Georgia Tech rose to No. 5 in the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression’s (FIRE) 2025 College Free Speech ranking. The Institute was ranked No. 27 last year. 

The ranking is based on student responses, of which Georgia Tech had 207 this year. Final rankings are a composite of 14 areas, seven of which assess student perceptions of freedom of speech on campus.   

Tech also retained its green light in FIRE’s Spotlight Rankings. The green light indicates that an institution maintains no policies that seriously threaten free speech.  

The rise in Tech’s FIRE ranking coincides with an ongoing, intentional effort to bolster freedom of expression on campus. President Ángel Cabrera noted this in his Sept. 5 Institute Address, and Georgia Tech maintains several campus resources for freedom of expression. 

“This is something that belongs to each one of us — to be respectful of the other. To be inquisitive, even curious. To turn the diversity of ideas at a place like Georgia Tech into an opportunity to learn, as opposed to having it be a wedge that divides us,” Cabrera said.  

Georgia Tech ranked highest in self-censorship and tolerance for speakers (both liberal and conservative). Read more about the FIRE ranking methodology.