Baylor University

Quick Stats

1 Bear Place
Waco, TX 76798: [map]

Phone: (254) 710-1011

2011-2012 Tuition

$31,658: tuition and fees

Students

12,438: enrolled

42%: male /

58%: female

Admissions

rolling admission

47.8%: accepted

More Information

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U.S. News Rankings

Ranking score and category

U.S. News rank	Category Name
#75	National Universities

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Summary

Baylor University is a private institution that was founded in 1845. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 12,438, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 508 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Baylor University's ranking in the 2012 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 75. Its tuition and fees are $31,658 (2011-12).

The student community at Baylor University is bound together largely by religion and service. The Waco, Texas, school is a private, Baptist institution, and its student body is particularly active in volunteerism. Each semester, students donate a collective 12,000 hours of time to service projects. Students can volunteer year round through the school’s Urban Missions, which coordinates service projects in the local community, and Global Missions, which sends students abroad. The student body is also active in faith-based activities. Each year, students lead Be The Change, a week of speakers and break-out sessions and events that give religion a global focus. Freshmen are required to live on campus and must also take a semester of Chapel, attending worship services every Monday and Wednesday. Students and faculty gather daily for a campus prayer at noon, and weekly for free ice cream floats during “Dr. Pepper Hour.” Students can also get involved in more than 250 student organizations on campus. There are about 40 fraternities and sororities, and the organizations compete in their own intramural sports leagues. Baylor is the only private school in the NCAA Division I Big 12 Conference, but the sports teams, known as the Baylor Bears, stay competitive—especially in football. The school mascot, not surprisingly, is a bear. Baylor University also has its own holiday, Diadeloso, a day when classes are cancelled so students can participate in athletics tournaments, attend free concerts, and relax at a block party. Waco, which is 100 miles from Dallas and Austin, is a small city with outdoor recreation opportunities like hiking and mountain biking.

Baylor University faculty and students are active in research. The university partners with the city of Waco in some of its research initiatives, including the Center for Reservoir and Aquatic Systems Research and the Waco Mammoth Site. For those who want to write about events on and off campus, the school newspaper, the Baylor Lariat, hires a small staff of student writers on a yearly basis. Famous Baylor University graduates include Angela Kinsey, an actress who portrays the character Angela on The Office, comedian and ventriloquist Jeff Dunham, and Mark Hurd, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard.

School mission and unique qualities (as provided by the school):

The mission of Baylor University is to educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service by integrating academic excellence and Christian commitment within a caring community. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas and affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, Baylor is both the state's oldest institution of higher learning and the world's largest Baptist university. Established to be a servant of the church and of society, Baylor seeks to fulfill its calling through excellence in teaching and research, in scholarship and publication, and in service to the community, both local and global. The vision of its founders and the ongoing commitment of generations of students and scholars are reflected in the motto inscribed on the Baylor seal: Pro Ecclesia, Pro Texana - For Church, For Texas.

General Information

School type	private, coed college
Year founded	1845
Religious affiliation	Baptist
Academic calendar	semester
Setting	urban
2010 Endowment	$871,965,931

Applying

When applying to Baylor University, it's important to note the application deadline is rolling, and the early action deadline is November 1. Scores for either the ACT or SAT test are due February 1. The application fee at Baylor University is $50. It is more selective, with an acceptance rate of 47.8 percent.

For more information about the tests, essays, interviews, and admissions process, visit the Applying to College knowledge center.

Selectivity	more selective
Fall 2010 acceptance rate	48%
Application deadline	rolling
SAT/ACT scores must be received by	February 1

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Academic Life

The student-faculty ratio at Baylor University is 14:1, and the school has 48.6 percent of its classes with fewer than 20 students. The most popular majors at Baylor University include: Biology/Biological Sciences, General; Marketing/Marketing Management, General; Psychology, General; Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse; and Finance, General. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 84.5 percent.

Class sizes

Student-faculty ratio

14:1

4-year graduation rate

50% - Medium

Five most popular majors for 2010 graduates

Biology/Biological Sciences, General	7%
Marketing/Marketing Management, General	5%
Psychology, General	5%
Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse	5%
Finance, General	4%

More About Academic Life

Student Life

Baylor University has a total undergraduate enrollment of 12,438, with a gender distribution of 42.2 percent male students and 57.8 percent female students. 38.0 percent of the students live in college-owned, -operated, or -affiliated housing and 62.0 percent of students live off campus. Baylor University is part of the NCAA I athletic conference.

See what students are saying about life at Baylor University.

Total enrollment	14,900
Student gender distribution

Undergraduate men who are members of a fraternity

Undergraduate women who are members of a sorority

Collegiate athletic association	NCAA I

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Campus Info & Services

Baylor University offers a number of student services including nonremedial tutoring, health service, and health insurance. Baylor University also offers campus safety and security services like 24-hour foot and vehicle patrols, late night transport/escort service, 24-hour emergency telephones, lighted pathways/sidewalks, and controlled dormitory access (key, security card, etc). Alcohol is not permitted for students of legal age at Baylor University.

Students who have cars on campus	N/A
Health insurance offered	Yes
Students required to own/lease a computer	No

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Paying for School

At Baylor University, 57.3 percent of full-time undergraduates receive some kind of need-based financial aid and the average need-based scholarship or grant award is $16,079.

