Baylor Law School
Waco, Texas · Private · ABA-approved since 1931 · Data updated November 2, 2026
Baylor Law School is a private law school in Waco, Texas, approved by the American Bar Association since 1931. It admitted a fall 2025 class with a median LSAT of 164, higher than 69% of ABA-approved schools, saw 93.7% of its first-time bar takers pass in 2025 and placed 95.5% of its 2025 graduates in full-time lawyer jobs.
What stands out
- 95.5% of 2025 graduates in full-time lawyer jobs, more than at 94% of schools.
Admissions: LSAT, GPA and acceptance rate
For the class that entered in fall 2025, Baylor University received 3,658 completed applications and made 753 offers, an acceptance rate of 20.6%. 165 students enrolled in the first-year class. The typical ABA school accepted 35.8%.
| Entering class, fall 2025 | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| LSAT | 159 | 164 | 165 |
| Undergraduate GPA | 3.49 | 3.77 | 3.89 |
A quarter of the class scored 159 or lower on the LSAT and a quarter scored 165 or higher. An applicant at or above the median, 164, is in the stronger half of this class; one below the 25th percentile is a long shot unless something else in the file stands out.
Where would your numbers fall in this class?
Enter an LSAT score and undergraduate GPA. We compare them with the class that entered in fall 2025. This shows where your numbers sit, not your chances: admissions offices read the whole file.
Tuition, living costs and scholarships
Baylor University charges tuition by the credit hour: $1,606 a credit, plus $95 in annual fees. The degree takes 126 credits, so a full-time year of about 42 credits comes to roughly $67,547. That is more than 82% of ABA schools charge. The school estimates living costs of $25,023 a year off campus.
| Annual cost, 2025-26 | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition per credit hour, full-time, resident | $1,606 |
| Annual fees, resident | $95 |
| Living costs, on campus | $21,309 |
| Living costs, off campus | $25,023 |
| Living costs, at home | $11,991 |
In 2024-25, 97% of full-time students received a grant or scholarship from the school. The median award was $33,518, and the middle half of awards ran from $18,000 to $57,873. Subtract the median award from the full-time tuition and fees above and a typical recipient pays about $34,029 a year in tuition and fees, before living costs. That is a rough guide, since awards vary and some students get nothing.
| Size of grant, all students | Share of students |
|---|---|
| Less than half tuition | 41% |
| Half to full tuition | 29% |
| Full tuition | 20% |
| More than full tuition | 7% |
Scholarships that can be cut. The school reports that it does not award scholarships that are reduced or ended because of grades, other than for failing to stay in good academic standing.
Three years, roughly. At 2025-26 prices, three years of full-time tuition and fees plus off-campus living costs come to about $277,710. With the median scholarship every year, about $177,156. Tuition usually rises each year, so treat this as a floor.
Bar passage
Of 111 graduates who took a bar exam for the first time in 2025, 104 passed: 93.7%. The average for the same exams, weighted by where its graduates sat, was 82.7%, so the school finished a full 11 points above that average.
| Where they sat, 2025 | Takers | Passed | School | State average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 other jurisdictions | 6 | 6 | 100% | 81.5% |
| Texas | 105 | 98 | 93.3% | 82.7% |
The ABA also follows each class for two years. Of the 142 members of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam, 139 had passed one within two years: 97.9%.
Jobs after graduation
The ABA counts where each class is working ten months after graduation. Of 110 2025 graduates, 105 (95.5%) had full-time, long-term jobs that require bar passage, and 1 more (0.9%) had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. At the typical ABA school, 83.4% were in lawyer jobs. 0 (0%) were unemployed and looking for work.
Law firm jobs by firm size
Shares are of all 110 graduates. Firms of more than 250 lawyers, the usual sense of “Big Law,” hired 14 (12.7%).
Where graduates work
Most employed graduates stayed in Texas (95), followed by California (2) and Colorado (2).
Students who leave
In 2024-25, 5 first-year students left Baylor University: 2 for academic reasons (1%) and 3 for other reasons, such as transferring to another school (1%).
