Half of Assessed Institutions Earn Higher Grades as Clearer Standards and Enforcement Take Hold; but new student survey data reveal persistent anti-Jewish attitudes and ongoing exposure to antisemitic behavior
New York, NY, March 10, 2026 - ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) today released its third annual Campus Antisemitism Report Card, showing sustained, year-over-year improvement across colleges and universities as institutions strengthen policies and campus responses to antisemitism.
ADL has also released new national survey findings in its companion report, Campus Crossroads: Non-Jewish Student Perceptions of Jews and Israel, which reveal troubling persistence of anti-Jewish attitudes and exposure to antisemitic behavior among students. While the survey data did not factor into grades for the Report Card, the findings make clear that policy changes have not yet fully reached students’ day-to-day experiences, underscoring the need for continued vigilance.
The new survey data reinforce this mixed picture. Nearly half (48.3 percent) of non-Jewish students reported witnessing or experiencing anti-Jewish behavior in the past year, and 47.6 percent endorsed at least one anti-Jewish attitude. At the same time, strong majorities of students support university action to address antisemitism, suggesting both ongoing risk and meaningful opportunity for campus leadership.
The Campus Crossroads findings provide important context for this year’s results, reinforcing that even as many schools strengthen policies and enforcement, sustained attention to campus climate and student experience remains essential.
The 2026 Report Card assessed 150 colleges and universities across 32 criteria in three areas: administrative policies, Jewish life on campus, campus conduct and climate concerns.
While only 23.5 percent of assessed colleges and universities received A's and B's in 2024 and 41 percent received such grades in 2025, the percentage of those receiving the top grades rose to 58 percent in 2026. Additionally, the grades of 47 percent of the 135 schools assessed in 2025 improved in 2026.
Overall results show a clear upward trend, with more institutions earning higher grades compared to prior years, with many drawing on ADL’s expertise as they refined policies and practices to support Jewish students, staff and faculty.
“The data confirms what we’ve said from the start: maintaining a safe campus climate is a matter of will,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO. “Universities that have taken a comprehensive approach - reviewing policies, clarifying expectations, and strengthening enforcement - are seeing meaningful progress. Some of the strongest gains are coming from institutions that have engaged deeply with our recommendations and translated them into lasting institutional practice, rather than symbolic commitments.”
At the same time, the data makes clear that improvement does not mean the challenge has been solved. While reported antisemitic incidents on campus declined in 2025 compared to the period following October 7, 2023, levels remain well above those documented in 2022, when concerns were already being raised. The findings underscore that progress is real, but sustained vigilance and institutional action remain essential.
The highest-rated institutions include New York University, Temple University, American University, Washington University in St. Louis, Vanderbilt University, Johns Hopkins University, Vassar College and Arizona State University. All received an “A” grade and stood out for consistent condemnation of antisemitic incidents, clear enforcement of conduct standards, and sustained investment in Jewish life.
At the same time, California State University, Los Angeles, University of North Texas, The New School and Scripps College received some of the lowest grades, reflecting gaps in enforcement, limited transparency, or the absence of durable systems to support Jewish life on campus. Overall, this year’s grading distribution reflects broad improvement across higher education, with 23 institutions earning A’s, 64 earning B’s, 51 earning C’s, 8 earning D’s, and 4 receiving F grades - signaling a continued upward trend alongside meaningful variation in performance.
Progress Driven by Institutional Action
While challenges remain and campus climates continue to evolve, the overall trajectory is positive. Of the 150 institutions assessed, 129 (86 percent) engaged with ADL during the assessment process by providing institutional information and context. ADL also received 145 responses from representatives of Jewish campus organizations and task forces, covering 106 campuses, reflecting the depth of collaboration informing the Report Card.
The Report Card has also facilitated new engagements and partnerships between ADL regional offices and assessed universities, prompting 78 percent of the 135 schools assessed in 2025 to engage in ADL-led consultations and webinars following the release of the 2025 Report Card and leading to measurable positive impacts.
Institutions showing the greatest gains tended to adopt clearer antisemitism definitions, expand training, formalize accountability structures, enforce policies consistently and integrate antisemitism into broader non-discrimination and campus safety frameworks. These changes were often informed by direct engagement with ADL and were aligned with ADL's Six Asks for campus administrators.
Shira Goodman, ADL Vice President of Advocacy and head of the Ronald Birnbaum Center to Combat Antisemitism in Education, said “The campuses showing the greatest improvement are those that treat antisemitism as an ongoing responsibility, not a one-time response. Even as institutional grades improve, the persistence of anti-Jewish attitudes and the limited reach of antisemitism education identified in the survey show that universities cannot take their foot off the gas. Policy progress must translate into lived experience for Jewish students, staff and faculty.”
Methodology
The 2026 Report Card assessed 150 colleges and universities using a multi-pronged approach that included surveys distributed to campus administrators and representatives of Jewish organizations, secondary research on high-profile incidents and institutional responses, and incident data collected by the ADL Center on Extremism. Only incidents recorded in 2025 were counted in the assessment. The assessment was informed by a panel of external experts, including former college presidents, current students, non-profit leaders and Jewish student organization representatives.
The full 2026 Campus Antisemitism Report Card, including individual school grades and detailed methodology, is available here.
The separate Campus Crossroads survey was conducted January-February 2026 among 1,007 non-Jewish U.S. undergraduates to assess perceptions, attitudes and campus climate. Students came from both private (26.3%) and public (73.7%) institutions, with schools spanning all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The survey is published alongside the Report Card to provide broader context but was not used in grading individual institutions. The report is available here.
ADL is the leading anti-hate organization in the world. Founded in 1913 to protect the Jewish people, ADL works to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and secure justice and fair treatment to all. In the face of rising antisemitism and extremism, we protect, advocate, and educate, through a mix of programs and services using the latest innovations and technology, and seek to create a world without hate. More at www.adl.org.