by our College Data Analytics TeamHow long does it take to earn a degree at Baylor? Find out how many students return after their freshman year, how long it takes to graduate, and what happens to the students who don't.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 91% students making it past their freshmen year, Baylor has freshmen retention rates above the national average.
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in Texas, the average is 68.17%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Baylor | 91% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| Texas | 68.17% |
Of the 2,716 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?
60% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 75% in six years, and 75% in eight years.
Any student who completes their bachelor's degree within six years is considered to have graduated on time, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. This makes the offical Baylor graduation rate 75%.
The average length of time it takes an Baylor undergraduate student to complete their bachelor's degree is 4.21 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 2,171 | 60% |
| Six Years | 2,716 | 75% |
| Eight Years | 28 | 0% |
| Did Not Complete | 893 | 25% |
Approximately 893 students or 25% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 893 students who did not complete their degree?
3 are still enrolled.
773 transferred to another institution.
Baylor lost contact with the remaining 116 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 0.3% |
| Transferred | 773 | 86.6% |
| Dropped Out | 116 | 13.0% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 93% |
| Asian | 85% |
| Black / African-American | 74% |
| Hawaiian | 33% |
| Hispanic | 68% |
| International | 78% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 71% |
| Unknown | 91% |
| White | 83% |
Some schools have mainly first-time, full-time students, while others cater to part-time students, transfer students, or adult learners. For a variety of reasons first-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are usually more likely to graduate in four years.
Traditional Students:
First-time, full-time students under the age of 25.
Non-Traditional Students:
Any student that is not first-time, full-time, and under the age of 25.
The majority of students at Baylor are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
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 University represent 84% of the students in the class of 2015, and 86.01% of Baylor bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 60%, first-time students in the Baylor class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Baylor graduation rate was 77%, and by the eight year mark, 78% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is 37.92% after four years, 46.43% after six years, and 47.82% after eight years.
| First-Time / Full-Time Completions | Baylor | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 60% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 77% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 78% | 47.82% |
685 first-time / full-time students or 22% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
3 are still enrolled.
610 transferred to another institution.
Baylor lost contact with the remaining 73 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 3 | 0.44% |
| Transferred | 610 | 89.05% |
| Dropped Out | 73 | 10.66% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Baylor first-time, part-time students.
582 Baylor students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 15.98% of the students in the class of 2015.
Non first-time students could include transfer students or adults who have returned to school after an absense.
With a six year graduation rate of 65%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average for students in this category.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 66%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for non first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 49.57% after four years, 53.83% after six years, and 55.07% after eight years.
| Returning / Full-Time Completions | Baylor | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 65% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 66% | 55.07% |
200 non first-time / part-time students or 34% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
2 are still enrolled.
157 transferred to another institution.
Baylor lost contact with the remaining 41 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 2 | 1.00% |
| Transferred | 157 | 78.50% |
| Dropped Out | 41 | 20.50% |
10 Baylor students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 0.27% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 10%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate lower than the national average.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 20%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for non first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 36.03% after six years, 36.03% after eight years.
| Returning / Part-Time Completions | Baylor | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 10% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 20% | 37.80% |
8 non first-time / part-time students or 80% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
6 transferred to another institution.
Baylor lost contact with the remaining 2 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 6 | 75.00% |
| Dropped Out | 2 | 25.00% |
