Why are Retention and Graduation Rates Important?
Make an informed decision about your education by understanding how Baylor's retention and graduation rates impact you. First year retention rates let you know how many students come back for their sophomore year. Graduation rates tell you how long it takes to complete a degree at Baylor. Remember, every extra semester it takes to graduate will increase the cost of your degree.
On This Page You'll Find:
- What These Rates Have To Do With You
- First to Second Year Retention Rate at Baylor
- Graduation Rates at Baylor University
Baylor Has One of the Best Freshman Retention Rates in the Country
With 89.0% of students staying on for a second year, Baylor University is one of the best in the country when it comes to freshman retention.
Nationwide, the average first year to second year retention rate is 72.0%. When looking at just colleges and universities in Texas, the average is 67.0%.
Baylor Freshmen Retention Rate Rankings
Any Questions?
- When you attend a school that is high quality and a good fit for you, it is more likely you'll return for another year. Read more about why retention is so important.
- How many students make it past freshman year? You might be surprised at the answer.
Overall, 71.5% of Baylor Undergrads Finish Within Six Years
At Baylor, there were 3,463 bachelors degree candidates in the class of 2013. By 2015, six years after beginning their degree, 71.5% of these students had graduated. After an additional two years, 72.2% of this class eventually completed their degree.
We consider the "on-time" graduation rate for a bachelor's degree to be four years, but colleges typically report their graduation rates after six or even eight years.
This implies that 27.8% did not graduate within eight years. Of these 963 students, 8 were still working towards their degree, 173 had transferred to a different institution, and Baylor lost contact with the remaining 781 whom we assume dropped out.
Some Students Take More Time to Graduate
First-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are much more likely to graduate in four years (on-time). Some schools cater mostly to traditional students while others cater to “non-traditional” students who may be attending part time and thus are likely to take longer to graduate.
Comparing the graduation rates of specific cohorts shown below will be more revealing than the overall statistics shared above.
First-Time / Full-time Students at Baylor Represent 88.2% of the Class of 2013 and 89.2% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a four year graduation rate of 55.0%, first-time students in the Baylor class of 2013 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time. After six years, the graduation rate was 72.2% and by 2017, 73.0% of this class had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 33.4% after four years, 47.6% after six years, and 49.2% after eight years.
Baylor is Graduating Students Slower Than we Expected
Studies have shown that high-achieving students are more likely to complete their degree on time. Given the academic preparedness of the first-time / full-time students accepted to Baylor, we expected that after six years about 78.0% of them would have completed their undergraduate degree.
Nationwide Rankings for First-Time / Full-time Graduation Rates at Baylor
27.0% of the First-Time / Full-time Class of 2013 had not Completed Their Degree by 2017
Of these 824 students, 6 were still working towards their degree, 152 had transferred to a different institution, and Baylor lost contact with the remaining 666 whom we assume dropped out.
First-Time / Part-time Students at Baylor Represent 0.2% of the Class of 2013 and 0.1% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 50.0%, first-time students in the Baylor class of 2013 who attended classes part-time were among the most likely in the nation to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 50.0%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 22.2% after six years and 24.5% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for First-Time / Part-time Graduation Rates at Baylor
50.0% of the First-Time/ Part-time Class of 2013 had not Completed Their Degree by 2017
Of these 3 students, 0 were still working towards their degree, 0 had transferred to a different institution, and Baylor lost contact with the remaining 3 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Full-time Students at Baylor Represent 11.4% of the Class of 2013 and 10.6% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 67.2%, returning students in the Baylor class of 2013 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate in a reasonable time. After eight years, the graduation rate was 67.2%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for returning undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 55.0% after six years and 56.2% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for Returning / Full-time Graduation Rates at Baylor
32.8% of the Returning / Full-time Class of 2013 had not Completed Their Degree by 2017
Of these 129 students, 1 were still working towards their degree, 20 had transferred to a different institution, and Baylor lost contact with the remaining 108 whom we assume dropped out.
Returning / Part-time Students at Baylor Represent 0.3% of the Class of 2013 and 0.1% of all Their Bachelor's Degree Graduations.
With a six year graduation rate of 30.0%, returning students in the Baylor class of 2013 who attended classes part-time had a graduation rate similar to the national average. After eight years, the graduation rate was 33.3%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for returning undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 36.7% after six years and 38.6% after eight years.
Nationwide Rankings for Returning / Part-time Graduation Rates at Baylor
66.7% of the Returning / Part-time Class of 2013 had not Completed Their Degree by 2017
Of these 6 students, 1 were still working towards their degree, 1 had transferred to a different institution, and Baylor lost contact with the remaining 4 whom we assume dropped out.
