The Best Conservative Colleges for Free Speech

The best conservative schools for free speech is a ranking of the top 10 colleges and universities that support free speech. This ranking was produced by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), based on their criteria and analyses.

These schools have a majority viewpoint that aligns with Conservatism as a political platform or ideological stance. All of these colleges and universities are located in the U.S.

The methodology for determining the best schools for free speech, as conducted by FIRE, was by surveying students:

Presented by College Pulse and the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), the 2024 College Free Speech Rankings is a comprehensive comparison of the student experience of free speech on their campuses. These rankings are based on the voices of over 55,000 currently enrolled students at over 250 colleges and are designed to help parents and prospective students choose the right college.

FIRE: Download the report

FIRE's ranking is interactive, and users can select Conservative or Liberal designations, and see the rankings of only Liberal or only Conservative colleges and universities. Users can also select Public or Private colleges and universities, and see how they stack up for free speech.

This article lists the top 10 schools when selecting Conservative, and includes both Public and Private colleges and universities.

Since the rankings at FIRE includes 250 colleges and universities, it is not exhaustive, but is still informative for students to make sense of a good number of schools that are the most receptive to and provide an atmosphere that fosters free speech, and at the same time have a majority viewpoint that's Conservative.

Legend - How to read the information within each school profile:

• The "Rank: #" is the school's rank order within all 250 schools. So Auburn, below, was ranked #2, the second school within all 250 schools.
• The "Overall Score:" is how the schools scored across 13 different dimensions of the data gathered. Six dimensions are student assessments, and seven are faculty, administration, and further student assessments of the free speech on their campus. The scores range from 0 to 100 (with 100 being the best).
• The "Speech Climate" is a designation based on a school's overall score. The Speech Climate categories are:
  • Good
  • Above Average
  • Slightly Above Average
  • Average
  • Slightly Below Average
  • Below Average
  • Poor
  • Very Poor
  • Abysmal

Harvard University is the only school with the "Abysmal" designation.

It's worth mentioning that all of these schools are universities, and are also Public universities in particular. Seven of these universities are in the south.

The Best Conservative Colleges for Free Speech

1.

Auburn University

Auburn, Alabama

Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama.

Rank: #2

Overall Score: 72.53

Speech Climate: Good

2.

Kansas State University

Manhattan, Kansas

Kansas State University is a public university.

Rank: #18

Overall Score: 63.35

Speech Climate: Above Average

3.

Arkansas State University

Jonesboro, Arkansas

Arkansas State University is a public university located in Jonesboro, Arkansas.

Ranking: #35

Overall Score: 57.19

Speech Climate: Slightly Above Average

4.

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas

Texas Tech University is a public university in Lubbock, Texas.

Rank: #40

Overall Score: 55.96

Speech Climate: Slightly Above Average

5.

Iowa State University

Ames, Iowa

Iowa State University is a public university located in Ames, Iowa.

Rank: #45

Overall Score: 55.49

Speech Climate: Slightly Above Average

6.

Oklahoma State University-Main Campus

Stillwater, Oklahoma

Oklahoma State University is a public university located in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

Rank: #48

Overall Score: 54.93

Speech Climate: Average

7.

North Dakota State University-Main Campus

Fargo, North Dakota

North Dakota State University is a public university in Fargo, North Dakota.

Rank: #53

Overall Score: 54.41

Speech ClImate: Average

8.

University of Mississippi

University, Mississippi

The University of Mississippi is a public university in University (adjacent to Oxford), Mississippi.

Rank: #57

Overall Score: 54.13

Speech Climate: Average

9.

Clemson University

Clemson, South Carolina

Clemson University is a public, land-grant, research university in Clemson, South Carolina.

Rank: #62

Overall Score: 53.38

Speech Climate: Average

10.

University of Idaho

Moscow, Idaho

The University of Idaho is Idaho is a public, land-grant, research university located in Moscow, Idaho.

Rank: #63

Overall Score: 53.30

Speech Climate: Average

Note: FIRE's website has this warning:

Warning Schools

The following schools have policies that clearly and consistently state that it prioritizes other values over a commitment to freedom of speech. These colleges were excluded from the rankings and were scored relative to one another.

• Hillsdale College
• Liberty University
• Pepperdine
• Brigham Young University
• Baylor University
• Saint Louis University

FIRE Rankings

It's worth noting that Hillsdale, Liberty, Pepperdine, Bigham Young, and Baylor are religiously affiliated schools, which would explain their institutional commitments to moral values and codes of conduct, and explain why:

"The following schools have policies that clearly and consistently state that it prioritizes other values over a commitment to freedom of speech."