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Under the First Amendment, most forms of speech are protected, but how well do colleges and universities actually defend students when their speech is threatened?
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The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) recently released its annual College Free Speech Rankings, looking at hundreds of higher educational facilities nationwide to determine which schools do the best job at allowing student’s free expressions.
Here’s how South Carolina’s colleges were graded and how they compared to other schools across the country:
How were colleges ranked?
FIRE ranked colleges on free speech by analyzing real student experiences, university policies and speech controversies, according to the group’s website.
In this year’s rankings, they analyzed 261 U.S. schools, and College Pulse, a market research group, surveyed over 63,000 college students.
To create the overall grade and score for every school they analyzed, FIRE added up a dozen components that define a school’s free speech protections. These components include:
- Comfort Expressing Ideas
- Self-Censorship
- Disruptive Conduct
- Administrative Support
- Openness
- Political Tolerance
- Chicago Statement
- Institutional Neutrality
- Spotlight Rating
- Campus Deplatforming
- Scholars Under Fire
- Students Under Fire
SC’s school rankings
No. 14 The University of South Carolina
The top-rated university for free speech protections in the Palmetto State is none other than the University of South Carolina. The school also ranks 14th out of 261 schools in the 2027 College Free Speech Rankings.
FIRE gave USC a score of 74 and a C grade, which doesn’t sound great, but is much better than the majority of institutions that were ranked.
The campus ranks in the top 25 for “Administrative Support,” suggesting students trust the administration to defend free speech. However, it also lands in the bottom 25 for “Self-Censorship” and “Openness,” indicating that students frequently stay silent and many contentious topics feel off-limits, according to the group.
USC had a recent controversy this year that actually helped improve the college’s score. U.S. Representative Nancy Mace threatened the university if it allowed the annual Birdcage Drag Show to continue. USC defended the event and allowed it to proceed, as it was protected by the 1st amendment.
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No. 42 Clemson University
Clemson University ranks 42 out of 261 schools in the 2027 College Free Speech Rankings with a score of 68 and a D+ speech climate grade.
FIRE said that the university dropped in several rankings, such as “Administrative Support,“ Comfort Expressing Ideas,” and “Openness,” indicating students have less trust and don’t feel as comfortable expressing opinions.
Clemson University had two controversies in 2025, both over the Charlie Kirk assassination. Two faculty members were fired after posting scrutinizing remarks about the late political commentator on social media platforms.
No. 84 Furman University
Furman University ranks 84th in the U.S. with a score of 63.1 and a D speech climate grade.
The university definitely has room for improvement, but the school’s rank drastically increased, climbing 111 spots from last year. Furman ranks in the top 25 for “Disruptive Conduct,” showing lower student acceptance of protest tactics that silence speakers.
No. 199 College of Charleston
The College of Charleston ranks 199th in the country and has a score of 57 and an F speech climate grade.
Charleston lands in the bottom 25 for “Self-Censorship,” indicating students frequently stay silent, and “Openness,” meaning many contentious topics feel off-limits.
10 best and worst colleges for free speech
The following colleges are ranked as the top 10 in the country for their free-speech policies and environment. Even though they’re at the very top of the ranking, not a single school received a higher grade than a B-.
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- The University of Chicago: B-
- Claremnont McKenna College: B-
- The Georgia Institute of Technology: C+
- Michigan Technological University: C+
- Vanderbilt University: C+
- Dartmouth College: C+
- Purdue University: C+
- Appalachian State University: C
- The University of Virginia: C
- George Mason University: C