Baylor University in Waco, Texas, is a private Christian university and a nationally ranked research institution.
Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating university in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and 90 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.
Where We Are
- In Waco, Texas
- Metro area population greater than 245,000
- Approximately 1,000-acre campus located on the Brazos River
Who We Are
Fall 2021 Enrollment
- 4,271 new freshmen in the fall of 2021
- 38.7% percent of entering freshmen were in the top 10 percent of their high school graduating class.
- Mean SAT score of 1258 and mean ACT score of 27.9.
- 37.6% percent of the freshman class are minority students.
- 20,626 total enrollment (15,191 undergraduate and 5,435 graduate/professional students)
- 55% percent of students originate from Texas, and Baylor students come from all 50 states and 100 foreign countries.
Academics
- 75.87% of students find jobs or start graduate school within 180 days of graduation.
- 126 undergraduate degree programs
- 80 master’s programs
- 47 doctoral programs
- Education Specialist program
- Master of Laws program
- Baylor students interact with outstanding full-time faculty from their first days on campus.
- The student to faculty ratio is 16 to 1. The average undergraduate class size is 28.
- More than 100,000 Baylor alumni reside in Texas.
- On December 16, 2021, Baylor’s long-pursued goal of R1 recognition became a reality, earning the designation as a doctoral institution with “very high research activity” by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
- Baylor awarded the first law diplomas and established the first law school in Texas. Baylor Law graduates continue to record the highest bar passage rate in the state, and in 2018, Baylor Law ranked #1 among ABA-approved schools in the U.S. in first-time pass rate.
- The Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative, opened in 2013, supports research and development and takes innovative ideas from concept to market.
- The Princeton Review ranks Baylor’s Entrepreneurship program 5th Best in the country with high marks for the number of start-ups launched by grads in the program.
- List of Academic Units
Campus Life Experience
- 330 clubs and organizations, including 40 national and local sororities and fraternities
- Baylor is among the 10 percent of U.S. universities with a Phi Beta Kappa chapter.
- Baylor students, faculty and staff annually volunteer more than 150,000 hours of community service locally.
- Home of the first campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity
- 39 percent of students live on campus in 12 residence halls.
Athletics
- NCAA Division I, Big 12 Conference
- 19 varsity sports
- Men’s Basketball 2021 NCAA national champions
- Women’s basketball 2005, 2012, and 2019 NCAA national champions
- Men’s tennis 2004 NCAA national champions
- Four Olympic gold medalists with 10 gold medals won
- Baylor has finished either first or second among Big 12 institutions in Graduation Success Rate score 13 times in the last 15 years.
- Baylor has won a combined 88 Big 12 Conference championships (49 regular season, 39 tournament) in the league’s 25-year history.
Our History
- Baylor leaders were instrumental in establishing the University of Texas in 1882 and Texas Tech University in 1923.
- Baylor founder Judge R.E.B. Baylor helped prepare the original constitution for the State of Texas in July 1845.
The Value of the Tuition Equalization Grant (TEG) Program
- Established in 1972, the TEG program helps lower income and first-generation students in Texas afford higher education at private universities like Baylor.
- The average family income of TEG recipients is about $47,188. Students with the greatest needs may receive up to about $5,000 per year. These grants helped make college more affordable for more than 27,000 students statewide. Of these, 2,541 are currently pursuing degrees at Baylor.
- The TEG is a boon to Texas taxpayers. Students attending a state institution are supported by an average of $6,728 in state funds, regardless of financial need. TEG recipients saved the state about 48 percent of this appropriation. Multiplying the more than $3,000 in cost savings by the thousands of TEG-supported students results in an estimated $92.2 million cost benefit to the state while also easing growth pains at some of the state’s overcrowded campuses.
- State officials have acknowledged Texas cannot achieve the goal of 60x30TX—which calls for 60 percent of Texans aged 25-34 to hold a certificate or degree by 2030—without the assistance of private institutions.
- The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has recommended a modest increase in TEG funds. This would serve an additional 760 TEG recipients.
Information provided by studies from the Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas (ICUT)
This site is updated semiannually (usually in December and July) using data compiled from several sources, including but not limited to Institutional Research, Annual Reports, Student Life and Athletics. Read more Quick Facts at Institutional Research
