U.S. News, Wall Street Journal rank Baylor among nation’s best student experiences

A Baylor education is about more than just what you learn in the classroom — it’s really the complete Baylor experience that makes this place special. Two new rankings this fall — one from U.S. News & World Report, the other from the Wall Street Journal — show others outside the Baylor Family are beginning to recognize that fact.

The headline of U.S. News’ annual college rankings is always the overall ranking — and amidst all the havoc of 2020, this year’s list brought good news for BU, as Baylor moved up three places to No. 76 out of almost 400 national universities. That places BU at No. 2 in the Big 12, among the top five in Texas, and in the top 20% nationwide.

But it’s one of U.S. News‘ category rankings that caught our eye, as Baylor came in No. 19 nationally for students’ first-year experiences. The Wall Street Journal was even more impressed, ranking Baylor No. 5 nationally for student engagement (how well a university informs, inspires and challenges its students) — No. 1 in Texas and among Big 12 schools.

Baylor’s value stems from a combination of factors: its foundation in faith, devotion to students, commitment to research, and campus resources, among many attributes. Such elements of the Baylor experience are why BU routinely ranks among the nation’s top universities — and, more importantly, why the Baylor experience is truly unique in the world of higher education.

Sic ’em, Bears!