Highly Qualified Class

Baylor University announced official fall enrollment numbers--including the second highest overall enrollment in University history--that show a continued strong demand for a Baylor education.
Baylor announced a fall enrollment of 14,174 students and the most academically qualified freshman class in University history, according to official 12th-day enrollment statistics compiled by the Office of Institutional Research and Testing.
Overall Baylor has enrolled 11,902 undergraduates; 1,291 graduate students; 413 in the School of Law; and a record-setting 402 students in Baylor's George W. Truett Theological Seminary.
At the U.S. Army Academy of Health Sciences in San Antonio, where Baylor has graduate programs in healthcare administration, physical therapy and nutrition, 161 students are enrolled. In addition, five students are enrolled in the doctor of science in physical therapy program at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, another degree program operated jointly by Baylor and the U.S. Army.
Baylor's overall fall enrollment of 14,174 students is the second highest total in school history, behind only 2001's record enrollment of 14,221 students.
Baylor also reported increased retention rates for students, one of the goals of Baylor 2012, the University's 10-year vision. The retention rate for all undergraduate students increased by nearly a percentage point from 87.1 percent in fall 2006 to 88 percent in fall 2007. Baylor also reported that the retention rate for first-year students jumped from 84.2 percent in fall 2006 to 85.6 percent in fall 2007, bringing the rate back up above 85 percent for the first time since 2001.
Baylor's 2007 freshman class enrollment of 2,732 students is down slightly from last year's freshman enrollment of 2,783 students. However, this year's class continued Baylor's upward trend for academic quality, with a record average SAT score of 1219, compared with last year's previous record of 1213. Since 1999, the average SAT score for Baylor freshmen has risen 50 points.
Forty percent of Baylor freshmen in this year's class graduated in the top 10 percent of their high school class, while 76 percent graduated in the top quartile of their class. In addition, Baylor's freshman class increased its diversity, with minority enrollment among its freshmen rising from 24.1 percent in fall 2006 to 29 percent for fall 2007.
Baylor also had a record number of applications for the fall 2007 freshmen class-- 26,514--compared to last year's total of 21,451 applications. Baylor's acceptance rate was 44 percent, up slightly from 42.4 percent in 2006. The university accepted 65.7 percent of applicants in 2005, while 72.4 percent were accepted in 2004.