Baylor University

What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Baylor University

Baylor University operates as a private nonprofit institution located in Waco, Texas (city: midsize), with a total reported enrollment of 14,785 students of which 16,036 are undergraduates. Institution-level records in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) classify each school by Carnegie category, ownership sector, and urban/rural locale, which is how this profile’s peer group and cost cohort are determined. Baylor University is categorized as “15” under the Carnegie classification system, a meaningful signal when comparing like-to-like institutions.

Selectivity and financial signals give context to what applicants can expect. The reported admission rate is 51.3%, drawn from the most recent IPEDS Fall enrollment survey, with an average SAT of 1,329 and an ACT midpoint of 29. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $41,104, with published in-state tuition of $58,100 and a Pell grant recipient share of 12.4%. Median federal student debt at graduation is $23,000, drawn from the U.S. Treasury-matched College Scorecard file.

Outcomes reveal whether the investment pays back. The 4-year completion rate is 80.1%, and the first-year retention rate is 91.0%. Graduates earn a median of $65,793 ten years after enrolling, compared with $56,532 six years post-enrollment. Within three years of entering repayment, 413900.0% of borrowers are making progress on their federal loans, and 76.1% of graduates earn above the high-school threshold. Treating these numbers as a single snapshot alongside the cost cohort is the standard approach for evaluating ROI under the College Scorecard methodology.