Scholars at Risk Logs 382 Academic Freedom Attacks
A new report from the Scholars at Risk network documents attacks on academic freedom in 59 countries and territories between July 2025 and June 2026.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Higher Education
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The Scholars at Risk network, a human-rights organization based at New York University, documented 382 attacks on academic freedom by state authorities in 59 countries and territories between July 2025 and June 2026. That total is down from 395 attacks in 49 countries and territories in the previous year's report.
Why it matters
The findings suggest that threats to academic freedom are spreading to more countries even as the total count of incidents has edged down. Separate indicators, including a 35% drop in international student visas granted by the United States in summer 2025 compared with summer 2024, show how government policy is affecting universities worldwide.
Scholars at Risk counted 382 attacks in 59 countries and territories from July 2025 to June 2026, compared with 395 attacks in 49 countries and territories in the prior year. The report does not provide a country-by-country breakdown of incidents in the current period.
The players
Scholars at Risk
A human-rights organization based at New York University that monitors and reports on attacks against academic freedom worldwide.
Péter Magyar
Prime Minister of Hungary whose government, elected in April, rolled back restrictions on university autonomy after years of policies under Viktor Orbán.
The details
The network defines an attack as a violent or fatal assault on scholars and students, wrongful prosecution or imprisonment, dismissal or expulsion from institutions, or restrictions on academic freedom or travel. Government interference with research topics or funding on ideological grounds also counts. In Indonesia, the government launched a violent crackdown on protests in 2025 and amended its military law to let officers hold civic institution roles without resigning from the armed forces. In Hungary, a government elected in April and led by Prime Minister Péter Magyar rolled back restrictions on university autonomy.
Timeline
2022: The Council of the European Union froze funds for 21 Hungarian universities and restricted access to Horizon Europe and Erasmus+.
Summer 2025: International student visas granted by the United States dropped 35% compared with summer 2024.
July 2025 to June 2026: Scholars at Risk documented 382 attacks in 59 countries and territories.
April 2026: Hungarian voters elected a government led by Péter Magyar.
October: The EU Council announced it would restore full participation in Horizon Europe and Erasmus+ for Hungarian universities and release €4.2 billion (US$4.7 billion) in funding.
Culture Shift
The reversal of the 2022 EU funding freeze for Hungarian universities, which had cut 21 institutions off from Horizon Europe and Erasmus+, marks a shift in how European governments treat university autonomy. The Scholars at Risk findings show that such contests over campus independence are now playing out in dozens of countries at once.
International students weighing study abroad should check current visa rules and processing times, since the summer 2025 drop in United States visas shows how quickly access can change. Students and scholars in affected countries may want to track institutional policy updates and funding decisions closely.
The takeaway
Academic freedom remains contested worldwide, with the same report documenting both new restrictions and rollbacks. Readers following higher education policy should watch for how governments respond to institutional independence in the year ahead.
Further reading
Explore more reporting in our Higher Education section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Nature.
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