Soaring Freshman Applications Leads To Early Wait List
by Lori Fogleman (254) 710-6275
After receiving a record number of freshman applications for the second year in a row, Baylor University has started a wait list for the fall 2006 freshman class. Last year's wait list was not formed until early May.
As of Jan. 31, Baylor has received more than 20,500 applications, which is 58.4 percent ahead of last year's record number. The university has accepted more than 7,800 applicants, an increase of 6.5 percent over last year, while receiving 2,239 deposits, which is 68.6 percent ahead of last year.
"Currently we have many more qualified freshman applicants than we have available space in the fall 2006 class," said James Steen, assistant vice president for admission and enrollment services. "Because our goal is to provide our students with excellent living and learning opportunities, we must not exceed our capacity; therefore, the most responsible thing we can do at this point is to start a wait list."
Last year, Baylor started a wait list for freshmen who deposited after May 2. The 2005 freshman class turned out to be the largest (3,168 students), most diverse (30.6 percent minority) and most academically accomplished freshman class (average SAT of 1196) in Baylor's history.
Baylor has contacted current applicants, as well as prospective students who might be intending to apply, about the status of the fall 2006 freshman class and the possibility that they could be offered a place on the wait list. Although placement for wait listed students is not guaranteed, if space becomes available, the university intends to offer admission to some applicants on the wait list no later than April 15.
"Baylor is committed to maintaining its tradition of academic excellence, a low student-to-faculty ratio and small class sizes," Steen said, "so we are taking steps now to ensure that we do not have a result like last fall. Through great efforts by our faculty, student life staff and operational units, we were able to accommodate last year's record class. We cannot, however, take another class of that size."
Baylor officials reported that transfer applications also are running ahead of last year. As of Jan. 31, Baylor has received more than 1,200 transfer applications, which is an 84.2 percent increase from this time last year.
For more information, contact Admission Services at 1-800-BAYLOR-U (option 1-1) or visit http://admissions.baylor.edu.