Private nonprofit · University

Baylor University

Waco, Texas · Midsize city

51.3%
Admit rate
$41,104
Avg net price
80%
Graduation rate
$65,793
Median earnings

Baylor University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Waco, Texas (midsize city setting), enrolling 14,785 undergraduates. It has a Baptist religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 14,785 undergradsMidsize citySelective · 51% admitNCAA Division I-FBS · Big Twelve Conference

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Baylor University's admitted students.

Admit rate
51.3%
SAT (mid 50%)
1200–1400
Avg GPA (est.)
3.73

Enter a test score to see where you land against Baylor University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Baylor University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Waco, Texas

Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. In historic times, the area of present-day Waco was occupied by the Wichita Indian tribe known as the "Waco" (Spanish: Hueco or Huaco). Waco is served by the Waco-McLennan County Library system. The Armstrong Browning Library, on the campus of Baylor University, houses collections of English poets Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
2 miles to Waco, TX
To the ocean
175 miles
Nearest airport
8 miles to Waco (ACT)

How Baylor University compares

Selectivity51.3%

More selective than 83% · #15 most selective of 77 in Texas

SAT average1329

Higher than 83%

Graduation rate80%

Higher than 89% · #10 of 87 in Texas

First-year retention91%

Higher than 87%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$65,793

Higher than 78% · #19 of 94 in Texas

Average net price$41,104

Cheaper than 4% · #87 cheapest of 88 in Texas

Median debt at graduation$23,000

Lower than 53%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 35%

Undergraduate enrollment14,785

Larger than 92%

Percentiles compare Baylor University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Texas.

Baylor University campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

20,496students
  • Undergraduate14,78572%
  • Graduate5,71128%

Undergraduates by gender

14,785undergrads
  • Women8,92160%
  • Men5,86440%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White60%
  • Black5.5%
  • Hispanic18%
  • Asian8.6%
  • Other or multiracial8.8%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
14,785
Graduate enrollment
5,711
Student–faculty ratio
15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
12%
First-generation students
17%
Students over 25
2%
Median family income
$80,000
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$107,982
Endowment
$2,103,057,000

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 3,317 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Texas60%
  • Other U.S. states37%
  • International2.7%

A regional draw: about 60% of first-years come from Texas, the rest from elsewhere.

3% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
51.3%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1200–1400
SAT average
1329
SAT reading
610–700
SAT math
590–700
ACT composite
27–32
Average GPA (estimated)
3.73

Cost

In-state tuition
$58,100
Room & board
$15,314
Books & supplies
$1,498
Total cost of attendance
$74,226
Average net price
$41,104

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
80%
Graduated on time (4 years)
68%
First-year retention
91%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$56,532
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$65,793
Median debt at graduation
$23,000
Students with federal loans
31%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
70%

About 12% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
68%
Low-income (Pell)
72%
First-generation
71%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
4,750
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
32%
Housing charge (year)
$7,700
Meal plan (year)
$6,535
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FBS
Football conference
Big Twelve Conference
Varsity athletes
662 (277 men · 385 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (11)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)208
Football118
Equestrian61
Gymnastics56
Basketball48
Baseball43
Soccer33
Softball27
Tennis27
Volleyball22
Golf19

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.4 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
61
Property offenses (2022–2024)
85

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 6 campuses (20,626 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

49reported offenses a year
20 violent a year28 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
16
Rape
13
Burglary
10
Fondling
6.3
Arson
2.0
Aggravated assault
1.0

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$22,024
$30–48k
$21,530
$48–75k
$33,902
$75–110k
$38,852
$110k+
$47,895

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$143,154

$33,902/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

97%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$19,350
average award, among those who get one

Baylor University discounts heavily: 97% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $19,350. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 3,286 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$65,793
Typical debt at graduation
$23,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
35%
Out-earn a HS grad
75%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.5 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$62,353
Men
$71,803

Men out-earn women by $9,450 (15%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
95°F
Winter low
36°F
Annual rain
37.5″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°70°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.24.4JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Waco Dam, TX US station (6.7 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Baylor University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Baylor University side by side →

Colleges near Baylor University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.