PEN America released a major report showing that government censorship of free speech on college campuses has reached record levels. S. college students now study in states with laws restricting what can be taught or how campuses operate.
The Trump administration has used federal research funding, investigations, and congressional hearings to pressure universities into compliance with its ideological demands.
States like Florida and Texas have built censorship into every part of their college systems, from how administrators are chosen to how courses are approved. The report documents direct censorship through educational gag order laws that restrict teaching about race, gender, American history, and LGBTQ+ topics. It also shows indirect censorship through attacks on shared governance, student activism, and diversity programs.
Faculty, students, and administrators report widespread fear and self-censorship. Many professors face online harassment and doxxing, sometimes encouraged by elected officials. International students have been detained for their speech and threatened with deportation.
Campus leaders have fired or suspended many professors and staff for constitutionally protected speech. The report calls this a 'web of control' that goes beyond individual laws to create a comprehensive system of censorship affecting the entire higher education sector, from community colleges to elite universities.