Release of the Academic Freedom Index 2026 Update
Posted March 17, 2026
The Academic Freedom Index (AFI) Update 2026 is now available! The AFI, an annual report by SAR’s partners at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and the V-Dem Institute, provides an overview on the state of academic freedom in 179 countries and territories around the world.
The AFI Update 2026 focuses on the institutional autonomy of universities and its importance for the freedom of individual scholars. The Update compares the decline of institutional autonomy in the US with developments in the peer group (Europe and North America) as well as with declines in (former) democracies that have had strong autocratization trends (Hungary, India, Turkey). Both comparisons demonstrate that the decline in the US is dramatic.
Background of the Academic Freedom Index: The AFI assesses de facto levels of academic freedom across the world based on five indicators: freedom to research and teach; freedom of academic exchange and dissemination; institutional autonomy; campus integrity; and freedom of academic and cultural expression. SAR was involved in developing the first version of the AFI in 2020, alongside researchers at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), the V-Dem Institute, and the Global Public Policy Institute. The AFI has since released annual updates assessing the state of academic freedom globally and has closely informed SAR’s own annual Free to Think reports and monitoring work.
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