As the war in the Gaza Strip continues to divide university students, the Anti-Defamation League on Monday released its second annual report card on the state of antisemitism at 135 colleges and universities.
Only five schools received an A in 2025. Fourteen schools, including the New School in New York City and DePaul University in Chicago, got a failing grade.
The ADL said it produced this year’s report card “during a time of incredible volatility on college campuses.” Last spring and fall, campuses across the country erupted with pro-Palestinian protests against Israel’s retaliation in Gaza following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack.
For the second iteration of its annual report card, the ADL looked at 30 criteria that fell into three groups: administrative action and policies; campus conduct and climate concerns; and Jewish life on campus. Each of the three categories received a letter grade.
Only Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts; Elon University in North Carolina; Brooklyn College in New York; Florida International University; and the University of Alabama received A’s for administrative actions that exceeded expectations, excellent Jewish life on campus, and low or no antisemitic incidents.
Vanderbilt University, DePaul University, the New School and Portland State University were among the 14 schools that received failing grades. The University of California, Santa Barbara, and Pomona College in California declined to F's from passing grades last year because of campus conduct and climate concerns.
The 2025 report card included 135 schools compared with 60 in 2024. Of the schools appearing on both report cards, eight received worse grades this year compared with last.
Others improved. Harvard University, which received an F on last year’s report card, upped its grade to a C, and the University of Chicago, which also failed last year, now has a D. They were among 36 schools whose grades improved in 2025 compared with 2024.
The ADL said its goal in producing the report card is to provide information about the current state of antisemitism on campus and how universities and colleges are responding.
In addition to an overall letter grade, each school profile also includes a list of Jewish organizations on campus, an overview of antisemitic incidents on campus, and a list of administrative policies regarding antisemitism and how the school responded to specific incidents.
To make their assessments, the ADL sent surveys to campus administrators, Jewish leaders and students. They also researched antisemitic incidents that took place on school grounds.
The analysis is based on objective data, subjective impressions, analysis and the organization’s beliefs on how to weigh the different factors, the ADL said in a statement accompanying the report card.
