Baylor matches best-ever ranking from U.S. News, tops 15,000 enrollment for first time

The latest U.S. News “Best Colleges” report came out yesterday, and Baylor is up four spots to No. 75, matching its highest-ever ranking. BU again comes in third in the Big 12 and among the top five in Texas, closing the gap on its nearest in-state competitor.

Official Fall 2011 enrollment numbers came out Tuesday as well, and for the first time, Baylor’s total enrollment has topped 15,000. Moreover, the new class of 3,033 freshmen (culled from nearly 39,000 applicants) bring the best average SAT score (1236) and ACT score (27) in school history.

Diversity among the student body remains high, as well; for the fourth straight year, minority enrollment among Baylor’s freshman class is above 30 percent. Those numbers will likely keep Baylor the second-most diverse student body in the Big 12.

Add to these numbers top-25 rankings for football and basketball, a distinctly recognized curriculum and culture of service, best-buy status for the sixth straight year, etc., and one must seriously consider: Has there ever been a better time to be a Baylor student?

Sic ’em, Bears!