Milestones Achieved

Continuing year-over-year trends in upward growth and diversity across the University, Baylor again set records in fall enrollment, welcoming its most academically qualified and most diverse freshman class in the institution’s history.

Overall, the University also topped the significant milestone of 20,000 total enrollment for the first time, enrolling 20,626 students for the fall.

“The tremendous interest in a Baylor University education continues to grow nationally, especially as students and their families seek a mid-size university like Baylor that has the unique combination of a distinctively Christian mission, strong academics and Power 5 athletics,” said President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D. “Our incoming class is the most academically qualified class and one of the most diverse we have ever had, and we continue to attract graduate and professional students at record levels. This is a testament to Baylor’s national reputation for an outstanding undergraduate education and our research aspirations as the preeminent Christian research university with a significant voice that matters in higher education and in our world today.”

Baylor’s graduation rates — an important marker of success in offering a transformational undergraduate education — continued on an upward trajectory, with preliminary data showing Baylor’s four-year graduation rate rose to 69.6 percent, while the six-year graduation rate improved more than two points to 81.6 percent.

Minority enrollment within the freshman class rose to 38.4 percent and out-of-state freshman enrollment nearly reached 45 percent, both topping previous high marks from the 2020 class.

Undergraduate enrollment was reported at 15,191 students, a number that the University plans to hold steady across future incoming classes. An expanded graduate and professional population — including online programs — of 5,435 students saw an 11 percent increase from 2020 to 2021.

Nationally, the University rose in the 2021 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings, earning the No. 75 spot among National Universities.

Schools in the U.S. News National Universities category offer a full range of undergraduate majors, plus master’s and doctoral programs, and emphasize faculty research.

Other U.S. News rankings for Baylor include:

No. 9 – Best Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Programs
No. 15 – First-Year Experiences
No. 17 – Undergraduate Research/Creative Projects
No. 33 – Best Undergraduate Teaching
No. 34 – Most Innovative Schools
No. 57 – Best Undergraduate Accounting Programs
No. 58 – Best Undergraduate Nursing Programs
No. 74 – Best Undergraduate Business Programs
No. 82 – Best Value Schools
No. 111 – Best Colleges for Veterans
No. 114 – Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs (with doctorate)
No. 135 – Undergraduate Computer Science Programs

“We are honored that our peer institutions and others have recognized Baylor’s distinct academic mission and the strengths of our various undergraduate programs and initiatives in this year’s U.S. News rankings,” said President Livingstone. “As Baylor aspires to become a Research 1 university while maintaining our foundational Christian mission, Baylor continues to deeply value our students’ undergraduate experience, beginning with their first days with our outstanding faculty in the classroom to their engagement with professors in transformative research and creative experiences that truly distinguish a Baylor education.”

For the 10th time, Baylor earned elite Honor Roll status as a 2021 Great College to Work For, according to a recent survey by The Chronicle of Higher Education, earning recognition in six categories:

Job Satisfaction & Support
Compensation & Benefits
Supervisor/Department Chair Effectiveness
Confidence in Senior Leadership
Mission & Pride
Faculty & Staff Well-being