whole. Some policies are shared by all Claremont Colleges, such as the 7C policy on demonstrations (which received a green light) or the poster and banner approval policy (which received a yellow light).

The various Claremont Colleges have also, over time, developed their own policies in addition to the standardized, consortium-wide ones. For example, Scripps’ “Bias Incidents and Hate Crimes” policy received a yellow light, as did Harvey Mudd’s “Bullying and Cyber-bullying policy.”

Of the five undergraduate Claremont Colleges, only Scripps responded to a request for comment.

“Scripps continues to rigorously adhere to the tenets of academic freedom and our community’s rights to express their views,” Senior Communications Manager Emily Peters wrote in email. “This is essential to sustaining an environment where students, faculty, and staff can grow and learn from each other.”

The FIRE survey is viewable at thefire.org.

Madeleine Farr, a Pitzer College junior studying politics and writing, is senior news editor at the Claremont Colleges student newspaper The Student Life, where this story first appeared.