Growing up, I heard the same political values echoed around the dinner table night after night. These weren’t forced upon me, they were a part of how I learned to understand the political world.

Like many kids raised in conservative households, I grew up proud of these beliefs. But once I got to college, I started hearing a different message: that those same values were outdated, wrong, or even dangerous. Now, this may just be where I chose to go to school, but I have heard similar concerns from friends at other schools.

Parents often worry that liberal institutions are brainwashing their kids. Some campuses do feel like ideological bubbles. According to the 2025 College Free Speech Rankings, schools like Harvard are ranked at the bottom. Harvard, being one of the most prestigious schools, you would think they would rank high when it comes to free speech. This is becoming especially relevant in today’s political climate, with conflicts such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. One of the key findings in the 2025 College Free Speech Rankings was that 55% of students feel it is difficult to “have an open and honest conversation on campus”.

The idea that universities lean left isn’t some right-wing talking point, it’s a reflection of what many students experience. That’s not to say every college professor is pushing an agenda. I’ve had many professors who welcome debate and challenge me to think critically.

It becomes more of an issue socially.  According to a recent study about free expression and constructive dialogue in the University of North Carolina System, 68% of conservative students are “at least slightly concerned” about social opinion. Meaning that many conservative college students fear that voicing their opinions will result in losing friendships.

Not only do students feel that they may lose the respect of thier peers, they also feel that there are too few opportunities to hear conservative speakers compared to liberal speakers. 56% of students believe that there are too few opportunities to hear conservative speakers compared to 20% for liberals speakers. Overall, there seems to be a lack of conservative voices in higher education, and when there are, they feel they need to keep their views to themselves.

This isn’t a call to cancel progressive ideas. It’s a call to make room at the table for political diversity, the kind that includes all views. College should actively seek to bring an equal mix of liberal and conservative speakers, creating forums where students can engage with different perspectives openly and without fear. In today’s increasingly polarized climate, civil political discourse is becoming harder to find. If we want a more politically stable future, that change can start on college campuses. When students feel pressured to self-censor, universities lose what should be their greatest strength: intellectual challenge. Which is considered a loss for everyone.

As a college student who goes to a very liberal institution, I feel it is becoming increasingly more difficult to voice my beliefs without fear of judgment. It’s not that I expect everyone to agree with me, but I do expect mutual respect, especially in a place that prides itself on open-mindedness. That expectation was shattered during the most recent election. I lost what I thought were close friendships simply because of what I believe. These weren’t heated political debates that ended badly, they were people cutting me off entirely, refusing to talk, or posting messages about how they can’t associate with people like me. I never said anything hateful. That experience made it painfully clear that tolerance on campuses often runs in one direction.

Conservatives are starting to lose faith in our institutions, and that trend is accelerating. According to a Gallup study, in 2015, 56% of Republicans had a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in higher education. Now, that number has plummeted to just 20%, while 50% now say they have little or no confidence in higher education. That is a drastic difference. This reflects a broader perception that these institutions no longer represent different viewpoints. When colleges are seen as spaces that overwhelmingly reflect progressive views, it’s no surprise that public trust has eroded. 

If higher education wants to live up to its mission of fostering open dialogue and intellectual growth, it must be willing to embrace political diversity and not just tolerate it. That means creating space not just for political argument, but political disagreement without fear.

Real learning happens when we’re exposed to ideas we don’t already hold, and when everyone feels free to contribute. Until that becomes the norm, the distrust in higher education will continue to grow, and so will the political divide. College should be a place where all students, regardless of their political beliefs, feel like they belong and can express their views freely. When college stops welcoming debate, it stops educating.

Lily Werges is a student at Connecticut College.