In High Demand
The incoming Class of 2026 reflects the broad reach of Baylor’s reputation for academic excellence and a robust student experience grounded in a Christian community. The University’s overall fall enrollment topped 20,000 again this year, with 20,709 students enrolled in the fall semester. The University’s overall student body reflects 38.3 percent underrepresented minority enrollment with students from out-of-state topping nearly 43 percent.
An intentionally smaller incoming freshman class of 3,296 students maintained its high academic quality, with SAT and ACT test scores and the percentage of high-ability students up year over year. The smaller entering class size in Fall 2022 was a response to Baylor’s two large “COVID classes” that enrolled in fall 2021 (4,271 freshmen) and fall 2020 (3,731 freshmen). The diversity among the 2022 freshman class includes underrepresented minority enrollment at 35.4 percent and out-of-state enrollment at nearly 46 percent.
Baylor also received a record number of applications during the fall 2022 admissions cycle at nearly 51,000, up 13 percent year over year. The University accepted about 10 percent fewer applicants than the previous year, a sign of Baylor’s growing selectivity.
Total undergraduate enrollment totaled 15,213 students, with enrollment in Baylor’s expanding graduate and professional programs, including online programs, increasing to 5,493 students.
The record-setting fall 2021 freshman class returned to Baylor for fall 2022 in large numbers, improving the one-year freshman retention rate by two points to 90.2 percent.
“Baylor’s compelling vision of a Christian university that values the highest level of research and scholarship while continuing to uphold its faith commitment is resonating with students and families across the country,” said President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D. “Despite a pandemic and other challenges faced by higher education today, we continue to see rising demand for a Baylor education that offers the unique combination of academic excellence, a distinctively Christian mission, our midsize and Power 5 athletics. Our students are excited about Baylor and excited to get a world-class education while participating in an enriching student experience.”
Baylor’s transformational undergraduate academic programs and experiences were the major highlights in the latest Best Colleges rankings for 2023 released by U.S. News & World Report.
One of the top highlights in this year’s U.S. News rankings is how well Baylor scored across the board in the “Programs to Look For” category. U.S. News defines these as well-regarded academic programs that, research shows, are linked to student success and positive learning outcomes while fostering a successful undergraduate student experience. These program rankings came from college presidents, provosts and admissions deans who were asked to name the top standout schools in each category.
Baylor made major strides forward in these categories:
- No. 10 — First-year Experience, moving up five places
- No. 16 — Learning Communities
- No. 16 — Best Undergraduate Teaching
- No. 20 — Most Innovative Schools
- No. 21 — Undergraduate Research/Creative Projects
- No. 46 — Best Colleges for Veterans
For the 11th consecutive year, Baylor is the No. 2 ranked university in the Big 12 and among the top five in Texas at No. 77, behind only Rice (No. 15), the University of Texas at Austin (No. 38), Texas A&M (No. 67) and SMU (No. 72) and ahead of TCU (No. 89), Kansas (No. 121), Iowa State and Oklahoma (No. 127), the University of Texas at Dallas (No. 151), Kansas State (No. 166), Oklahoma State (No. 182), Texas Tech (No. 219) and West Virginia (No. 234).
“It’s rewarding to have our peer institutions and others recognize Baylor’s high-quality undergraduate programs and how much we deeply value the undergraduate student experience, from the first year on campus to sharing academic pursuits and interests in living-learning centers to our faculty’s outstanding teaching, innovation and research opportunities for students,” Livingstone said. “Baylor is a Christian Research 1 university with a distinct and compelling mission, including providing our students with a transformational academic education and co-curricular experience that prepares the whole person for worldwide leadership and service.”