Baylor University

Baylor University is a private institution founded in 1845. The total undergraduate enrollment is 15,155 (Fall 2023) and the campus is located on 1,000 acres in the city. The university operates on a semester-based academic calendar. Baylor is ranked 91st nationally in the 2025 edition of Best Colleges. Tuition and fees are $58,100.

Baylor University's student community consists primarily of religion and service. The Waco, Texas-based school is a private Baptist school with a student body that is particularly active in volunteerism. Each semester, students donate 12,000 hours to service projects through a one-day event called Steppin' Out. Students can volunteer throughout the year through the school's Urban Missions, which coordinates service projects in the local community, and Global Missions, which sends students abroad. Students are also actively involved in faith-based activities. Each year, students lead Be The Change, a week-long program of presentations, breakout sessions and activities that put religion in the global spotlight. Freshmen are required to live on campus and are also required to attend chapel for two semesters, participating in weekly chapel services on Mondays and Wednesdays. Students and faculty gather daily at noon for campus prayer and also eat free ice cream each week during Dr Pepper Hour.

Students can also participate in more than 300 student organizations on campus. There are approximately 40 fraternities and sororities on campus, and these organizations also participate in their own intramural sports leagues. Baylor is one of the only private schools in the NCAA's Big 12 Conference, but the athletic teams known as the Baylor Bears have remained very competitive, especially in football. It's no surprise that the school's mascot is a bear. Baylor also has its own holiday, Diadeloso, a day when school is closed and students can attend track meets and free concerts. Located 100 miles from Dallas and Austin, Waco is a small city with outdoor recreational opportunities like hiking and mountain biking.

Baylor University faculty and students are actively involved in research activities. The university collaborates with the city of Waco on a number of research activities, including the Center for the Study of Reservoirs and Aquatic Systems and the Waco Mammoth Site. For those students who want to write stories about events on and off campus, the Baylorariat, the university newspaper, hires a handful of student writers each year. Notable Baylor graduates include actress Angela Kinsey, who played Angela on "The Office," comedian and ventriloquist Jeff Dunham and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Mark Hurd.