Does Your Potential School “Make the Grade” in Combatting Antisemitism?
ADL’s Campus Antisemitism Report Card offers useful insight.
College-bound students and their families have lots to contemplate when choosing their prospective schools. They consider academic programs and majors, campus size and number of undergrads, location and weather, campus culture, cost, and more.
Now, there’s yet another element in play. With the widespread outbreak of antisemitic activity on campuses across the nation, a family may find itself wondering whether and a school of interest is condoning this behavior… or combatting it. Wouldn’t it be helpful to have a system in place that grades colleges on their handling of this issue ─ a “report card,” so to speak?
Turns out, there is.
THE ADL’S CAMPUS ANTISEMITISM REPORT CARD
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is the world’s leading anti-hate organization ─ a global organization whose mission is to counter antisemitism, bigotry, and extremism wherever and whenever it occurs. The ADL launched its ADL Campus Antisemitism Report Card in 2024, and its latest version now includes 135 universities, up from 85 assessed last year. Their in-depth study evaluates current antisemitism on campus and how colleges are responding. Having organized these carefully obtained metrics into a comprehensive “report card” format, the ADL offers this important tool to all families to help them decide if a campus provides a safe learning environment for every matriculating student.
Click here for a deeper dive into the methodology behind the study.
THE GRADING SYSTEM
ADL’s Report Card 2.0 assessment of 135 schools is based upon 30 criteria divided into these categories:
Administrative Policies
Jewish Life on Campus
Campus Conduct and Climate Concerns
Ratings were assigned in each category that were then aggregated into each school’s grade. The end result was a letter grade as follows:
A = Ahead of the Pack
B = Better than Most
C = Corrections Needed
D = Deficient Approach
F = Failing
The ADL makes clear that its analysis combines objective data with certain subjective impressions and analysis; it explains it how it weighs different factors.
THE OUTLOOK
The percentage of schools that scored an A or B is up 23.5% from 2024. This is promising because it demonstrates that progress has been made. More and more, colleges are moving towards a zero-tolerance antisemitism policy on campus. In fact, approximately 70% of the original 85 colleges and universities assessed in the 2024 Report Card consulted with the ADL for guidance on how to strengthen their response to campus antisemitism. Over 50% of the schools enacted major policy changes, while almost all have revised their policies regarding protests and demonstrations.
Still, the ADL asserts that there is plenty of room for improvement… especially if straight A report cards across-the-board are ultimately the goal.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
The ADL is a wonderful resource if you want to learn more and get involved. Not sure where to start? At their website, consider clicking on “TAKE ACTION” for a dropdown list of every school in the Report Card, then send a note to either commend the school on a job well done or encourage the school to do better.
Other potential action steps include:
Sharing with your personal network the ADL’s letter that urges university leaders to implement key policy recommendations
Empowering your network to call for No Tolerance for Antisemitism by sharing the ADL’s campaign website
Posting on social media and supporting the fight against campus antisemitism
Writing a letter to campus administration urging them to counter antisemitism
Writing a letter urging campus administration to reject Israel-related boycotts
If you’re curious what grade your prospective school scored on its report card, look it up! Remember, the universities to which you are applying are not just choosing you, you are also choosing them.
For help building and curating your college list,call us!