Transfers run both ways: 2 first-year students transferred out and 3 transferred in from other law schools.
Classes, clinics and faculty
Baylor University offered 131 upper-level course titles beyond the first-year curriculum in 2024-25. Of its upper-level class sections, 81% had fewer than 25 students and 1% had 75 or more.
| Hands-on learning, 2024-25 | Number |
|---|---|
| Law clinic seats available | 140 |
| Law clinic seats filled | 129 |
| Field placement (externship) positions filled | 100 |
| Simulation course seats filled | 1,636 |
| Co-curricular offerings (journals, moot court, etc.) | 55 |
The school reports 41 full-time faculty and 125 more who teach part-time or in other roles. With 439 J.D. students, that is about 11 students per full-time faculty member.
How Baylor University compares in Texas
Texas has 10 ABA-approved law schools. Among them, Baylor University ranks 4th in median LSAT, 5th in first-time bar passage, 2nd in share of graduates in lawyer jobs and 9th-lowest tuition.
| School | Median LSAT | Tuition | Bar pass | Lawyer jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Texas | 172 | $38,236 | 96.4% | 95.8% |
| Texas A&M University | 169 | $32,634 | 95.3% | 95.2% |
| Southern Methodist University | 167 | $68,686 | 97.8% | 94.7% |
| Baylor University | 164 | $67,547 | 93.7% | 95.5% |
| University of Houston | 163 | $39,222 | 84.5% | 84.9% |
| Texas Tech University | 159 | $27,532 | 95.5% | 91.9% |
| South Texas College of Law Houston | 155 | $44,960 | 85.6% | 81.9% |
| St. Mary's University | 153 | $46,310 | 84.6% | 80.6% |
| University of North Texas at Dallas | 153 | $18,761 | 79.7% | 71.7% |
| Texas Southern University | 150 | $21,038 | 62.9% | 54.3% |
More on each, and on the Texas bar exam: law schools in Texas.
Schools with similar admissions numbers
These five schools admitted fall 2025 classes with the median LSAT and GPA closest to Baylor University's, so an applicant who fits here is likely to be a similar fit there. Compare what each costs and how its graduates fare.
| School | Median LSAT | Median GPA | Tuition | Bar pass | Lawyer jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baylor University | 164 | 3.77 | $67,547 | 93.7% | 95.5% |
| Northeastern University Boston, MA | 164 | 3.77 | $65,850 | 90.5% | 82.2% |
| University of Iowa Iowa City, IA | 164 | 3.78 | $33,489 | 91.4% | 91.1% |
| University of Miami Coral Gables, FL | 164 | 3.79 | $69,218 | 85.3% | 83.3% |
| Villanova University Villanova, PA | 164 | 3.80 | $60,750 | 90% | 90.8% |
| Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University New York, NY | 165 | 3.78 | $76,458 | 87.8% | 89.1% |
Frequently asked questions
What LSAT score do you need to get into Baylor Law School?
There is no cutoff, but the class that entered in fall 2025 had a median LSAT of 164, with the middle half scoring 159 to 165. The median undergraduate GPA was 3.77. The school accepted 20.6% of applicants.
What is the bar passage rate at Baylor Law School?
93.7% of Baylor University graduates taking a bar exam for the first time in 2025 passed, against a weighted state average of 82.7%. Within two years of graduating, 97.9% of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam had passed.
How much does Baylor Law School cost?
Full-time tuition and fees for 2025-26 are about $67,547 a year. The school charges by the credit hour, so that figure assumes a full-time load of 42 credits a year. Most students pay less: 97% of full-time students received a grant, with a median award of $33,518.
Do Baylor Law School graduates get jobs?
Ten months after graduation, 95.5% of the class of 2025 had full-time, long-term jobs requiring bar passage, and 0.9% more had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. 0% were unemployed and seeking work.
Is Baylor Law School ABA-accredited?
Yes. Baylor Law School has been approved by the American Bar Association since 1931, so its graduates can sit for the bar exam in every state.