The 2026 Antisemitism Report Card shows the university’s overall grade remained unchanged despite progress being made, according to university officials. (Detra Bell / Fourth Estate)
Despite progress, the university’s overall grade remained unchanged in 2026
BY RITHVIK HARI, ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
The Anti-Defamation League published its annual Campus Antisemitism Report Card in early March, evaluating 150 institutions across the United States. Despite making strides in disclosed administrative actions and in campus conduct, George Mason’s grade remained stagnant in the 2026 report, maintaining its C grade from the previous year.
According to their website, the ADL is dedicated to fighting “all forms of antisemitism and bias.”
The report card grades universities on an A through F scale, determining the grade by evaluating factors such as administrative policies, Jewish life on campus and campus conduct and climate concerns.
Mason received a “Corrections Needed” grade partly because the university has not taken a clear stance on the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Campaign — an international movement that seeks to pressure and delegitimize Israel through diplomatic, financial, academic, professional and cultural isolation, according to the ADL.
The ADL also flagged perceived levels of anti-zionist activity within student government, student groups and faculty and staff activity as a reason for the grade.
The ADL recognized Mason’s progress in the publicly disclosed administrative actions category, where the league said the university advanced from meeting expectations in 2025 to exceeding them in 2026.
The report card also noted that the Jewish life on campus was excellent, but identified that Mason does not have a Jewish Alumni Group or a group supporting Jewish employees.
Among Washington, D.C., area institutions, Mason and the University of Maryland at College Park both earned C grades, while George Washington University and Georgetown University each received B’s. American University and Johns Hopkins University topped the regional rankings with A grades.
The share of institutions earning an A or B climbed from 41% in 2025 to roughly 58% in 2026 according to an ADL press release. The release also emphasized that just because institutions are getting higher grades, that doesn’t mean antisemitism on college campuses is gone.
Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL’s CEO, spoke in the same press release.
“Universities that have taken a comprehensive approach — reviewing policies, clarifying expectations, and strengthening enforcement — are seeing meaningful progress,” he said.
However, Mason’s Vice President for University Life Rose Pascarell, argued that “ADL’s oversimplified methodology leads to a misleading conclusion, which we find problematic …”
“They’ve arbitrarily given us a C grade,” she wrote in an email to Fourth Estate. “We disagree.”
“In Mason’s case, the ADL rates Jewish life on campus as ‘excellent,’ administrative transparency as ‘above expectations,’ and campus climate concerns as ‘medium’ (based on information that is older than their stated rating period),” Pascarell wrote.
Mason Hillel’s Executive Director Dawn Savage said that “countering antisemitism is a core part of the work that Mason Hillel is engaged in every day.”
“As the central address for Jewish life on our campus, we will continue to work with campus administrators to make George Mason University a welcoming and safe place where Jewish students and all students can receive a world-class education without fear of hate, antisemitism or a hostile learning environment,” Savage said.
“We are grateful for our partnership with campus administrators and their dedication to supporting the Jewish community at Mason.”
As part of its evaluation of campus climates, the ADL also pointed to specific student organizations it believes contributes to concerns about antisemitism. The ADL describes the Students for Justice in Palestine organization as “a network of anti-Zionist student groups on university campuses across the U.S.”
The ADL also claims that the national chapter of SJP and individual chapters of SJP have “justified and/or glorified the Hamas-led October 7 attack on Israel.” The Mason chapter of SJP did not respond to a request for comment.
The ADL attributes grade improvements at certain universities to those institutions adopting its six key recommendations for combatting antisemitism in higher education.
“Nonetheless, along with our campus partners, we are committed to creating a thriving Jewish community where students feel welcome and safe and can successfully pursue their academic and social interests,” Pascarell said.
“We invite the ADL to become more familiar with Mason and our Jewish students and to work with us to publicly support and highlight our efforts.”
Mason’s stagnant grade reflects a broader national discussion about how universities balance inclusion of all students while also ensuring each student remains safe and feels respected. The ADL notes that while institutions are making strides, higher grades serve as a measure of an institution’s will to address antisemitism, not a sign that the problem has been solved.
