Baylor Sets New Retention Mark, Announces Fall Enrollment

In line with the goals of its strategic enrollment management plan, Baylor University set a new high for the one-year retention rate for first-time freshmen – a key indicator of undergraduate students’ successful adjustment to University life – and also announced its official fall enrollment today.

Baylor’s one-year freshman retention rate (Fall 2023 to Fall 2024) increased three-tenths of a point to 90.9%, the highest retention rate in the University’s history. Since Fall 2020, Baylor’s fall-to-fall retention rate has steadily climbed by nearly 3%.

“Achieving a record 90.9% fall-to-fall retention would not have been possible without the hard work of many people across campus, most notably our faculty, University leadership and student support staff who work tirelessly to help our students succeed,” said J. Wesley (Wes) Null, Ph.D., vice provost for undergraduate education and academic affairs. “Increasing retention remains a University priority. With the strong momentum we have as an institution, the goals within our strategic enrollment management plan are definitely attainable, but it will take continued hard work and focus by everyone across campus.”

According to official enrollment statistics from Baylor’s Office of Institutional Research, Baylor enrolled 20,626 students this fall. 

Amid record applications for the Fall 2024 class, Baylor enrolled a high-achieving and diverse freshman class of 3,427 students. The first-year class includes:

• Students from 48 U.S. states and 41 foreign countries.
• The highest percentage (31.7%) of underrepresented minority students ever in a first-year class.
• 40.6% students of color.
• 41.6% male, a 1.7% jump from last fall.
• An increase in high-ability students, whose combinations of test scores and grades correlate to a higher likelihood of success at Baylor.

Overall, Baylor’s student body reflects more than one-third students of color at 36.3% and students from out-of-state at nearly 41%.

Undergraduate enrollment was reported at 14,915 students, which follows the strategic enrollment management plan to maintain undergraduate enrollment in a range of 14,500 to 15,500 students to preserve the full experience of a Baylor education.

Enrollment in Baylor’s expanding graduate and graduate professional programs, including online programs, increased to 5,711 students. Reflecting the rise of Baylor as a Christian Research 1 institution, the University conferred degrees this summer on more than 130 doctoral graduates earning the Ph.D., Ed.D., Psy.D. and D.Sc.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.