Quality and quantity seen in Baylor enrollment numbers

With almost a month of classes gone by already, Baylor released some official numbers Tuesday that look outstanding.

As you may have heard, interest in Baylor is on the rise. For the fifth straight year, high school student applications set a new Baylor record; 26,514 students applied to start school this fall, blowing away the 7,986 applications received just six years ago.

Some of the increased interest might have to do with the improved financial aid available. Baylor was able to provide financial aid packages combining scholarships, federal loans and work study jobs to cover more than 70 percent of the total financial need of students who qualified for such assistance.

Overall enrollment is 14,174 students, the second-largest total in school history, with undergraduate retention climbing to 88 percent. Retention for first-year students jumped from 84.2 percent in fall 2006 to 85.6 for fall 2007. Minority enrollment among freshmen rose from 24.1 percent a year ago to 29 percent this fall.

Baylor hasn’t sacrificed quality for quantity, either. The freshman class has a record average SAT score of 1219, and 40 percent of the class graduated in the top 10 percent. Is this a top-tier student body? Sure looks good to me!

Sic ’em, student body!