Baylor Celebrates Record-setting Class, Retention, Graduation

Baylor enrolled its highest-achieving freshman class ever and advanced undergraduate retention and graduation rates to record levels, according to 12th class day statistics from the University’s Office of Institutional Research and Testing (IRT). 

“Our freshman class is a testament to Baylor’s strength and resilience as we achieved our enrollment projections with the most academically qualified first-year class in our history,” Baylor President Linda A. Livingstone, PhD, said.

Notable points about Baylor’s freshman enrollment of 3,366 students include: 

• Out-of-state freshman enrollment increased to a record 38.6 percent.


• Minority enrollment among freshmen is at 36.5 percent.


• Nearly 40 percent of this year’s freshmen were in the top 10 percent of their high school class.


• More than 32 percent of the freshman class reported a legacy connection to Baylor.


• Overall, Baylor’s student body continues to be the most diverse ever at the University, with minority enrollment at 35.3 percent. 


• Other significant statistics involved the advancement in the University’s retention and graduation rates: 


• The retention rate among all Baylor undergraduates from fall 2017 to fall 2018 increased to 91.6 percent, the highest ever at the University.


• The four-year graduation rate among the fall 2014 cohort rose to a record 63.5 percent.


• The six-year graduation rate for the fall 2012 cohort jumped to a record 79 percent.

The University’s fall-to-fall retention among freshmen from fall 2017 to fall 2018 fell slightly to 88.8 percent but is still among the highest in University history. 

Baylor’s overall enrollment measured 17,217 students. The University has enrolled 14,188 undergraduate students and 3,029 graduate and professional students in the Graduate School, George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor Law School, Diana R. Garland School of Social Work and Baylor/U.S. Army affiliated degree programs.