For years now, after allowing the leftists to dominate our campuses, opponents of their intellectual monoculture have been fighting back. One state where the battle has been quite contentious is North Carolina, home to some of the top public and private schools in the nation. How goes it?

In today’s Martin Center article, Reagan Allen looks at the landscape and finds it quite mixed.

She writes:

To achieve political diversity at an institution, one must first foster an environment where students can speak freely. According to the latest findings from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), several North Carolina universities stand out in protecting free speech. In FIRE’s 2025 rankings, NC State ranks 7th nationally, with an overall score of 68.44 out of 100, giving it a green flag and making it the highest-ranked school in the state for free speech. UNC Charlotte follows closely behind at 9th nationally, with a score of 66.51, giving it its own green flag.

But the state has some institutions that are not doing well when it comes to freedom of speech. Allen continues:

Like Davidson, Wake Forest has a “Statement on Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom,” but its language is also ambiguous. According to FIRE, Wake Forest’s 129th-place ranking in administrative support suggests that many students lack confidence in the university’s willingness to defend free speech when it counts. The institution is also ranked 147th for student “self-censorship,” suggesting that the campus culture is not an inviting atmosphere in which to share different points of view.

The schools that are highly rated should strive to improve further and those that are not should pay attention to their poor rankings.

Read the whole thing.