MIT Improves in FIRE’s 2024 College Free Speech Ranking While Attaining Second Among Wall Street Journal’s “Best Colleges”

MIT Improves in FIRE’s 2024 College Free Speech Ranking While Attaining Second Among Wall Street Journal’s “Best Colleges”

The MIT Free Speech Alliance applauds MIT’s improvement in the 2024 College Free Speech Rankings, just published by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) and College Pulse. MIT ranked 136th out of 248 institutions surveyed by FIRE. This improves on MIT’s position in last year’s College Free Speech Rankings, when MIT ranked 120th out of 203 institutions and was rated “slightly below average” for its climate for free expression.
 
While MIT’s gains in FIRE’s rankings are modest and signal room for further improvement, they also indicate that recent efforts to promote free expression at MIT, including efforts made by the MIT administration, are having a positive effect.
 
In finer detail, MIT scores exceptionally well on Openness — students’ perceived ability to have conversations on difficult topics on campus — where it ranked 12th of all surveyed institutions.
 
While MIT’s position has improved, the data from the MIT student population surveyed by FIRE nonetheless finds worrying trends. Only 28% of MIT students surveyed, for example, say shouting down a speaker to prevent them from speaking on campus is never acceptable. This directly conflicts with MIT’s Statement on Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom, which the university adopted earlier this year in response to a notorious speaker cancellation in 2021.
 
MIT has a proud history of tolerance of difference and eccentricity, a history which is a foundation of its present excellence (as noted in the 2024 Best Colleges in the U.S., where the Wall Street Journal ranks MIT number two using its methodology stressing student outcomes). MIT’s dedication to freedom of expression weakened under the previous administration, but now appears to be moving back. MFSA President Wayne Stargardt ’74 says,
 
“MIT needs an atmosphere where majority opinions can be argued with, and minority opinions can be expressed without fear. The 2024 FIRE report shows that MIT is moving in the right direction. MFSA pledges to continue to work with MIT to restore a culture of open inquiry and tolerance for diverse viewpoints.”
 
Contact: Peter Bonilla, Executive Director, peter@mitfreespeech.org, 215-531-2171.
 
The MIT Free Speech Alliance (MFSA) has over 1,000 members. Founded by MIT alumni in October 2021 following the cancellation of Dorian Abbot’s Carlson Lecture. MFSA is a member of the Alumni Free Speech Alliance, together with sister organizations at Cornell, Harvard, and the University of Virginia, among other institutions. MFSA is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization and is independent of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.