Federal Report: Campus Antisemitism Remains 'Serious Civil Rights Concern' in 2026
U.S. Commission on Civil Rights released a bipartisan report calling campus antisemitism a serious civil rights concern.
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights on September 28 released a unanimously approved, bipartisan report stating that campus antisemitism is a serious civil rights concern and calling attention to inconsistent university responses, limited federal transparency, and reduced enforcement capacity.
The Federal Response to Antisemitism on American College and University Campuses examines how institutions of higher education and the federal government have responded to allegations of antisemitism following the October 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attack against israel.
Policy Improvements Contrast With Student Experiences
The federal report arrives amid a complex picture on American campuses. The Anti-Defamation League in March 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 proportion of schools earning A and B grades rose significantly from 23.5% in 2024 to 61% in 2026, the ADL reported. The grade distribution among the colleges and universities included 23 As, 64 Bs, 53 Cs, 6 Ds and 4 Fs.
Yet ADL also released new national survey findings in its companion report, Campus Crossroads: Non-jewish Student Perceptions of Jews and israel, which reveal troubling persistence of anti-Jewish attitudes and exposure to antisemitic behavior among students. While the survey data did not factor into grades for the Report Card, the findings make clear that policy changes have not yet fully reached students' day-to-day experiences, underscoring the need for continued vigilance.
Nearly Half of Non-Jewish Students Report Anti-Jewish Behavior
Nearly half (48.3 percent) of non-Jewish students reported witnessing or experiencing anti-Jewish behavior in the past year, and 47.6 percent endorsed at least one anti-Jewish attitude, according to the ADL survey. The separate Campus Crossroads survey was conducted January-February 2026 among 1,007 non-Jewish U.S. undergraduates to assess perceptions, attitudes and campus climate.
For Jewish students, the numbers are similarly concerning. When recent or current students were asked about their overall experience as a college or university student, roughly four in 10 (42%) report experiencing antisemitism at least once during their time in college or university. The percentage from AJC's 2024 survey was 35% in 2024, according to the American Jewish Committee's State of Antisemitism Report released in February.
For the four in 10 (42%) Jewish students who reported experiencing antisemitism during their time in school, 55% say they have felt uncomfortable or unsafe at a campus event because of their Jewish identity, AJC and Hillel International reported in February.
Shift to Digital Hate
This past academic year marks a turning point: for the first time since Hillel began tracking antisemitic incidents in 2014, the organization received more reports of targeted online hate than in-person hate, according to Hillel International's Senior Vice President of Campus Solutions, writing in the Algemeiner in early September.
The ADL noted that as of the publication of its 2026 report card, "94% of the 150 schools assessed prohibit both unauthorized encampments and event disruptions on campus, and the remaining 6% prohibit at least one of those".
Congressional Action
On September 8, Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) and Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (NY-21) announced the launch of the new bipartisan Combating Antisemitism on College Campuses Caucus while visiting Vanderbilt University. The caucus aims to hold colleges and universities accountable for protecting Jewish students, faculty, and staff.
In 2025, ADL tracked 6,274 antisemitic incidents in the United States. This was 33% lower than the 9,354 incidents tabulated in 2024, but five times higher than a decade ago.
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Solly Marks is a Jewish news publisher covering Israel and the global Jewish community. JewishNewsNow delivers factual, pro-Israel journalism — breaking news, community updates, and analysis for the worldwide Jewish diaspora.