Baylor Rises to No. 71 in Latest U.S. News Rankings
University achieves highest-ever ranking among National Universities that offer top academic programs, produce groundbreaking research
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Contact: Lori Fogleman, 254-710-6275
WACO, Texas (Sept. 9, 2014) – In the latest rankings released today by U.S. News & World Report, Baylor University moved up to No. 71 among National Universities, achieving the University's best rating since U.S. News began ranking institutions beyond the top 50 in 2002. Baylor was ranked No. 75 by U.S. News in 2013.
Schools in the National Universities category offer a full range of undergraduate majors, plus master's and doctoral programs, and also are committed to producing groundbreaking research.
Among the highlights for Baylor in this year's U.S. News ranking:
Baylor is second-highest ranked university in the Big 12. The University of Texas at Austin is the highest at No. 53.
Baylor is the fifth-highest ranked university in Texas. The top five are Rice (No. 19), UT (No. 53), SMU (No. 58), Texas A&M (No. 68) and Baylor (No. 71).
Baylor jumped seven places to No. 45 in the U.S. News High School Counselor Rankings. These rankings were determined by guidance counselors from a nationwide sampling of public high schools in the 2013 U.S. News Best High School rankings that were gold, silver or bronze medal winners, as well as from the largest private independent schools nationwide, who reported which universities they think offer the best undergraduate education to their students.
Baylor's high school counselor score was 4.1, the University's best since U.S. News began using the metric in 2010.
Other data highlights from Baylor's latest U.S. News ranking:
42 percent of students in the top 10 percent of their high school class – highest since 2009.
51 percent of classes under 20 – highest since 2012.
86 percent freshman retention rate over a four-year period – highest since 2009.
Baylor's two-year average alumni giving rate of 15 percent – highest since 2011.
To rank universities, U.S. News places each school into a category based on its mission as a research university or liberal arts college and gathers data from and about each school in up to 16 areas related to academic excellence. Each indicator is assigned a weight (expressed as a percentage) based on U.S. News' judgments about which measures of quality matter most and ranks schools based on their composite weighted score.
The data for the 2015 edition of Best Colleges were gathered in the spring and summer of 2014.
The U.S. News rankings are available at www.usnews.com.
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution, characterized as having "high research activity" by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University provides a vibrant campus community for approximately 15,000 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 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 11 nationally recognized academic divisions. Baylor sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and is a founding member of the Big 12 Conference.