Baylor University: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Edinburg, Texas · Public · Open access · CDS 2023-2024
Baylor University is a public university in Edinburg, Texas that admits about 85% of applicants, making it a open access school. The average family pays about $6,500 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Biology, General, Criminal Justice and Corrections and Psychology, General, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. About 49% of students graduate within six years. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 0.2 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
Baylor University is a public institution located in Edinburg, Texas. For the most recent reporting cycle, Baylor University admits the majority of qualified applicants, with an overall admission rate of 85%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT around 1020. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $6,500 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Baylor University is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.
What GPA does my child need for Baylor University?
Baylor University has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.
What does Baylor University weight in admissions?
Baylor University reports the following factor importance in its Common Data Set (2023-2024). These are the criteria the admissions committee weighs when reviewing applications.
- • Class rank
- • Academic GPA
- • Rigor of secondary school record
- • Level of applicant's interest
- • Standardized test scores
- • Application essay
- • Extracurricular activities
- • Talent/ability
- • Character/personal qualities
- • Volunteer work
- • Work experience
- • Recommendations
- • Interview
- • First generation status
- • Alumni/ae relation
- • Geographical residence
- • State residency
- • Religious affiliation/commitment
SAT and ACT scores Baylor University typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 440–540, with an EBRW midpoint near —. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 16–22. Many applicants here submit scores; even slightly below the average can be competitive when combined with a strong GPA and curriculum.
| 25th percentile | 920 |
| 50th percentile | 1000 |
| 75th percentile | 1100 |
| % submitting SAT | 27.71% |
| 25th percentile | 16 |
| 50th percentile | 19 |
| 75th percentile | 22 |
| % submitting ACT | 25.79% |
- • Test-optional: Standardized test scores are not required, but may be submitted and considered.
- • Policy detail: Considered if submitted
Where admitted students ranked in their high school class
Class rank distribution gives parents a clear sense of how academically dominant a typical admitted student was within their own high school cohort — often a more meaningful signal than absolute GPA.
| Top 10% of class | 20.11% |
| Top 25% of class | 46.55% |
| Top 50% of class | 77.32% |
| % submitting class rank | 91.43% |
How much does Baylor University actually cost?
Published tuition is $9,859 for in-state students and $19,939 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $9,662 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $6,500 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 64% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| In-state tuition | $7,857 |
| Out-of-state tuition | $20,157 |
| Room and board | $9,728 |
| Average net price (after aid) | $6,500 |
| Application fee | — |
Application deadlines and early decision data for Baylor University
| Regular deadline | 2025-08-22 |
| Notification date | 2024-10-01 |
| Rolling admissions | Yes |
Will my child graduate from Baylor University?
Retention and graduation rates are the most overlooked numbers in college planning, but they predict actual outcomes far better than acceptance rate. They tell you whether admitted students stay and finish on time.
Most popular majors at Baylor University
The most popular undergraduate programs at Baylor University, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Biology, General, Criminal Justice and Corrections and Psychology, General. Across all programs, Baylor University confers roughly 2,741 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Biology, General program report a median income of about $55,383 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.
| Major | Graduates / year | Median earnings (5 yrs out) |
|---|---|---|
| Biology, General | 587 | $55,383 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 581 | $50,935 |
| Psychology, General | 486 | $44,064 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 310 | $52,121 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 240 | $54,523 |
| Social Work | 184 | $46,031 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 183 | $87,989 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 170 | $49,369 |
Is Baylor University safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Baylor University disclosed 6 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 0.2 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 3 violent offenses and 1 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.
What is campus life like at Baylor University?
About 4% of undergraduates at Baylor University live in campus housing, so a meaningful share of students commute or live off campus. In Greek life, 1% of men join a fraternity and 0% of women join a sorority. Residential rate and Greek participation shape day-to-day social life and are worth weighing alongside academics and cost.
Other colleges in Texas parents ask about
- Rice University29% acceptance
- University of Texas at Austin63% acceptance
- Texas A&M University-College Station8% acceptance
- Southern Methodist University89% acceptance
- Texas Christian University71% acceptance
- University of Houston97% acceptance
- Texas State University88% acceptance
- University of North Texas100% acceptance
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Baylor University
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Baylor University recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.
Common questions parents ask about Baylor University
What GPA do I need for Baylor University?
Baylor University has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission.
What SAT or ACT score does Baylor University typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 440–540, with an EBRW midpoint near —. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 16–22.
How much does Baylor University actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Baylor University after grants and scholarships is $6,500 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.
Is Baylor University realistic for my child?
Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, Baylor University is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
What is the acceptance rate at Baylor University?
Baylor University accepts about 85% of applicants out of roughly 12,137 who apply each year. It admits the majority of qualified applicants.
Is Baylor University test-optional?
Yes. Baylor University is test-optional, so SAT and ACT scores are not required, but strong scores can still be submitted and will be considered.
What is the graduation rate at Baylor University?
About 49% of students at Baylor University graduate within six years. 79% of freshmen return for sophomore year. Graduation rate predicts real outcomes better than acceptance rate.
What does Baylor University look for in applicants?
Baylor University rates class rank and GPA as "very important" in its Common Data Set. These are the factors the admissions committee weighs most heavily when reviewing an application.
Is Baylor University a public or private school, and where is it located?
Baylor University is a public institution located in Edinburg, Texas.
What are the most popular majors at Baylor University?
The largest undergraduate majors at Baylor University by annual graduates are Biology, General, Criminal Justice and Corrections and Psychology, General. The school awards about 2,741 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is Baylor University safe? What is its campus crime rate?
Baylor University reported 6 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 0.2 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
What is campus life like at Baylor University?
At Baylor University, 4% of undergraduates live on campus, 1% of men are in fraternities, 0% of women are in sororities, according to its most recent Common Data Set.
Data sourced from the 2023-2024 Common Data Set submitted by Baylor University, the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act campus safety disclosures. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.