Baylor University

Baylor University in Waco, Texas, defines itself as a distinctly Christian institution where they value faith as a part of a student’s life. It’s considered an opportunity and an invitation. Conversations about faith happen everywhere, including the classroom. For some students, this makes it a great fit. For others, it’s not.

With about 14,000 undergraduates and 5700 graduate students, Baylor is a vibrant academic community that became an R1 research institution in 2021. Well known for business and science, Baylor actually has loads of majors across many disciplines. Some interesting ones include Aviation Administration, Interior Design, Medical Humanities, Bioinformatics, Film Theory and Criticism, Museum Studies, Apparel Merchandising, Astrophysics, Theatre Design and Technology, and Human Resource Management. US News and World Report ranked them #26 for both Undergraduate Teaching and Innovative Schools, and Baylor has long been a top producing institution of Fulbright and Truman Scholars.

We were told that the top reason students pick Baylor is because it feels like home to them, and Christians and non-Christians alike are welcome as students, but professors must be Christian. Division one sports are big here, and everybody goes to the football game where tickets are free for all students. In fact, professors stop class so students can get football and basketball tickets at 4pm on Mondays. The values here are conservative – no one of the opposite gender can be in a dorm room between 1am and 10am, and it’s a dry campus. Also, attendance at weekly chapel is required, although “chapel” is loosely defined; there are many types of Christian gatherings, not just church services, to choose from.

Housing is required and guaranteed for first year students.

There’s no application fee, and they admit more students from the priority deadline of November first than they do later. Baylor is a beautiful campus and the students seem genuinely happy. It’s a great place for a conservative-minded Christian student.