To fulfill their overarching mission, colleges and universities must ensure students feel genuinely welcome on their campuses. This is not solely a matter of addressing students’ social and emotional well-being, though that remains a critical priority. It is also because students often expect to “fit” reasonably well within the institutions they choose to attend, and the extent to which these expectations align with reality significantly influences their academic success and personal development.
Acknowledging these imperatives, recent years have seen the emergence of resources designed to inform prospective students about campus climates. But up until a few years ago, no such resource existed to evaluate how welcoming higher education institutions are for people belonging to diverse religious, spiritual, nonreligious or philosophical worldviews. This absence left a significant gap for prospective students who prioritize such considerations when selecting a campus that meets their needs. Religious and worldview identities—whether rooted in religious commitment, atheism, or a “spiritual but not religious” orientation—are often integral to students’ sense of self. For many, the ability to find an environment that supports these identities is as crucial as academic and extracurricular opportunities.
The need for such a resource has practical implications for students seeking specific accommodations or services. For example, a Muslim student who requires women-only housing due to religious observance needs a straightforward way to determine whether an institution offers such arrangements. Similarly, Hindu students looking to attend regular worship need to know if a campus provides access to temples or interfaith spaces. Jewish students, meanwhile, may prioritize understanding whether a campus has a bias response policy addressing antisemitism. Although some of this information might be accessible through institutional channels, it remains scattered and inconsistently available. This left students to navigate these concerns without a reliable, comprehensive resource.
To address these concerns, a centralized resource was developed to evaluate and publicize campus inclusivity for diverse religious and nonreligious identities. The Interfaith, Spiritual, Religious, and Secular (INSPIRES) Index is an assessment tool that measures efforts toward accommodating diverse worldviews in higher education, and therefore a commitment to creating a welcoming environment for students.
The online resource represents the latest phase in a multi-year initiative supported by AVDF. The Foundations awarded The Ohio State University (OSU) with a grant in 2020 to develop the index—launched in 2023—to help prospective students and their families make informed choices about campuses based on how welcoming and inclusive they are toward diverse religious and worldview perspectives. The initiative draws on decades of empirical research, including the Interfaith Diversity Experiences and Attitudes Longitudinal Study (IDEALS), led by principal investigators Matthew Mayhew of OSU and Alyssa Rockenbach of North Carolina State University.
The INSPIRES Index offers participating campuses a no-cost evaluation tool to help improve campus climate for religious, secular, and spiritual diversity. Participants also receive a customized report that provides resources and guidance for improvement. The index examines seven critical domains—structural diversity, negative engagement reduction efforts, academic and cocurricular programming, religious accommodations, spaces of support and expression, and institutional behaviors—that shape the comprehensive experience of students while on campus.
Not only does the index help empower collegebound students to make informed choices, but it also encourages institutions to prioritize structural and cultural inclusivity on their campus.
“The initiative serves as a transformative step toward ensuring higher education environments reflect the pluralistic values that underpin their broader missions. Over 300 campuses, spanning elite research universities to liberal arts colleges, have partnered with the research-based assessment, showcasing a broad commitment to fostering pluralistic learning environments,” said AVDF President and CEO Michael Murray. “Institutions repeatedly engage with the INSPIRES Index and often share their data publicly, underscoring a dedication to transparency and inclusivity in accommodating multiple religious and nonreligious perspectives.”
The assessment process involves representatives from various campus divisions, such as academic affairs, student life, and diversity offices, completing a survey to produce scorecards benchmarked by institutional type. These scorecards use a star-rating system rather than rankings, allowing institutions to measure their progress and identify areas for improvement. Participating campuses also contribute to a growing community of practice facilitated by AVDF-grantee Interfaith America, sharing strategies to foster inclusive environments and cross-divisional collaboration.
Key findings from recent assessments of the INSPIRES Index highlight that every institution has room for growth and that creating welcoming environments requires collective efforts across various campus sectors. Student experiences, whether in classrooms, through institutional processes, or in personal interactions, are vital to fostering pluralism. The initiative also emphasizes the importance of engaging diverse campus representatives, including students, in discussions about religious and worldview inclusion.
The INSPIRES Index has attracted thousands of visitors to its website, and continues to garner media attention, including laudatory articles in both Inside Higher Ed and Religion News Service. Several participating schools have updated their survey responses to reflect institutional changes, with notable successes such as the University of Michigan establishing a new leadership role in interfaith engagement and Dartmouth forming an interdisciplinary group to implement report recommendations.
Based on these successes, in 2024 AVDF awarded a follow-up grant of $120,000 to OSU to grow and improve the INSPIRES Index, which was subsequently matched in full by an award from the Pew Charitable Trusts.
“Ultimately, the INSPIRES Index promotes a commitment to embracing multiple worldviews. By providing actionable tools and fostering proactive strategies, the index supports academic and religious freedom while aligning with institutional missions,” Murray said.
Institutions are encouraged to adopt the data-driven approach to enhance campus inclusivity. For more information, click here for a blog post about the initiative featured in Academe Magazine, or visit the INSPIRES Index website at www.inspiresindex.org.