Free Speech Makes Free People

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression's mission is to defend and sustain the individual rights of all Americans to free speech and free thought — the most essential qualities of liberty. FIRE educates Americans about the importance of these inalienable rights, promotes a culture of respect for these rights, and provides the means to preserve them.

Watch FIRE President & CEO Greg Lukianoff's 2025 TED Talk "Let's get real about free speech"

2026 College Free Speech Rankings

The largest report of its kind, the rankings draw from more than 68,000 student respondents from 257 colleges and universities and are designed to help parents and prospective students choose the right school.

Find a School

Rank School Overall Speech Code
1 Claremont McKenna College Private 79.90/100 Green
2 Purdue University Public 76.20/100 Green
3 University of Chicago Private 76.10/100 Green
4 Michigan Technological University Public 75.60/100 Green
5 University of Colorado, Boulder Public 74.50/100 Green
6 University of North Carolina, Greensboro Public 74.20/100 Green
7 Vanderbilt University Private 74.00/100 Green
8 Appalachian State University Public 73.20/100 Green
9 Eastern Kentucky University Public 73.10/100 Green
10 North Carolina State University Public 72.60/100 Green
 Avenged Sevenfold‬ frontman M. Shadows

For episode two of Fire w/FIRE, host Ryan J. Downey sits down with ‪Avenged Sevenfold‬ frontman M. Shadows, one of the biggest names in heavy metal and hard rock.

Why Avenged Sevenfold Never Played It Safe

FIRE Videos

Every other week this summer, FIRE sits down with some of the biggest and up-and-coming artists in heavy metal and punk rock to discuss free expression, artistic freedom, and much more.

Free speech and 'the executive power' with Advisory Opinions

What are the limits of presidential power? How many days has it been since President Trump's TikTok ban moratorium went into place? What is the state of the conservative legal movement? And where did former FIRE president go on his first date?...

Our Issues

FIRE defends and promotes the individual rights of all Americans in our courtrooms, on our campuses, and in our culture.

WHAT WE DEFEND

Defending Your Rights

FIRE defends and sustains the individual rights of all Americans to free speech and free thought — the essential qualities of liberty — and carries out this mission through several core services.

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Support the Fight for Free Speech

Get Involved

Help us build a new free speech movement and promote a strong culture of free speech by supporting FIRE with a donation today. Please join us in this important work!

Donate to FIRE

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