Academic freedom has declined sharply in the United States because of state and federal actions that have weakened institutional autonomy, says a new report.

That finding, in the Academic Freedom Index Update 2026, is part of what the report’s authors see as a significant and systemic challenge for higher education around the world.

The report assesses the state of academic freedom in 179 countries and territories overall as of December 2025. Over the preceding decade, academic freedom declined in 50 countries, while nine countries registered improvements, it says.

Produced by researchers at Germany’s Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg and the V-Dem Institute, in Sweden, the report is based on assessments by 2,357 country experts worldwide who gauge de facto levels of academic freedom across five indicators.

The indicators include three individual dimensions (freedom to research and teach, freedom of academic exchange and dissemination, and freedom of academic and cultural expression), and two institutional dimensions (institutional autonomy and campus integrity).

According to the data, academic freedom is now declining in more countries than it is improving across all five dimensions. The three individual-level dimensions and campus integrity are the most affected areas. Fewer countries are experiencing declines in institutional autonomy, but this year’s report nevertheless places particular emphasis on that indicator because it is widely viewed as fundamental to protecting individual-level dimensions of academic freedom.

A ’Fast and Steep’ U.S. Decline

A central focus of the 2026 update is the “fast and steep deterioration” it found in academic freedom in the United States. The country’s score on the institutional autonomy indicator fell from 3.3 in 2019 to 1.7 in 2025. (Each indicator is assessed on a scale from 0 to 4, where 0 is the most restricted and 4 is fully free.)

Angelo Vito Panaro, a postdoctoral researcher at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, said the drivers of this decline included both state and federal measures. The decline began in 2020, primarily driven by state-level actions, and intensified in 2025 under the second Trump administration, Panaro told Al-Fanar Media.

He added: “Federal measures include executive orders eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and gender equity programmes; prohibitions on accreditors setting DEI standards; conditioning federal funding on compliance with government directives; and efforts to leverage research funding to influence admissions, hiring, and governance practices at higher education institutions.”

“These actions collectively intensified pressures on institutional autonomy and contributed to the observed decline of academic freedom in the United States.”

The researchers associate this trend with a series of actions taken by President Donald Trump early last year, which they argue have altered the relationship between the government and higher education institutions. These include:

The report warns that the decline in university autonomy in the United States has been faster than in “major autocratizing countries” such as Hungary, India, and Turkey.

Why Autonomy Matters

One of the report’s key statistical findings was strong relationship between institutional autonomy and individual scholars’ freedom to research and teach. The strength of this relationship was measured as a Pearson correlation of 0.91 (a value of 1 would indicate a perfect positive linear relationship).

This suggests that higher levels of institutional autonomy are associated with stronger protections for academic freedom at the individual level.

Asked whether scholars can remain resilient under weakened institutional autonomy, Panaro said, “Our data do not indicate any country where scholars’ freedom remains robust despite weak institutional autonomy.”

He added: “When institutional autonomy is weakened, both institutions and individual scholars become more vulnerable to external pressures, including political and ideological constraints.”

The report argues that limitations on institutional decision-making—whether through financial, legislative, or regulatory mechanisms—may affect the ability of academics to conduct research and teach without external pressure.

 ‘Viewpoint Diversity’ Debates

The report engages with ongoing debates about whether institutional autonomy can itself be used to suppress dissenting voices within universities. This concern is sometimes raised by critics who argue that a perceived “liberal hegemony” at higher education institutions might induce scholars who hold conservative viewpoints to self-censor, out of fear of social sanction or reputational harm.

Panaro said the report’s authors acknowledged this debate and tested whether institutional autonomy could suppress individual academic freedom.

“Our analysis shows that institutions with greater autonomy tend to provide stronger safeguards for individual scholars,” he said. “Conversely, weakened institutional autonomy leaves universities and academics more exposed to non-academic pressures.”

“Overall, autonomous institutions are better positioned to resist political interference, safeguard merit-based appointments, and protect scholars challenging dominant political or ideological views,” Panaro said.

Deterioration across 5 Indicators

Following are highlights of the report’s findings on the status of academic freedom across the five indicators in multiple countries:

  • Freedom of Academic Exchange and Dissemination: Declined in 51 countries, reflecting reported barriers to international collaboration and research dissemination.
  • Campus Integrity: Declined in 51 countries, indicating concerns about surveillance and politically motivated pressures on campuses.
  • Freedom of Academic and Cultural Expression: Declined in 48 countries, suggesting reduced space for public engagement by academics.
  • Freedom to Research and Teach: Declined in 43 countries, pointing to reported constraints on academic content and inquiry.
  • Institutional Autonomy: While declining in fewer countries (11), the report highlights its importance as a structural component influencing other dimensions.

The Middle East and Africa

The report provides a more nuanced view of developments in the Middle East and Africa, where pressures on academic freedom have been observed since 2012.

Regarding campus integrity, Panaro said Morocco, Syria, and Turkey had experienced declines between 2024 and 2025, with substantial declines in Syria and Morocco.

Bahrain, however, was among the few countries where academic freedom has improved over the past decade.

“Bahrain is one of nine countries that experienced a substantial and statistically significant increase in academic freedom between 2015 and 2025, primarily due to improvements in institutional autonomy and freedom to research and teach,” Panaro said.

The report draws on data from Scholars at Risk (SAR) about academic freedom issues connected to the conflicts in Gaza, Sudan, and Lebanon, but it does not specifically assess the impact of military interventions on academic freedom, Panaro said.

A Call for Vigilance

The Academic Freedom Index Update 2026 presents its findings as a warning about the state of academic freedom globally.

It argues that changes affecting institutional autonomy may have broader implications for higher education systems. The report emphasizes that safeguarding institutional independence is closely linked to protecting the freedom of individual scholars.

For policymakers, university leaders, and international actors, the findings highlight the importance of monitoring developments in governance, funding, and regulatory frameworks that shape the autonomy of higher education institutions.

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