Schools in New York and New Jersey Show Significant Progress as Universities Engage with ADL, Finds 2026 Campus Antisemitism Report Card

Half of Assessed Institutions Earn Higher Grades as Clearer Standards and Enforcement Take Hold

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. The 2026 Report Card assessed 150 colleges and universities nationally across 32 criteria in three areas: administrative policies, Jewish life on campus and campus conduct and climate concerns. Twenty-four schools were assessed in New York and New Jersey, including two new schools that were added to the report card this year: Sarah Lawrence College and Colgate University.

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.

Notably, several schools in New York and New Jersey saw significant improvement. Barnard College improved from a D to a B. New York University, Vassar College, CUNY Baruch College, CUNY Brooklyn College and SUNY Rockland Community College all earned A grades. Princeton University, Columbia University and Rutgers University — New Brunswick each improved from a D to a C.

The remaining regional schools evaluated received these grades:

• Schools earning a B grade: Hofstra University, Binghamton University, Stony Brook University, SUNY College at New Paltz, University at Albany, SUNY Purchase College, University at Buffalo, CUNY Queens College and Ithaca College.
• Schools earning a C grade: Sarah Lawrence College, Colgate University, Cornell University, Syracuse University and CUNY Hunter College.
• Schools earning an F grade: The New School received an F, reflecting, as the national Report Card notes, gaps in enforcement, limited transparency and the absence of durable systems to support Jewish life on campus.

Nationally, 23 schools received an A grade (up from 11 in 2025), 64 received a B (up from 44 in 2025), 51 received a C (up from 49 in 2025), 8 received a D (down from 21 in 2025) and 4 received an F (down from 10 in 2025).

"New York and New Jersey are home to the largest Jewish community in the country, and Jewish students here deserve campuses that are committed to maintaining Jewish life and to keeping their campuses warm and welcoming to Jews," said Scott Richman, ADL New York/New Jersey Regional Director. "What we're seeing this year is real progress, and it's not an accident. It's the result of universities engaging seriously with ADL, strengthening their policies and following through on their commitments. Barnard's improvement from a D to a B and the continued strength across the CUNY and SUNY systems show that change is possible when there is will and accountability.”

ADL has also released new national survey findings in its companion report, Campus Crossroads: Non-Jewish Student Perceptions of Jews and Israel, which reveal nearly half (48.3 percent) of the 1,007 non-Jewish students surveyed 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.

Why Are Some Schools Improving?

Since the Report Card's launch, ADL has engaged directly with university presidents across New York and New Jersey, each of whom has designated a senior administrator to work closely with ADL's NY/NJ region on addressing antisemitism at institutions including NYU and many campuses in the CUNY and SUNY systems.

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.

"The campuses showing the greatest improvement are those that treat antisemitism as an ongoing responsibility, not a one-time response," said Shira Goodman, ADL Vice President of Advocacy and head of the Ronald Birnbaum Center to Combat Antisemitism in Education. "Progress does not mean the challenge has been solved. Universities must remain vigilant, sustain leadership attention and continue investing in prevention, enforcement and support."

The Campus Antisemitism Report Card is a project of the ADL Ronald Birnbaum Center to Combat Antisemitism in Education (CCAE) and the Ratings and Assessments Institute (RAI).