Paying for college doesn't have to be difficult or devastating. Go to the Paying for College knowledge center to get advice on raising cash and reducing costs.

Tuition and fees	$31,658 (2011-12)
Room and board	$10,554 (2011-12) - High
Financial aid statistics

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Student Reviews Ratings data provided by Unigo

A disappointing thing about Baylor is where it is located... (Waco, tx) and that's not even that bad if you are a person who likes to reach out to the community which Baylor does a lot of. Most people go home on the weekends The things students complain about most is parking, tuition, and visitation hours (hours when guys and girls can be in one another's dorms) Baylor is very traditional sometimes it feels like a cult but you learn to love it, "sic' em" There really is just a great community feeling at Baylor if you are plugged in

drea Freshman

The thing that I would like to change about Baylor is the Greek Life, if you could say there is one. At Baylor, being a private university they have decided that all Fraternities and Sororities are all equal and have a very close eye on them, so that they do not prefrom any dishonorable actions (drinking, etc...) at least when a few of the brothers or sisters are together. One of the best thing about Baylor is the campus life and the Baylor traditions/experience. Baylor is the perfect size. The classes are small, some have more. There enought student so that everybody doesnt know your business, but small enough that you would see each other on campus walking to class. When I tell people that I attend Baylor they Congratulate me and tell me that it must be nice attending such a prestigious university. That I could do a lot with a degree from Baylor University. I wouldnt say that Waco is a "college town." Waco has a total of three institutions of higher education (Baylor, McLennan Community College, and Texas State Technical College). It does how ever has some aspects of a "college town." The current administration at Baylor is a very active administration. It takes the feedback from students and faculty so they can make Baylor a better place for leaning for both parties. They take in consideration the concerns and questions of students and faculty and the Baylor community. Baylor University has a excepitonal program for school pride. The student show thier school pride constantly and the Waco community and surronding communities show thier support for thier Baylor Bears! Sic 'em! There is not anything that is out of the oridanary, that every other colleges dont have. The one of many experiences that I will always remember is "Welcome Week." This is the week that current students help incoming students move into the dorms, show them around campus, show them the ropes that they have lerned at Baylor, and just tell them about each other in general. I also will remember the day of the "Pudding War"! When Alpha Delta Pi had the war which the sisters had to bring some friends and threw pudding at each other and pudding slip and slides and water ballons The most frequent complaint among students is PARKING! Of course doesnt ever college have this. The other most frequent complaint is the attendance policy. What absence are excused and which one are.

Jeff Junior

When students here are asked if they like Baylor, a typical response is "I love Baylor, but I hate Waco." That is probably the one thing I would've liked to know before deciding to come here. Baylor, in a word, is amazing. It's the perfect size - not UT, but not Southwestern. The professors are friendly and approachable, and all are very knowledgeable about their respective fields. The campus itself, in my opinion, is probably one of the most beautiful in this part of the country. Most of the facilities are top-notch; we have an almost-new state of the art science building, a decent-sized recreation/exercise building, and brand new residence halls. Any buildings that aren't new are nostalgic and beautiful, like the Armstrong Browning Library and Old Main. Plus, we have a bear pit where our real Brown Bear mascots live. Aside from the tangible aspects of Baylor, its Baptist heritage plays a big part in student life as well. Baylor's Christian foundations are evident in many ways: we are required to take chapel for two semesters, a Christian Scriptures class, and a Christian Heritage class, not to mention the many, many service projects students put on throughout the year. The best part is that none of this is forced on any of the students. Yes, we are required to take a couple Christian classes in order to graduate, but they are taught from an educational standpoint, rather than an evangelical one. In my experience so far at Baylor, students and their beliefs have always been respected. Now, with all this good, there has to be some bad, and that brings me to the not-so-great city of Waco, Texas. Not only is it famous for housing some grade-A crazies (ahem, Branch Dividians) in the early 90s, but worse yet, THERE IS NOTHING TO DO HERE. Granted, we do have a surprisingly decent zoo, the Dr. Pepper Museum, and a large park along the Brazos River, but those are strictly daytime activities. If you are into big-city nightlife, you'll have to drive an hour and a half either north to Dallas, or south to Austin. This tends to be a given for the weekends, as you can see by the nearly empty parking lots come Friday at 3pm. And THEN, perhaps the very worst part about Waco, and the part that I wish someone had told me, is that it is not a safe city to live in. You know that park I was talking about? Ask ANYone about it, and they'll tell you "Oh yeah it's gorgeous in the daytime. But DON'T go there at night, you WILL be mugged/raped/stabbed." You'd think that such a highly-esteemed university with all kinds of funding would be in a nice little college town that caters to its every need. Sadly, no. Not even close. I hate to say anything bad about my Baylor experience, but it's important, and I'm sure parents would be thankful to know these things ahead of time. If you don't live within the "Baylor bubble" (the 5 mile radius surrounding the campus), then invest in a security system. Seriously. And even if you live close to campus, I'd do it anyway. Safety first!

Danielle Sophomore

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* Overview details based on 2010 data

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Summary

General Information

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