Reforming College Policies

Defending Your Rights

FIRE’s college policy reform team works to proactively and systematically challenge campus policies that violate college students’ and faculty members’ free speech rights. 

FIRE maintains a database that catalogs the speech codes of over 489 colleges and universities nationwide. That data fuels FIRE’s policy awareness and college reform advocacy efforts, giving us the ability to directly work with administrators to offer analysis and advice, coordinate targeted publicity efforts like FIRE’s Speech Code of the Month series; and publish our annual Spotlight on Speech Codes report reviewing the state of free speech at America’s colleges and universities. 

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How Does Your School Compare?

FIRE’s Spotlight Database rates policies that regulate student expression at over 475 colleges and universities. Learn more about speech policies on your campus.

Find a School

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Spotlight on Speech Codes 2021

Model Speech Policies

FIRE catalogs campus speech codes — policies that impermissibly regulate or restrict student expression — at hundreds of American colleges and universities. Use these model policies to improve speech codes on your campus.

View Model Speech Policies

Adopt the Chicago Statement at Your School

The “Chicago Statement” is a model free speech policy statement that many universities have adopted, affirming their commitment to free expression.

How to Adopt theChicago Statement

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Students, faculty, and administrators can change policy

FIRE regularly works with students, faculty, and administrators to help implement model speech policies.

Spotlight on Due Process

FIRE analyzes disciplinary procedures at 53 top-ranked institutions and rates them based on 10 fundamental elements of due process.

View FIREs due process reports

FIRE Spotlight on Due Process 2021
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Free Speech on Campus

Lesson

Before you can become a free speech advocate at your school, it is essential that you know exactly what rights the First Amendment protects, how those rights apply to university students, the ways you can take advantage of those rights, and how to promote college reform efforts on campus.

Learn about how to ignite your free speech rights today!

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