Key Facts Colleges with severely restrictive speech policies fell to their lowest number in 20 years. Green-light schools now outnumber red-light institutions for the second straight year. FIRE reviewed policies at 493 colleges and universities and found that only 65 schools—13.2%—received its “red light” rating for maintaining rules that clearly and substantially restrict protected speech. Meanwhile, 76 institutions earned FIRE’s highest “green light” rating, meaning their written policies do not seriously threaten freedom of expression. Nearly 70% of institutions received a “yellow light” rating for maintaining vague policies that could be misused to silence lawful expression.