Several prominent U.S. universities have become among the most hostile environments for Muslim students and those expressing anti-genocide views, with no campus earning a positive rating, a new report by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said Thursday.
The latest findings from CAIR’s Unhostile Campus Campaign ranked Columbia University and the City University of New York (CUNY) as the least welcoming campuses, each scoring just 2%. Institutions such as the University of Michigan, University of Chicago and Case Western Reserve University were also cited among those with the most adverse conditions.
CAIR noted that none of the 51 universities assessed earned an “Unhostile” rating. Six campuses, led by the University of Alabama at 87%, were placed “Under Watch,” while the overall average across all institutions stood at 37.92%. Nearly three-quarters scored below 50%, and more than half did not explicitly define Islamophobia or anti-Muslim bias in their discrimination policies.
The report also found that 12 campuses have adopted the contentious IHRA antisemitism definition, which critics argue suppresses legitimate criticism of Israel. Roughly half of the institutions faced Title VI complaints, and more than 75% reportedly called police on Gaza-related demonstrations following October 2023. CAIR added that 90% adopted major policy changes without input from students or faculty.
“University administrators failed to uphold their stated commitments to free speech and academic freedoms at many of the campuses we investigated,” said CAIR Research and Advocacy Specialist Maryam Hasan. “We hope the report pushes institutions toward reform. If not, it at least informs those who care about open expression which campuses to avoid.”
CAIR’s Research and Advocacy Director Corey Saylor said many schools “chose to act as instruments of repression” toward Muslims and individuals opposing mass civilian harm in Gaza. The report, he added, serves as a warning to prospective students and staff about the climate they may encounter.
