Baylor Graduation Rates Hit New Highs in Latest Enrollment Data

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More Baylor University students are graduating within four years than ever before according to annual enrollment data released by Baylor’s Office of Institutional Research.

The latest figures, official on the 12th day of class, show Baylor’s four-year graduation rate in 2025 jumped 6.2 points to 77.3%, while the six-year graduation rate increased by 2.1 points to 82.2%, both all-time highs for Baylor.

Increasing graduation rates is a University priority, aligning with the goals outlined in the Baylor in Deeds strategic plan to develop and improve robust systems that actively guide undergraduate students toward graduation in four years. Graduating in four years is a key component for keeping a highly valued Baylor education affordable and attainable, and Baylor’s graduation rates are continuing an upward trajectory that began years ago.

Over the past eight years, Baylor’s four-year graduation rate has increased 13.8% to today’s record levels. With undergraduate retention remaining strong at 92.3%, more students are on pace to graduate within four years, thanks in part to the impact of several student success initiatives that complement the University’s attention to affordability and degree completion.

“There are literally hundreds of people across campus to thank for this achievement,” said J. Wesley (Wes) Null, Ph.D., vice provost for undergraduate education and academic affairs at Baylor and professor of curriculum and foundations of education. “Whether it be the sustained focus on improving retention for the last 15 years, the implementation of professional advisors in all academic units during the mid-2010s, the implementation of a new Arts & Sciences core curriculum six years ago, the creation of Wintermester and discounted summer classes in 2020 that help students stay on track or get ahead, or the elevation of affordability to a high priority by President Livingstone and Provost Brickhouse, years of effort by people in every corner of campus contributed to these new graduation rate records.”

Fall 2025 enrollment

Baylor’s Office of Institutional Research also released the University’s official Fall 2025 enrollment. Baylor met its freshman targets with an outstanding class of 3,552 students, bolstered by a 5% increase in high-academic students whose combinations of test scores and grades correlate to a higher likelihood of success at Baylor. Nearly 35% of Baylor first-year students are from out of state, and the Class of 2029 includes 48 countries.

In total, Baylor has enrolled 19,858 students this fall, with undergraduate enrollment remaining steady at 14,183 students – who are from all 50 U.S. States, the District of Columbia and 90 countries – and graduate and professional education enrollment at 5,675 students.

Baylor’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary reported a record enrollment of 476 students in for-credit, graduate-level classes. This is an increase of more than 18% over last year, continuing Truett’s four-year trend of fall-to-fall enrollment growth.

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. Learn more about Baylor University at www.baylor.edu.