Fall numbers show record enrollment, retention rate & interest in Baylor

The fall semester has been in session for almost a month now. Class schedules have been finalized, students have established their routines, and Baylor has officially run the numbers for this year’s student body.

Those numbers tell us that, despite its size, Baylor’s Class of 2019 is among the most selective in school history. These 3,394 freshmen — Baylor’s second-largest incoming class ever, behind only last year’s record of 3,625 — have the best combination of high school rank, test scores and GPA in the university’s 170-year history. The average Baylor freshman this year has an SAT score of 1230, an ACT score of 28, and a 42% chance of having been ranked in the top 10 percent at their high school. For the first time ever, Baylor actually had to turn away perfectly qualified students, simply because interest (and students’ academic profiles) were so high.

Of this year’s incoming freshmen, a third are from outside Texas, representing 46 other states and 30 countries, and nearly 31 percent are legacies (family members of previous Baylor students). Retention of last year’s freshmen this year is at a record 88.9% — an unusually high number for an institution of Baylor’s size.

Combining this large freshman class with those impressive retention numbers means a record number of students — 16,787 — are walking the Baylor campus on any given day. We’ve often said there’s never been a better time to be a Bear, and the increased interest in attending Baylor parallels other rises across the university in recent years, from historic academic rankings to athletic success to record-setting fundraising.

Sic ’em, Baylor students!

You might also like:
* Incoming freshman class to be among the most selective in school history — March 2015
* A sneak peek at Baylor’s Class of 2019 — June 2015
* Another sneak peek at Baylor’s Class of 2019 — July 2015